Eating Fish from non Halal Restaurants

[ireallywannaknow]

Is it okay to eat fish from otherwise non halal restaurants? I don't know what goes on in the kitchen so I don't know what kind of cross contamination may happen but I imagine there would def be some... Are we supposed to avoid these types of places, ask/investigate into the matter until we have yaqeen that everything is halal, or is it a don't ask don't tell situation? 

To add more details I live in a smallish city with no halal restaurants, we have to travel about an hour to get to halal restaurants and meat stores. Sometimes it is nice to have other options besides cooking at home especially since I have newborn twins and well, some nights dinner just doesn't get made lol. 

[TheWayofTheSalaaf]

I am a sunni and I know shia have different views when it comes to food. That being said I have met many sunnis who would eat meat from halaal animals in a Christian country. I also know of many who would only eat meat if it was slaughters in a halal manner but would eat seafood at restaurants. My school of fiqh finds shellfish to be halal but my understanding is that shellfish may not be halaal according to shia and hanafi sunnis. You might be able to eat vegetarian and avoid meat if you want to eat out such as a bean and rice burrito or a salad. These might be options according to your school of fiqh and might be worth talking to one of your scholars. Hope that helps.

[ireallywannaknow]

7 hours ago, TheWayofTheSalaaf said:

I am a sunni and I know shia have different views when it comes to food. That being said I have met many sunnis who would eat meat from halaal animals in a Christian country. I also know of many who would only eat meat if it was slaughters in a halal manner but would eat seafood at restaurants. My school of fiqh finds shellfish to be halal but my understanding is that shellfish may not be halaal according to shia and hanafi sunnis. You might be able to eat vegetarian and avoid meat if you want to eat out such as a bean and rice burrito or a salad. These might be options according to your school of fiqh and might be worth talking to one of your scholars. Hope that helps.

Thank you! We believe that scaled fish and shrimp are fine to eat. However, my worry is that in a restaurant those fish options are cross contaminated with non zabihah chicken, for example they are fried in the same vessel possibly. 

I really wish my city had more vegetarian restaurant options, that's something they are really lacking :/ 

[Shian e Ali]

16 hours ago, ireallywannaknow said:

However, my worry is that in a restaurant those fish options are cross contaminated with non zabihah chicken, for example they are fried in the same vessel possibly.

Great point. 

When it doubt, leave it. Have fish at home.

[ShiaChat Mod]

17 hours ago, ireallywannaknow said:

my worry is that in a restaurant those fish options are cross contaminated with non zabihah chicken, for example they are fried in the same vessel possibly. 

Most restaurants do not fry fish in the same vat as chicken. It would make all their pieces of chicken taste fishy and customers would complain. 

[Guest guest]

32 minutes ago, ShiaChat Mod said:

Most restaurants do not fry fish in the same vat as chicken. It would make all their pieces of chicken taste fishy and customers would complain. 

I agree with this. Some owners do not even sell fish because they don't like a fishy smell in their restaurant. 

[Ashvazdanghe]

On 4/13/2025 at 12:29 AM, ireallywannaknow said:

Is it okay to eat fish from otherwise non halal restaurants? I don't know what goes on in the kitchen so I don't know what kind of cross contamination may happen but I imagine there would def be some... Are we supposed to avoid these types of places, ask/investigate into the matter until we have yaqeen that everything is halal, or is it a don't ask don't tell situation? 

To add more details I live in a smallish city with no halal restaurants, we have to travel about an hour to get to halal restaurants and meat stores. Sometimes it is nice to have other options besides cooking at home especially since I have newborn twins and well, some nights dinner just doesn't get made lol. 

Salam Yeah it's ok to eat fish whith  scales or the Shrimp in the  "non halal restaurants" .

According to grand Ayatollah Sistani

Question: What is the ruling on eating fish or potatoes in foreign restaurants, when it is likely that they also fry haram meat and chicken in the same oil?

Answer: There is no problem with eating potatoes - without knowing that they are impure - and the same applies to fish with scales if you are sure that it was taken alive from the water.

https://www.sistani.org/persian/qa/0895/

Acoocrding to Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi

What is the ruling on eating fish and shrimp in restaurants in non-Muslim countries?

If the fish has scales, there is no problem, and eating shrimp is also permissible.

Categories: Rulings on eating and drinking in non-Muslim countries

Cooking food in oil that has been used to fry non-Muslim meat
If fish is fried in oil that has been used to fry non-Muslim meat (except pork), is it permissible to eat that fish?

If there are no particles of that meat in the oil, there is no problem.

Categories: Rulings on eating and drinking in non-Muslim countries

Quote

Eating Halal Meats in Foreign Restaurants
If in a non-Muslim  foreign country  halal food (such as fish) has been prepared for a person (for example, restaurants that serves both fish and pork, and haram [meat]), is that food haram? Because ultimately the hands of the cook, who is not a Muslim, will come into contact with the food?

