What is the ruling regarding the river otter, and is it permissible to eat it?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The hippopotamus is an animal that lives in water and spends most of its time there. Scholars have explicitly stated the permissibility of eating it, either through ritual slaughter (tadhkiyah) like land animals, or without it, considering it a marine catch and food. Mentioning its tusks does not make its consumption forbidden, as they are not the fangs of a predatory beast. Therefore, it is permissible based on the principle of permissibility.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/22563
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 22563
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Read the full answer on Ftawy