Good news for quail fans: under Shia legal criteria quail is permissible — here’s the brief fiqh logic behind that ruling.
This piece addresses the Islamic ruling on eating quail meat. Read on to learn why Shia jurists consider quail permissible.
Is quail meat lawful or unlawful? Quail is a nutritious food with good dietary value. There are specific juristic rules about eating birds; it’s useful to know how scholars apply them.
Any bird that is predatory — for example hawks — and has talons is unlawful; likewise, birds whose wing-beating while flying is less than the position of the wing when held flat (that is, birds that do not beat their wings in full strokes) are unlawful. Also, out of precaution, all kinds of crows (including rooks) are considered unlawful.
Conversely, birds whose wing-beating in flight is more than the position of holding the wing flat are lawful. Also, any bird that has a crop (gizzard), a muscular gizzard (stone-containing gizzard), or a spur behind the foot is lawful.
From the point of view of Islam and Shia scholars: quail meat is halal and its consumption is permissible.
Jurists have stated the rule for permissibility of bird meat as follows:
Birds that are predatory — such as falcons, eagles, hawks and vultures — and have talons are unlawful.
Any bird whose wing-beating while flying is less than the level of holding the wing flat is unlawful.
All varieties of crow, including rooks, are considered unlawful as a precaution.
Birds that beat their wings in flight more than a flat-held wing are lawful.
Therefore, jurists distinguish lawful and unlawful birds by the quality of their flight. If the flight character of a bird is unknown, then if that bird has a crop, a gizzard, or a spur behind the foot, it is regarded as lawful; if it has none of these, it is unlawful. Other birds — for example chicken, pigeon, sparrow and even ostrich — are permissible, though killing some birds is disliked (makruh), such as the hoopoe and swallows.
Bird-like animals that fly but are not feathered, such as bats, are unlawful. The same applies — by precaution — to flying insects like bees, mosquitoes and other winged insects.
Quail in Persian refers to the bird called karkī or kark in Arabic; it meets the criteria for permissible flesh and therefore eating it is lawful.
Criterion | Ruling / implication |
|---|---|
Bird of prey with talons (e.g., hawk, eagle, vulture) | Haram (forbidden) |
Wing-beating in flight less than a flat-held wing | Haram |
All kinds of crows/rooks | Haram (precautionary) |
Wing-beating in flight more than a flat-held wing | Halal |
Presence of crop (chest pouch), muscular gizzard (stone-containing) or spur behind the foot | If present (when flight unknown) → Halal |
No flight-feather and yet flying (e.g., bat) or flying insects | Haram (precautionary) |
Examples explicitly mentioned as halal | Chicken, pigeon, sparrow, ostrich, quail |
Tip | |
|---|---|
Quail is considered permissible under Shia juristic criteria — you may eat it. | “From the viewpoint of Islam and Shia scholars: quail meat is halal and its consumption is permissible.” |
If a bird’s flight style is unknown, check for a crop/gizzard or a spur behind the foot — presence of these indicates permissibility. | “If flight quality is unknown, a crop, gizzard or spur makes the bird lawful.” |
Birds of prey with talons and creatures like bats or flying insects are treated as forbidden (precautionary). | “Predatory birds with talons are haram; bat and flying insects are also considered haram.” |
Some birds are technically permissible but killing certain species may be disliked (makruh). | “Certain species (e.g., hoopoe, swallow) may be halal but their killing is disliked.” |
