In
Sunni Islam, there are two general schools of thought. Most Sunni Muslim schools of jurisprudence (
Shafi'i,
Hanbali, and
Maliki) hold as a general rule that all "sea game" (animals of the sea) are permissible to eat with a few minor exceptions. Thus, for example, the local dish
Laksa (which includes meats such as shrimp and squid with a soup base made from
shrimp paste), is deemed permissible in the Shafi'i Sunni Muslim majority nations of
Indonesia and
Malaysia where it is commonly consumed.
Hanafi views In the
Hanafi school, one of the four Sunni schools, only "
fish" (as opposed to all "sea game") are permissible, including
eel, croaker and
hagfish. Any other sea (or water) creatures that are not fish, therefore, are also makruh tahrimi (forbidden but not as the same level as haram) whether they breathe oxygen from
water through
gills (such as prawns, lobsters and
crabs, which are
crustaceans),
molluscs such as
clams,
octopus,
mussels and
squid, especially if they breathe oxygen from
air through
lungs (such as
sea turtles and
sea snakes, which are
reptiles,
dolphins and
whales, which are
mammals, or semi-aquatic animals like
penguins, which are
birds,
saltwater crocodiles, which are reptiles,
seals, which are mammals, and
frogs, which are
amphibians). In the Hanafi school of thought, there is a difference of opinion if shrimp and prawns are fish. Those who say they are halal say that the Arabs used to consider them fish, thus permissible. By contrast, others argue that prawns and shrimps are not actually fish, nor do they look like fish, so shrimps and prawns are not permissible. Additionally, the Hanafi scholars prohibit fish that died of natural causes and start to float on the surface of the water (also known as Samak-al-Tafi). ==Shia views==