Will you explain the statement "Lawful to you is the pursuit of water-game and its use for food,- for the benefit of yourselves and those who travel" mentioned in verse 96 of the chapter of al-Maida?

Lawful to you is the pursuit of water-game and its use for food,- for the benefit of yourselves and those who travel; but forbidden is the pursuit of land-game;- as long as ye are in the sacred precincts or in pilgrim garb. And fear Allah, to Whom ye shall be gathered back. (Maide-96) In the verse above, our Lord says it is lawful to you the pursuit of water-game and its use for food "for the benefit of "... What does “for the benefit of” mean? Will you explain it?

Dear Brother / Sister,

"Lawful to you is the pursuit of water-game and its use for food,- for the benefit of yourselves and those who travel; but forbidden is the pursuit of land-game;- as long as ye are in the sacred precincts or in pilgrim garb. And fear Allah, to Whom ye shall be gathered back." (al-Maida, 5/96)

All kinds of fish hunting and seafood, that is, eating the edible food of the sea, and benefitting from them were made halal for both travelers and residents among you. You can keep them fresh or dry them, salt them; you can benefit from them when you are resident, while travelling or in trade.

Hunting on land was rendered haram for you when you are in ihram. It is remarkable that the phrase "and its use for food" is not mentioned for hunting on land. So, a person who is in ihram cannot hunt land animals and cannot slaughter an animal. However, he can eat from the meat of an animal hunted or slaughtered by someone else who is not in ihram unless he orders others to hunt or slaughter an animal when he is in ihram.  

As for hunting in the sea, it is halal to hunt sea animals and eat them whether one is in ihram or not. Using the following hadith,

"The water of the sea is clean and cleansing; its dead is halal" (Naylul-Awtar, 8/149)

as evidence, Imam Shafii says any animal, whether fish or not, hunted in the sea is halal but fish is the most widely known animal. Fish is eaten without slaughtering; that is why the word dead is used for it. Otherwise, an animal that dies in the sea on its own is not eaten even if it is a fish.

According to a narration, this verse was sent down about Sons of Mudlij. They often went to the seaside; they asked about the fish that remained on the shore when the sea ebbed. What is meant by "bahr (sea)" is all of the big bodies of water including rivers, lakes, streams, big pools and springs. The decree is the same for all of them. However, some scholars say what is meant by "bahr" is sea as it is known and that the reason for the revelation of the verse indicates it; they say others agree with it.

Hunting sea animals and eating sea food is always halal and permissible but hunting land animals is haram when one is in ihram or in Haram. Fear Allah, whom you will return in the end and in whose presence you will gather; avoid haram things and showing disrespect to Him.

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