What is the ruling on eating fish that dies naturally in the water (carrion/floating)?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Hunting and Slaughter
Primary text
All aquatic animals that live only in water, if they die, are lawful, whether they die due to an external cause (like being caught) or without a cause. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding the sea: 'Its water is purifying, and its dead animal is lawful.' Imam Ahmad considered this Hadith superior to a hundred others. Furthermore, there is consensus on the permissibility of that which dies due to a cause, such as being caught by a person, washed ashore by the sea, or stranded by receding water. Similarly, that which is confined in a pool until death has no dispute over its lawfulness.
Supporting text
Dislike for 'al-tafi' (floating dead fish) was reported from Jabir, Tawus, Ibn Sirin, Jabir ibn Asad, and the companions of the view (Ashab al-Ra'y), based on a narration from Jabir forbidding eating that which dies in the water and floats. However, the main position is supported by the verse {Lawful to you is the game of the sea and its food for enjoyment...} (Quran 5:96), which Ibn 'Abbas interpreted as 'its food is what dies in it,' and the fact that if it died on land it would be lawful, like locusts.