Question:
Are Muslims allowed to eat crocodiles or alligators?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Crocodiles and alligators are amphibious animals and they can spend large amounts of time out of the water. These animals will not take the ruling of permissibility like fishes/sharks or aquatic animals that live fully in the water.
Crocodiles and alligators being predatory animals, will be impermissible to consume, as is the ruling of other predatory animals like lions, tigers etc[1].
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best.
Mufti Arshad Ali
Darul Iftaa, Jaamia Madinatul Uloom (Trinidad)
www.fatwa-tt.com /www.jaamia.net
[1] بدائع الصنائع، ج5، ص36، دار الكتب العلمية)
وَكَذَلِكَ مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ دَمٌ سَائِلٌ مِثْلُ الْحَيَّةِ وَالْوَزَغِ وَسَامِّ أَبْرَصَ وَجَمِيعِ الْحَشَرَاتِ وَهَوَامِّ الْأَرْضِ مِنْ الْفَأْرِ وَالْقُرَادِ وَالْقَنَافِذِ وَالضَّبِّ وَالْيَرْبُوعِ وَابْنِ عِرْسٍ وَنَحْوِهَا، وَلَا خِلَافَ فِي حُرْمَةِ هَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ إلَّا فِي الضَّبِّ فَإِنَّهُ حَلَالٌ عَنْدَ الشَّافِعِيِّ
