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Is it true that it is forbidden to eat human flesh, and what is the evidence for that?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Islam has permitted the consumption of everything good and beneficial, and forbidden the consumption of everything evil and harmful, based on the Almighty’s saying: "They ask you, 'What has been made lawful for them?' Say, 'All good things have been made lawful for you,'" and His saying, describing the Prophet: "and He makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil things." The prohibition of eating human flesh is self-evidently known. Islam honored humanity and forbade backbiting by likening the backbiter to one who eats the flesh of his dead brother, so how much more so for actually eating his flesh? The aversion to eating human flesh is a natural instinct, and Allah the Almighty condemned it by saying: "Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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