Hunting in Islam – Permissible Methods and Essential Conditions

Ruling on Hunting in Islam: Permissible Methods and Conditions


Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori

Linguistic Meaning​

The word ṣayd (صيد) comes from صَادَ يَصِيدُ (form I verb), meaning “to hunt.” The forms taṣayyada (تفعل) and iṣṭāda (افتعال) have the same meaning.

• Ṣayd: the game (animal) hunted
• Ṣāʾid: the hunter

[Lisān al-ʿArab 7/450; Al-Munjid, p. 488]

Technical Definition​

Hunting a halal wild animal that is generally not owned or in someone’s possession.
[Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī wa Adillatuhu 4/2803; Al-Lubāb 3/217; Tab’yīn al-Ḥaqāʾiq 6/50; Kashshāf al-Qināʿ 6/211]

Legitimacy of Hunting​

① Qur’anic Evidence:


وَإِذَا حَلَلْتُمْ فَاصْطَادُوا
“When you have come out of the state of ihram, you may hunt.” (Al-Mā’idah: 2)


② Sea Game:


أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَحْرِ وَطَعَامُهُ... وَحُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَرِّ مَا دُمْتُمْ حُرُمًا
“Lawful to you is the game of the sea and its food... but forbidden to you is the game of the land while you are in ihram.” (Al-Mā’idah: 96)


③ Hunting with Trained Animals:


فَكُلُوا مِمَّا أَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ
“So eat from what they catch for you, and mention the name of Allah upon it.” (Al-Mā’idah: 4)

Hadith Evidence​

Abu Thaʿlabah al-Khushanī رضي الله عنه said:


“I hunt with my bow, with my untrained dog, and with my trained dog — what is permissible for me?”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
وما صدت بقوسك فذكرت اسم الله فكل، وما صدت بكلبك المعلم فذكرت اسم الله فكل، وما صدت بكلبك غير معلم فأدركت ذكاته فكل
“Whatever you hunt with your bow and mention Allah’s name — eat it. Whatever you hunt with your trained dog and mention Allah’s name — eat it. Whatever you hunt with your untrained dog, and you reach it while it is alive and slaughter it — eat it.”


[Bukhari 5478; Muslim 1930; Abu Dawud 2855; Ibn Majah 1070; Bayhaqi 9/244; Ahmad 14/193]

Keeping Hunting Dogs​

The Prophet ﷺ said:


“Whoever keeps a dog other than a hunting dog or a dog for herding livestock will lose one qirāṭ of reward every day.”
[Bukhari 2322, 3324; Muslim 1575; Tirmidhi 1490; Ibn Majah 3204; Ahmad 2/267]


Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr رحمه الله:


These ahadith prove the permissibility of keeping a hunting dog.
[Al-Istidhkār 27/193]

Explanation of Terms​

• Jawāriḥ: plural of jāriḥ, meaning “earner” — refers to hunting dogs, hawks, leopards, falcons, and other hunting animals.
• Mukallibīn: trainers of hunting dogs.
• Training (Taʿlīm): the animal runs after prey when released, stops when ordered, and does not eat from the catch.

[Subul al-Salām 4/1843; Al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah 2/399; Nayl al-Awṭār 5/210; Kashshāf 1/606; Tafsīr Fatḥ al-Qadīr 2/13]