What is the ruling on eating guinea pig?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The "guinea pig" is not a real pig; rather, it is a rodent that resembles a hyrax. It is a herbivorous animal that eats plants. It does not have fangs with which to prey, nor is it considered repulsive. Therefore, there is nothing that necessitates its prohibition. Most scholars have permitted it because it is similar to the rabbit in its permissibility for consumption, and the default ruling for it is permissibility.
The prohibited pig is the well-known wild boar.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/23034
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 23034
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy