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Ruling on eating broiler meat
Fatwa No: 222481

Question

Assalamu Alaikum, Is it permitted to eat the meat of broilers? I heard that broilers are hybrid of chicken and vultures.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

It is permissible to eat the meat of broilers, for it was narrated that Abu Moosa Al-Ash‘ari was presented with a dish containing chicken. One of the men sitting there did not come near the food. Abu Moosa said (to him), "Come near (and eat), for I saw the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, eating of it (i.e. chicken)." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar said: "This Hadeeth indicates that eating chicken is permissible, whether it is domestic or wild. This is according to the consensus of the scholars except what was narrated from some strict ones who held that (i.e. eating chicken is impermissible) to be on the safe side."

As for what you have heard that it is a hybrid of chicken and vultures, if this is certain, then eating it is forbidden according to the majority of scholars who prohibit eating the meat of vultures. Ibn Qudaamah said in Al-Mughni: "Mules are forbidden according to the scholars who hold that domestic donkeys are forbidden, because they are bred from them and thus the same ruling of prohibition applies to them. Thus, if it is a hybrid of domestic donkeys and wild donkeys (zebra), then it is prohibited on the assumption that what is unlawful takes precedence over what is lawful. The animal that is called in Arabic as As-Sim‘, which is a hybrid of wolf and hyena, is also forbidden."

Ash-Sheeraazi said in Al-Muhaththab: "It is not permissible to eat what is a hybrid of a lawful and unlawful animal such as As-Sim‘, which is a cross between a wolf and a hyena, and donkey that is a cross between a zebra and a domestic donkey, because it is bred of lawful and unlawful animals and thus what is unlawful takes precedence over what is lawful like with the mule."

Allaah Knows best.

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