Islamic Ruling on Eggs Taken from a Dead Hen

Ruling on Eggs from a Dead Hen


Question:
What is the Islamic ruling on the egg of a dead hen?


Answer:
If an egg is taken out from a dead hen, it is ḥalāl (permissible).


❀ Imām Abū Bakr al-Jaṣṣāṣ al-Ḥanafī (رحمه الله، d. 370 AH) said:
الأصل فى ذلك: أن كل ما يستباح من الحيوان فى حال حياته بغير ذكاة، فحاله بعد الموت كهي قبله، وذلك لأنه لا يلحقه حكم الموت، لأنه لو كان يلحقه حكم الموت، لما حل له إلا بذكاة الأصل، كاللحم وسائر أعضاء الحيوان، لما لحقه حكم الموت بموت الحيوان، لم يحله إلا الذكاة
“The principle is: whatever part of an animal is permissible to consume during its life without slaughter, then after the animal’s death it retains the same ruling. This is because death does not apply to it. If death did apply, it would not be permissible except by slaughter—like the meat and other parts of the animal. Since those are affected by death, they are only permissible through slaughter.”
(شرح مختصر الطحاوی: 296/7-297)


The Ḥanafī scholars issued a fatwa:
البيضة إذا خرجت من دجاجة ميتة أكلت
“If an egg comes out of a dead hen, it may be eaten.”
(فتاویٰ عالمگیری: 339/5، المبسوط للسرخسی: 28/24)


Summary:

• The egg itself is not considered affected by the death of the hen.
• Therefore, it remains permissible to eat.