Why not halal fish?

[Haarith]

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلوة والسلام عليك يارسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Most respected Imam may Allah keep you and your loved ones in good health and iman, ameen.

Imam saheb I've often been asked by non-Muslims why we don't say Bismillahi Allahu Akbar before "slaughtering" fish. I've told them that it is not a condition to slaughter fish for it to become halal. They are finding it absurd that we ask Allah permission before taking away the life of a living creature like (for example) a cow while we don't recite the above dua before taking away the life of fish. They say they can live with the fact that we ask our God to kill an animal which we ourselves didn't give life to; But they can't live with the fact that we don't ask our God to kill fish which we also didn't give life to. So Imam saheb I hope you can shed some light on this.

JazakAllahu khayr...
May Allah give us knowlegde, ameen

والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Wa'alaykum 'Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu


All Praise be to Allah who is the Lord of the Worlds, and may Endless Blessings be showered upon His Most Beloved, and Final Messenger of Islam, Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam

Fish is something which is halal, and for the sake of explaining it to the non-Muslims, it could be said that it is a dish of the prophets. Most if not all prophets used to consume fish, and because unlike any other animal which is made halal, it does not breathe air but dies in air, it does not have to carry the same procedure as those animals which live in the air, or on the earth.

First of all, it is worship to consume fish, because Prophets like Hadrat Musa alayhis 'salam, consumed fish. Secondly, they did not carry out the procedure of making it halal, so we dont either. Thirdly, it is not an animal which lives on the earth or, air, which the zabiha rules apply to, but lives in water, therefore the zabiha rules do not apply.

I hope that I have tried to erase any doubts, or added some point or other that will assist you, in your discussion with your friends.


Jazak'allah for your question.





Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab


M. Waseem Ashrafi