The Ruling on Eating the Lizard (Saanda / Saanhnah) in the Light of Qur’an and Hadith
Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
❖ Question:
Sayyiduna Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh رضي الله عنه reports:
أتي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بضب، فأبى أن يأكل منه، وقال: لا أدري لعله من القرون التى مسخت
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was brought a lizard (saanda), but he refused to eat it and said: “I do not know, perhaps it is from the nations that were transformed.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1949)
Does this ḥadīth prove that the lizard is forbidden?
❖ Answer:
This ḥadīth does not prove the prohibition of the lizard. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ only expressed a possibility by saying “perhaps”—not a definitive ruling.
In other authentic aḥādīth, it is established that the lizard was eaten on the table of the Prophet ﷺ, though he himself did not eat it. The reason was that this animal was not found in his region, and he naturally did not prefer it. However, a natural dislike does not imply prohibition. If it were forbidden, it would never have been eaten on the table of the Prophet ﷺ.
Evidence from Authentic Aḥādīth
① From Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (5400) and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1946):
أتي النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم بضب مشوي، فأهوى إليه ليأكل، فقيل له: إنه ضب، فأمسك يده، فقال خالد: أحرام هو؟ قال: لا، ولكنه لا يكون بأرض قومي، فأجدني أعافه، فأكل خالد ورسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ينظر
The Prophet ﷺ was brought roasted lizard meat. As he reached for it, he was told that it was lizard. He then withdrew his hand. Khālid رضي الله عنه asked: “Is it ḥarām?” He ﷺ replied: “No, but it is not found in the land of my people, so I dislike it.” Then Khālid رضي الله عنه ate it while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was watching.
② From Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (2575) and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1947):
Sayyiduna ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said:
ترك الضب تقذرا، وأكل على مائدة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، ولو كان حراما، ما أكل على مائدة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ left the lizard due to dislike, but it was eaten on his dining spread. If it had been ḥarām, it would never have been eaten on the table of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Scholarly Consensus
❀ Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله (676 AH) said:
أجمع المسلمون على أن الضب حلال ليس بمكروه
The Muslims are unanimously agreed that the lizard is ḥalāl and not disliked.
(Sharḥ al-Nawawī, 13/97)
Conclusion:The eating of lizard (saanda) is permissible (ḥalāl) in Islam. The Prophet ﷺ abstained from it merely out of natural aversion, not due to prohibition. The consensus of the scholars further confirms its permissibility.
