this is something which has always confused me too. I grew up eating crab and I really like it. However, aftr I became Muslim, someone told me that it is not permissible as it can live in and out of water..
Crab meat is halaal according to All scholars except Hanafi school...
the following are the opinions of the 4 Mazhabs regarding sea food:
1- Every animal that comes out of the sea to be Halal (Malik and Shafy).
2-Every animal that comes out of the sea to be Halal except ,the sea snake ,the frog,the crocodile.(Ibn Hanbal).
3- Every animal that comes out of the sea is Haram except the fish which not found float and dead.(Abu Hanifa)
4- the animals in sea that has similars on land should be treated the same
fpr example if there is an animal in the sea looks like a cow then it is ok to be eaten,and if an animal looks like a swine,dog etc not to be eaten (another opinion of Hanbali,Shafy)
The proofs for every opinion and the conclusion:
1- (Malik and Shafy).
[005:096] It is lawful for you to fish in the sea, and to eat what ye shall catch, as a provision for you and for those who travel.
the verse is general and no exception..
2- (Ibn Hanbal)all ok except the frog ,due to the hadith narrated in Abu Dawod That the prophet prohibited the killing of the frogs...
the crocodile cause it eats sometimes the humans
and the snake as it is one of the nastiest.
3- (Abu Hanifa) the other animals in sea except the fish is nasty and
the float fish is dead and all dead is forbidden 2:173 He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine...
Conclusion:
The first opinion seems to be stronger as the Quranic proof text is clear and general without exception,and there is no other clue to make exceptions for the sea animals...
Abd Allah ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him eternal peace) said: “Two types of dead meat and two types of blood have been made lawful for our consumption: The two dead meats are: fish and locust, and the two types of blood are: liver and spleen.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Musnad Ahmad, 2/97 and Sunan Ibn Majah, no: 3314)
Jabir ibn Abd Allah (Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) sent troops to the sea-coast and appointed Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah (Allah be pleased with him) as their commander, and they were 300 (men). We set out, and we had covered some distance on the way, when our journey-food and provision ran short. So Abu Ubayda ordered that all the food present with the troops be collected, and it was collected. Our journey-food was dates, and Abu Ubayda kept on giving us our daily share from it little by little until it decreased to such an extent that we did not receive except a date each. I (Jabir) asked: “How did you survive on one date?” He said: “We came to know its value when even that finished.” Jabir added: “Then we reached the sea (coast) where we found a fish like a small mountain. The people (i.e. troops) ate from it for 18 nights (i.e. days). Then Abu Ubayda ordered that two of its ribs be fixed on the ground (in the form of an arch) and that a she-camel be ridden and passed under them. So it passed under them without touching them.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no: 4102, Kitab al-Maghazi)
