Quran
Hadith
Islamic Text
Spleen from a Halal animal is Halal.
The general rule in the Hanafi Madhab is that every part of a Halal animal is permitted to consume with the exception of seven things.
مَا يَحْرُمُ أَكْلُهُ مِنْ أَجْزَاءِ الْحَيَوَانِ الْمَأْكُولُ سَبْعَةٌ: الدَّمُ الْمَسْفُوحُ وَالذَّكَرُ وَالْأُنْثَيَانِ وَالْقُبُلُ وَالْغُدَّةُ وَالْمَثَانَةُ وَالْمَرَارَةُ بَدَائِعُ (رد المحتار على الدر المختار)
Seven parts of the animal are prohibited, even if the animal is (generally) permitted to consume. They are flowing blood, penis, testicles, vagina, glands (Ghuddah), bladder (Mathanah) and gall bladder (Maraarah). (Radd al-Muhtaar).
The spleen is not included within the prohibited parts so can be considered permitted. In addition to this, there are explicit Nusoos (texts) in authoritative Hanafi books that indicate spleen being Halal.
الْكَبِدُ وَالطِّحَالُ طَاهِرَانِ قَبْلَ الْغَسْلِ (رد المحتار على الدر المختار)
Liver and spleen are pure even before they have been washed.
وَأَرَادَ بِالدَّمِ الدَّمَ الْمَسْفُوحَ أَمَّا بَيْعُ الْكَبِدِ وَالطِّحَالِ فَإِنَّهُ جَائِزٌ (البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق)
By blood he meant flowing blood (is prohibited to sell). As for liver and spleen, they are permitted (to sell). (al-Bahr al-Raiq).
As for evidence, this Masalah does not require an evidence for permissibility rather the opposite would be required (evidence for prohibition). Since the Sharia has made certain animals Halal, all parts of those animals would remain Halal unless there were evidence prohibiting certain parts. However, there is nothing prohibiting the spleen. In addition to this there are explicit Hadith permitting spleen, however the authenticity of these narrations is questionable.
حَدَّثَنَا سُرَيْجٌ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” أُحِلَّتْ لَنَا مَيْتَتَانِ، وَدَمَانِ. فَأَمَّا الْمَيْتَتَانِ: فَالْحُوتُ وَالْجَرَادُ، وَأَمَّا الدَّمَانِ: فَالْكَبِدُ وَالطِّحَالُ “
Ibn ‘Umar said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Two kinds of dead animals and two kinds of blood have been permitted to us. As for the two kinds of dead meat, they are fish and locusts. And as for the two kinds of blood, they are the liver and spleen.’ (Musnad Ahmad, 5723).
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُصْعَبٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «أُحِلَّتْ لَكُمْ مَيْتَتَانِ وَدَمَانِ، فَأَمَّا الْمَيْتَتَانِ، فَالْحُوتُ وَالْجَرَادُ، وَأَمَّا الدَّمَانِ، فَالْكَبِدُ وَالطِّحَالُ»
Abdullah bin ‘Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Two kinds of dead animals and two kinds of blood have been permitted for you. As for the two kinds of dead meat, they are locusts and fish. And as for the two kinds of blood, they are the liver and spleen.’ (Ibn Maja, 3314).
Both of these narrations have Abd al-Rahman bin Zayd in the chain, who is considered to be a weak narrator.
وَعبد الرَّحْمَن بن زيد بن أسلم ضَعِيف ضعفه يحيى بن معِين وَغَيره
And Abd al-Rahman bin Zayd is weak, Yahya bin Ma’een and others considered him to be a weak narrator. (Imam Badr al-Din al-Ayni, Umdatul Qari).
However, some contemporary scholars consider the Hadith to be Hasan Lighayrihi (sound) due to the various chains of narration, since there are multiple narrations of this Hadith. There is a strong argument to be made for the Hadith being Hasan Lighayrihi. However even if it is weak, the legal ruling still stands as there is no prohibiting evidence for spleen.
And Allah (Most High) knows best.
– Answered by Shaykh Noor ud-deen (04.01.2021)
See also:
How strong is the Hadith about spleen being Halal?
Is eel Halal in the Hanafi Madhab?
