Eating Crab, Halal or Haram?

Assalamu’alaikum Sobat Halal-Mu

The word of Allah SWT regarding the obligation to consume halal and thayyib (good), the law of consuming animal foods, and the like:

“O people! Eat only what is lawful and good from what is found on the earth, and do not follow the steps of the devil, for he is a real enemy to you.” (QS. Al-Baqarah (2): 168).

According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, crabs are hard-shelled animals that live in coral and sand areas. The hard skin of the crab is made of a substance called chitin. Its food is moss, algae and the remains of animals that have decomposed.

There are four (4) types of mangrove crabs that are often consumed and become commodities according to Dr. Sulistiono (Lecturer at the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences IPB) in the paper Eko-Biology of Mangrove Crabs (Scylla spp), namely:

1. Scylla serrata,
2. Scylla tranquebarrica,
3. Scylla olivacea, and
4. Scylla paramamosain

These four species of mangrove crabs are simply called “crabs” by the general public.

Crabs are a type of aquatic animal, for the following reasons:

1. Breathing with gills,
2. They live in water,
3. Never lay eggs on land, but in water because they need oxygen from the water.

Crabs including the four types above (see number 1) only have:

1. live in freshwater only,
2. live in sea water only, and
3. live in seawater and freshwater; none live or live in two realms: in the sea and on land.

Then, is crab halal to consume?

Crabs are halal to consume as long as they do not cause harm to human health.

Good luck

Halal is Our Need, Our Quality and Our Choice!

Source: MUI Fatwa 2002 on the law of consuming crabs