FatwaFederal TerritoriesFood & Halal
IRSYAD HUKUM SIRI KE-401 : HUKUM MAKAN SEMUT DALAM BALANG GULA
What is the ruling on accidentally eating ants that got into a sugar jar?
Short answer
Eating ants is originally forbidden because they are considered repulsive and there is a hadith prohibiting killing them.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- Federal Territories Mufti Office
- Date
- Status
- Opinion (irsyad)
- Series
- Irsyad al-Hukum (Umum)
- Topic
- Food & Halal
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
Eating ants is originally forbidden because they are considered repulsive and there is a hadith prohibiting killing them. The Shafii school holds that an animal which is prohibited to kill is also prohibited to eat. An exception applies when the ants are few, hard to guard against, dissolved in the food and not repulsive, in which case the food may be eaten. Some scholars add the condition that it causes no harm to health.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Hukum memakan semut ialah haram, kerana ia termasuk dalam jenis haiwan yang menjijikkan apabila dimakan, dan kerana terdapat hadis larangan membunuhnya.
Read the full fatwa on the Federal Territories website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
Federal Territories Mufti Office. “IRSYAD HUKUM SIRI KE-401 : HUKUM MAKAN SEMUT DALAM BALANG GULA”, 5 February 2020. https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/irsyad-hukum/umum/4114-irsyad-al-fatwa-siri-ke-401-hukum-makan-semut-dalam-balang-gula. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/ruling-eating-ants-in-sugar-jar/