Is the consumption of the desert lizard (Dhab) permissible?

Primary text

The majority of scholars, including Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ibn Abbas, Abu Sa'id, and other Companions of the Messenger of Allah, permit its consumption. Abu Sa'id narrated that for the Companions, receiving a desert lizard was preferred over receiving a chicken. Umar stated his preference for desert lizards over fat, laying hens. Malik, Layth, Shafi'i, and Ibn al-Mundhir hold this view. The evidence for permissibility is the narration of Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah was presented with a roasted desert lizard, and when asked if it was forbidden, he replied, "No, but it was not the food of my people, so I abstain from it." Ibn Abbas concluded that the Prophet abstained out of aversion, not prohibition, as he allowed it to be eaten on his dining cloth. Umar also confirmed the Prophet did not prohibit it, only found it distasteful. The foundational principle is permissibility unless a prohibition is established.