Source: Excerpt from the book “Aḥkām wa Masāʾil: In the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah” by Shaykh Mubashshir Ahmad Rabbānī ḥafiẓahullāh
Is rabbit meat halal or haram?
Most members of my household follow the Ja‘fari sect and claim that the rabbit resembles a cat in its shape and voice, and since the cat is haram, the rabbit is also haram.
According to the Qur’an and Sunnah, there is no evidence that deems rabbit haram.
In fact, rabbit is a halal animal, and there is no aspect of it that would render it impermissible.
The Prophet ﷺ has prohibited carnivorous animals with fangs and birds with talons.
◉ Hadith:
"نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ كُلِّ ذِي نَابٍ مِنَ السِّبَاعِ وَكُلِّ ذِي مِخْلَبٍ مِنَ الطَّيْرِ"
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade the eating of all predatory animals with fangs and birds with talons.”
☛ Rabbit is not a predatory animal nor does it tear flesh — hence, it does not fall under this prohibition.
◉ Hadith of Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه):
“We once chased a rabbit at a place called Marr Ẓahrān. The people ran after it but gave up due to exhaustion. I caught it and brought it to Abu Ṭalḥah (رضي الله عنه), who slaughtered it and sent its haunches (thighs) to the Prophet ﷺ, and the Prophet ﷺ accepted it.”
Anas (رضي الله عنه) further confirmed:
“Yes, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ate from it.”
Imām al-Qasṭallānī (رحمه الله), in his commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, stated:
“All four major Imams (Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, Shāfiʿī, Aḥmad) agree that rabbit is ḥalāl.”
It is narrated that a villager once said he saw signs of menstruation in a rabbit, and thus assumed it was haram. The Prophet ﷺ explicitly rejected this notion:
◉ Hadith:
“A Bedouin brought roasted rabbit and bread to the Prophet ﷺ and said:
‘I saw it bleed like menstruation.’
The Prophet ﷺ said to his companions:
“Eat it, there is no harm.”
Then he told the man himself to eat it, but the man replied, ‘I am fasting.’
The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘What kind of fast?’ He replied, ‘The fast of three days a month.’
The Prophet ﷺ then advised: ‘Then fast the white days — the 13th, 14th, and 15th.’”
☛ Thus, the Prophet ﷺ himself dismissed the objection regarding menstruation and declared rabbit permissible.
Claiming that rabbit is haram due to its resemblance to a cat — whether in appearance or sound — is not valid. This is a subjective analogy, and:
✔ Islamic rulings are based on revelation (naṣṣ),
not on assumptions or similarities.
Many halal things may resemble haram ones in some features — resemblance does not change legal status.
✔ Rabbit is ḥalāl.
✔ The Prophet ﷺ consumed it.
✔ All four schools of thought agree on its permissibility.
Basing prohibition on analogy with cats or unfounded claims (like menstruation) is baseless in Sharīʿah.
And Allah knows best.
❖ Question:
Is rabbit meat halal or haram?
Most members of my household follow the Ja‘fari sect and claim that the rabbit resembles a cat in its shape and voice, and since the cat is haram, the rabbit is also haram.
❖ Answer:
According to the Qur’an and Sunnah, there is no evidence that deems rabbit haram.
In fact, rabbit is a halal animal, and there is no aspect of it that would render it impermissible.
❖ Relevant Hadiths:
The Prophet ﷺ has prohibited carnivorous animals with fangs and birds with talons.
◉ Hadith:
"نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ كُلِّ ذِي نَابٍ مِنَ السِّبَاعِ وَكُلِّ ذِي مِخْلَبٍ مِنَ الطَّيْرِ"
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade the eating of all predatory animals with fangs and birds with talons.”
Reference: Muslim: 1931
☛ Rabbit is not a predatory animal nor does it tear flesh — hence, it does not fall under this prohibition.
❖ Example from the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions:
◉ Hadith of Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه):
“We once chased a rabbit at a place called Marr Ẓahrān. The people ran after it but gave up due to exhaustion. I caught it and brought it to Abu Ṭalḥah (رضي الله عنه), who slaughtered it and sent its haunches (thighs) to the Prophet ﷺ, and the Prophet ﷺ accepted it.”
Reference: Bukhārī, Book of Slaughtering and Hunting: 5535
Anas (رضي الله عنه) further confirmed:
“Yes, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ate from it.”
Reference: Bukhārī: 2572
❖ Consensus of the Scholars:
Imām al-Qasṭallānī (رحمه الله), in his commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, stated:
“All four major Imams (Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, Shāfiʿī, Aḥmad) agree that rabbit is ḥalāl.”
Reference: Irshād al-Sārī (Sharḥ al-Bukhārī): 8/292
❖ Addressing the Objection: “Rabbit Experiences Menstruation”
It is narrated that a villager once said he saw signs of menstruation in a rabbit, and thus assumed it was haram. The Prophet ﷺ explicitly rejected this notion:
◉ Hadith:
“A Bedouin brought roasted rabbit and bread to the Prophet ﷺ and said:
‘I saw it bleed like menstruation.’
The Prophet ﷺ said to his companions:
“Eat it, there is no harm.”
Then he told the man himself to eat it, but the man replied, ‘I am fasting.’
The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘What kind of fast?’ He replied, ‘The fast of three days a month.’
The Prophet ﷺ then advised: ‘Then fast the white days — the 13th, 14th, and 15th.’”
Reference: al-Nasāʾī: 2429, Ibn Ḥibbān: 3650, Aḥmad: 8541, Ibn Khuzaymah: 2127
☛ Thus, the Prophet ﷺ himself dismissed the objection regarding menstruation and declared rabbit permissible.
❖ Refuting the Analogy with the Cat
Claiming that rabbit is haram due to its resemblance to a cat — whether in appearance or sound — is not valid. This is a subjective analogy, and:
✔ Islamic rulings are based on revelation (naṣṣ),
not on assumptions or similarities.Many halal things may resemble haram ones in some features — resemblance does not change legal status.
❖ Conclusion:
✔ Rabbit is ḥalāl.
✔ The Prophet ﷺ consumed it.
✔ All four schools of thought agree on its permissibility.
Basing prohibition on analogy with cats or unfounded claims (like menstruation) is baseless in Sharīʿah.And Allah knows best.
