Is all seafood and fish automatically halal?

The Quran explicitly permits 'the game of the sea and its food' as lawful, without requiring any ritual slaughter, and most scholars (the Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools) extend this to all creatures that live in water — fish, shrimp, crab, lobster, and so on. The Hanafi school takes a narrower position, considering only what is properly classified as 'fish' to be unquestionably halal, and holding a more cautious or differing view on other sea creatures like shellfish and eels. In practice, the overwhelming majority of Muslims worldwide follow the broader ruling and eat all seafood freely. Where opinions genuinely differ, such as on certain shellfish, it is reasonable to follow the view of your own school or a scholar you trust, without treating it as a major issue either way. What remains impermissible is seafood prepared with haram additions, such as being cooked in wine, alcohol-based marinades, or lard, so the concern in modern dining is often less about the creature itself and more about how it is prepared.

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