Is Octopus Halal? Views of the Schools of Thought

The Qur'an makes the game of the sea and its food lawful ^[1]. A sahih hadith in Sunan Abi Dawud describes what dies in the sea as lawful ^[2]. These texts are the starting point for every school.

The difference is about scope. Some scholars apply them to every animal that lives in the sea. Others limit them to fish. Octopus is a sea animal, but it is not a fish, so the answer depends on which reading you follow.

A Darul Ifta Birmingham summary reports that the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools treat all creatures that live in the sea as halal, whether they are fish or not ^[3]. A SeekersGuidance answer by Shaykh Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti explains the Shafi'i principle: the dead of sea animals are lawful, with the frog as the noted exception. He also notes the Malikis are broad on this, allowing even land crabs ^[4].

Octopus falls under this general rule. We did not find a specific ruling from these schools that singles out octopus as forbidden. Like other seafood, it needs no slaughter.

The Hanafi school allows only fish from the sea ^[5]. A fatwa from Mufti Online in South Africa, approved by Mufti Ebrahim Salejee, applies this directly. Squid, octopus and mussels are not permitted because only fish are allowed ^[6].

Squid gets a little more debate inside the school than octopus. A SeekersGuidance answer by Shaykh Faraz A. Khan says squid is not fish and should be avoided by Hanafis, and notes that other schools allow it ^[8]. Octopus has even fewer fish-like features, so we found no Hanafi source allowing it.

The office of Ayatollah Sistani rules that only fish with scales are halal from the sea, with shrimp as an exception. Shellfish and scaleless fish are not allowed ^[7]. Octopus has no scales and is not a fish, so it falls outside what is allowed.

If octopus is halal for you, check the recipe:

• Spanish and Portuguese octopus is often cooked with wine, or served next to chorizo.
• Greek grilled octopus usually uses olive oil, lemon and vinegar. Ask whether wine was used to braise it first.
• Japanese takoyaki (octopus balls) can include mirin or sake in the batter or sauce. See mirin.
• Korean dishes like nakji-bokkeum may use rice wine.

Buying octopus at the store. Raw or frozen octopus is just the animal, so the only question is your school's view. Canned and pre-cooked octopus can be packed in olive oil, garlic and vinegar, but some products add wine or other seasonings. Read the ingredient list, and look for a halal certification if you want extra assurance about the processing.

For related seafood, see calamari and sushi.