Is Horse Meat Halal? What Each School and Hadith Says

Horse meat is halal for most scholars, as long as the horse is slaughtered the Islamic way. The clearest evidence is a hadith recorded by both al-Bukhari and Muslim: on the day of Khaybar, the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade donkey meat and allowed horse meat.

There’s a real difference of opinion, though. Imam Abu Hanifa disliked horse meat, and some Maliki scholars were stricter still. Our old version of this page said most Shia scholars consider it haram, which was wrong: Sayyid Sistani rules it makruh (disliked), not forbidden. Here’s each view with its evidence.

Quick answer

by school

In every case, the horse must be slaughtered by the Islamic method with Allah’s name, like any other land animal.

The evidence: the hadith of Khaybar

Jabir ibn Abdullah reported:

“On the Day of the battle of Khaibar, Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) made donkey’s meat unlawful and allowed the eating of horse flesh.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5520)

Sahih Muslim records the same event: the Prophet “prohibited eating of the flesh of domestic asses on the Day of Khaibar, and permitted the cooking of the flesh of horses” (Sahih Muslim 1941). Asma bint Abi Bakr also said, “We slaughtered a horse (by Nahr) during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and ate it” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5510).

IslamQA notes that a narration forbidding horse meat does exist, but it was classed as weak by al-Albani, and al-Bayhaqi described its chain as faulty. The authentic narrations allow it.

Why Abu Hanifa disliked horse meat

Imam Abu Hanifa considered horse meat makruh. Darul Ifta Birmingham (Shaykh Mohammed Tosir Miah, citing al-Hidayah) explains his reasoning: it was “Makruh Tanzihi due to its honour and due to the fact that a horse is needed in wars and battles.” In other words, the dislike was about protecting a valuable animal, not about horse meat being impure.

His two leading students, Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani, permitted it, and Darul Ifta Birmingham reports that Abu Hanifa is said to have come round to their view. Its conclusion for Hanafis today: horse meat is “permissible to consume, although best to avoid.”

The Quran 16:8 argument

Some scholars pointed to this verse:

“[He also created] horses, mules, and donkeys for your transportation and adornment.” (Surah An-Nahl 16:8)

Their argument was that horses are mentioned for riding, not for eating, while a few verses earlier cattle are mentioned as food. The majority, including the scholars cited by IslamQA, answered that mentioning some uses doesn’t forbid others, and that the Prophet’s clear permission at Khaybar settles it. This verse is the main reason the Maliki school leans towards dislike.

Donkey meat and horse milk

Is donkey meat halal?

Not for Sunni Muslims. In the same event at Khaybar, the Prophet “prohibited the eating of donkey’s meat” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5527). This refers to the domestic donkey. Mules, which are a cross between a horse and a donkey, are also not permitted by most scholars, because they take the stricter ruling of the donkey parent.

Shia fiqh differs here: Sayyid Sistani rules that the meat of a horse, a mule or a donkey is makruh (disliked), not haram.

Wild donkeys are treated differently, because a Companion hunted one and the Prophet ate from it. That’s why many scholars permit the zebra by the same reasoning.

Is horse milk halal?

Most scholars permit horse milk, because the milk of an animal whose meat is halal is also halal. Kumis, fermented mare’s milk popular in Central Asia, is a different question: it’s traditionally fermented until slightly alcoholic, so the alcohol rules apply. If it can intoxicate, it isn’t permitted.

Horse meat today

Horse meat is eaten in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, where many Muslims eat it as a traditional food, as well as in parts of Europe and East Asia. In the UK, US and most Muslim communities in the West, it’s rarely eaten.

The 2013 horse meat scandal

In January 2013, tests in Ireland and the UK found horse DNA in products sold as beef, including burgers and ready meals in major supermarkets.

For Muslims, the issue wasn’t mainly the horse. It was that the meat had been mislabelled and wasn’t halal slaughtered in the first place. It’s a good reminder of why a trusted halal certificate matters for any processed meat. See is beef halal.

Slaughter still applies

If you do eat horse meat, it must be slaughtered the Islamic way, with Allah’s name, like beef or lamb. The Quran says, “Do not eat of what is not slaughtered in Allah’s Name” (Surah Al-An’am 6:121). Horse meat from a non halal source isn’t halal, whatever your school.