In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Is hunting for pleasure forbidden or permissible?

The basic ruling for hunting is permissibility. This is supported by the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus, as in Allah’s saying: ﴿Lawful to you is game from the sea and its food as provision for you and for those who travel, but forbidden to you is game from the land as long as you are in the state of ihram.﴾ However, hunting can be subject to the five legal rulings: it is originally permissible; it can be recommended for providing for one's family and fulfilling non-obligatory needs; it can be obligatory for fulfilling essential needs; it can be disliked if done for amusement and play; and it can be forbidden if done during ihram, within the sacred precinct (Haram), if it leads to a forbidden act, or distracts from an obligatory duty.