Is eating crabs, prawns and lobsters haram or makrooh?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Crabs are makrooh tahreemi (i.e. prohibited). There is a difference of opinion regarding prawns: some scholars that it is permissible to eat them, whereas other scholars say that it is makrooh tahreemi (click here for more details on this). As for lobsters, if they can be classified as ‘big prawns’, then there would be two views on it, just like on prawns; otherwise, they would be makrooh tahreemi.
Note: There are two types of makrooh acts. 1) Makrooh Tanzeehi 2) Makrooh Tahreemi. If something is “makrooh tanzeehi” it means that it is better not to do it, although if someone does do it, it is not a sin. If something is “makrooh tahreemi”, it means that it is prohibited to do that thing; and if someone does it, he will be sinful.
And Allah knows best.
Mufti Faizal Riza
13/10/2011