For such people, there is no problem.

https://makarem.ir/ahkam/fa/category/index/28862/احکام-خوردن-و-آشامیدن-در-ممالک-غیر-اسلامی#:~:text=خوردن ماهی و میگو در رستوران های کشورهای,آن گوشت در آن روغن نباشد اشکالی ندارد.

[ireallywannaknow]

@Ashvazdanghe thank you brother!! 

[TheWayofTheSalaaf]

On 4/16/2025 at 1:42 AM, Ashvazdanghe said:

Salam Yeah it's ok to eat fish whith  scales or the Shrimp in the  "non halal restaurants" .

According to grand Ayatollah Sistani

Question: What is the ruling on eating fish or potatoes in foreign restaurants, when it is likely that they also fry haram meat and chicken in the same oil?

Answer: There is no problem with eating potatoes - without knowing that they are impure - and the same applies to fish with scales if you are sure that it was taken alive from the water.

https://www.sistani.org/persian/qa/0895/

Acoocrding to Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi

What is the ruling on eating fish and shrimp in restaurants in non-Muslim countries?

If the fish has scales, there is no problem, and eating shrimp is also permissible.

Categories: Rulings on eating and drinking in non-Muslim countries

Cooking food in oil that has been used to fry non-Muslim meat
If fish is fried in oil that has been used to fry non-Muslim meat (except pork), is it permissible to eat that fish?

If there are no particles of that meat in the oil, there is no problem.

Categories: Rulings on eating and drinking in non-Muslim countries

https://makarem.ir/ahkam/fa/category/index/28862/احکام-خوردن-و-آشامیدن-در-ممالک-غیر-اسلامی#:~:text=خوردن ماهی و میگو در رستوران های کشورهای,آن گوشت در آن روغن نباشد اشکالی ندارد.

One thing that I just considered is the fats used. There seems to be a large use of seed oils for frying however some restaurants use tallow or lard. While I would imagine lard would be haraam as it is pig fat derived would tallow being from beef be halal even if it the animal were not slaughtered in a halal manner?

[Ashvazdanghe]

6 hours ago, TheWayofTheSalaaf said:

One thing that I just considered is the fats used. There seems to be a large use of seed oils for frying however some restaurants use tallow or lard. While I would imagine lard would be haraam as it is pig fat derived would tallow being from beef be halal even if it the animal were not slaughtered in a halal manner?

Salam definitely Lard which has been driven from pig is Haram which in similar fashion if the beef Tallow which has been driven from "not slaughtered in a halal manner" will be Haraam too ; in similar fashion of other parts  likewise skin & leather  ;

 

which in muslim countries all types of  cooking fats & oils likewise in  the  form of Ghee & Tallow & etc are extracting from Halal meat animals mostly from cattle (cow) & sheep which have been  " slaughtered in a halal manner" so therefore all types of cooking fats & oils which have been made in  in muslim countries are Halaal ; which some stores in westerner countries are selling Halaal cooking fats & oils which have been made in Turkey or Iran for Turkish & Iranian communities .

 

Ghee & Tallow

https://shopipersia.com/category/cooking-oils/?srsltid=AfmBOopJjdBdQiXgORQ8SzAssjXK7GagyezxW-aw2XVvvka0E7aP8UmT

https://www.abrishamroad.com/products/sunflower-oil-pure-refined-oil-wholesale-persian-cooking-oil-1

 

Sun flower oil

https://www.safyayagi.com/

Dhabh

Quote

Dhabḥ (Arabic: ذَبْح) or slaughter in Islamic rulings, is among the methods of killing an animal ritually (tadhkiya) and refers to beheading them according to Islamic rulings. Religiously terrestrial animals (except camels and grasshoppers) and aquatic animals whose blood gush out (except fish) are considered ritually slaughtered (mudhakka) through dhabh.

https://en.wikishia.net/view/Dhabh

 Slaughtering

Issue 160: If a Muslim knows and is certain that the meat of a halal animal, such as a cow, sheep, or chicken, that has not been slaughtered according to Islamic law, is in his possession, then such meat is corpse meat and a Muslim cannot eat it, even if the seller is a Muslim, as this meat is impure and anything that comes into contact with by moisture it becomes impure. Source: Hadana website, taken from the book A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West, Grand Ayatollah Sistani.

https://hadana.ir/گوشت-حیوان-حلال-گوشتی-که-ذبح-اسلامی-نشد/

https://www.sistani.org/english/book/46/2018/

https://www.sistani.org/english/book/48/8218/

https://al-islam.org/islamic-laws-sayyid-ali-hussaini-sistani/slaughtering-and-hunting-animals

 

[Botak]

A question i asked to my marja (Ayatollah Khamenei) in the past

 

Is it permissible to eat fish ball that one doesnt know wether the fish inside is halal or not?

 

Salamun `alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

If you know that the fish has been legally caught (that is, it was caught alive or died in a fishing net), but you doubt whether it has scale or not, there is no problem in eating it.

With prayers for your success