Question
Reference number: 549346 | Foods and Drinks | April 4, 2019
What is the ruling on eating insects? Is there any religious evidence which states that eating insects is haram?
Answer
Praise Be to Allah and Peace Be Upon His Messenger.
Referring to your question, there are two opinions regarding the issue.
The majority of scholars see that eating insects such as scorpions, spiders, beetles or any other insects which are similar to the mentioned ones is haram. This is because such insects are filthy and considered unlawful. Actually, this is the opinion of Hanafi, Shafi’i, Hanbali schools and some scholars who belong to the Maliki school. Allah says: “He allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure).” Al-A’raf: 157.
It was narrated from Sa’eed Ibn al-Musayyab that Um Sharik said: “The messenger of Allah told me to kill geckos.” Related by Muslim. We can conclude that there are insects which must be killed. Therefore, it is unlawful to eat what must be killed, what could sting and what is poisonous because they are all harmful. Some could not be harmful, but they are dirty and filthy since they consume trash, and thus, they are disgusting.
The other opinion is the opinion of the other group of scholars who belong to the Maliki school. They see that eating insects is lawful. However, what is more correct is the opinion of the majority.