Is Rabbit Halal in Islam? Sunni and Shia Views

The main evidence is a report from Anas ibn Malik in Sahih al-Bukhari. He describes chasing and catching a rabbit at Marr al-Zahran. Abu Talha slaughtered it and sent a portion to the Prophet, who accepted it ^[2].

Scholars use this report as a basis for permitting rabbit. A rabbit is also not one of the animals the Qur'an forbids, such as pork or carrion ^[5], and it is not a predator with fangs ^[7].

An answer by Shaykh Yusuf Shabbir of IslamicPortal states that rabbit is permissible in all four schools of thought ^[1]. He cites classical works for this, including al-Mabsut, Bada'i al-Sana'i, al-Mudawwana, al-Majmu' and al-Mughni ^[1].

A Hanafi list of halal and haram animals by Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam also names rabbit among the animals whose meat is halal ^[3]. So there is no real dispute among Sunni schools on the animal itself.

Shia rulings differ. An "Ahkam in Brief" guide based on the rulings of Ayatollah Sistani says rabbits and hares are haram in the school of Ahlul Bayt ^[4]. If you follow a different Shia marja, check that scholar's rulings.

A halal animal still needs proper slaughter. The Qur'an forbids carrion and animals killed by strangling, a blow or a fall ^[5], and it tells believers not to eat meat over which God's name was not said ^[6]. In the hadith above, the rabbit was slaughtered before it was sent ^[2].

In US stores, look for rabbit with a named halal certifier. USDA does not define halal, and a 2025 petition asked FSIS to define "zabiha halal" as hand-slaughtered without stunning ^[8]. Halal Monitoring Services (HMS) certifies only hand-slaughtered meat ^[9].

If you hunt wild rabbit, Islamic hunting has its own conditions, including saying God's name. Ask a scholar before you go.

Rabbit is less common than chicken or beef, so halal options can be harder to find. These questions help:

• Who certified it? A label that just says "halal" without a certifier is hard to verify.
• Was it hand-slaughtered? If you follow the view that requires a Muslim to say God's name over each animal, ask directly.
• Was it stunned? Certifiers differ on stunning, so ask if this matters to you.
• Is it processed with other meats? Sausages, terrines and pâtés may mix rabbit with pork. Read the ingredient list.

Many classic rabbit recipes come from France, Italy and Spain. They are often braised in wine, with bacon or pancetta added for fat. If you order rabbit at a restaurant, ask about wine, pork and the meat supplier. At home, you can braise rabbit in stock instead of wine.

For other game and less common meats, see deer, kangaroo, horse meat and duck.