Feeding mealworm to birds

Jan 27, 2024 | Miscellaneous

QUESTION:

Is it permissible to feed dried mealworms to birds?

ANSWER:

Firstly, we need to define a mealworm. Mealworms are the larval form of the yellow mealworm beetle. Like all holometabolic insects, they go through four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.

The mealworm is often mistaken for an ordinary worm, but it’s a darkling beetle in its larval form. Adult insects generally have a black or dark brown colour and are between 1.25cm and 1.8cm long. The larvae are about 2.5cm long or a little longer.

Mealworm larvae are usually frozen to kill them gently and subsequently freeze-dried to decrease weight and thereby transport and storage costs. Freeze drying is the commercial way to dry mealworms on industrial scale to stabilize them after harvesting.

In conclusion, the mealworm is an insect that is killed and used as a meal to feed birds, fish, reptiles, etc. The jurists have written that it is Makrooh to kill insects unless they are harmful. Since the darkling beetle is totally harmless as recorded on the internet, it will be considered as Makrooh to kill them. Furthermore, it is Haraam to consume all insects except for the locust, hence it should not be fed to animals or birds. We therefore advise abstention from using the mealworm.

 الْكَرَاهَة فِي قتل الحشرات وَيكرهُ قتل النملة مَا لم تبدأ بالأذى وَقتل القملة يجوز مُطلقًا وَيكرهُ إحراق القملة وَالْعَقْرَب وَنَحْوهمَا بالنَّار وطرحها حَيَّة مُبَاح وَلَيْسَ بأدب (تحفة الملوك ص240 ج1)

 ولا يلزم قتل الحشرات، لأنه قد يجوز تركه، وقد يجب إذا لم يؤمن ضررها، (تجريد للقدوري ص5620 ج11)

 لا يجوز التعذيب بالنار. (شرح سنن ابي داود للعباد)

 الاِتِّجَاهُ الأْوَّل: هُوَ حُرْمَةُ أَكْل جَمِيعِ الْحَشَرَاتِ، لاِسْتِخْبَاثِهَا وَنُفُورِ الطِّبَاعِ السَّلِيمَةِ مِنْهَا، وَفِي التَّنْزِيل فِي صِفَةِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: {وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ} (2) وَهَذَا مَذْهَبُ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ وَالشَّافِعِيَّةِ وَالْحَنَابِلَةِ. وَاسْتَثْنَوْا مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْجَرَادَ فَإِنَّهُ مِمَّا أَجْمَعَتِ الأْمَّةُ عَلَى حِل أَكْلِهِ، لِقَوْل النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أُحِلَّتْ لَنَا مَيْتَتَانِ وَدَمَانِ، فَأَمَّا الْمَيْتَتَانِ: فَالْحُوتُ وَالْجَرَادُ، وَأَمَّا الدَّمَانِ: فَالْكَبِدُ وَالطِّحَال (الموسوعة الفقهية الكويتية ص279 ج17)

 ويكره أكل الضب والضبع والزنبور والسلحفاة والحشرات كلها (البناية ص586 ج11)

ALLAH TA’ALA ALONE IN HIS INFINITE KNOWLEDGE KNOWS BEST!

ANSWERED BY:

Mufti Mohammed Desai                                                                                                                                        

Date: 14 Rajab 1445 / 26 January 2024

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