Short answer
No. Hunting for food or another real benefit is halal, and the Quran sets out its rules. Hunting purely for fun, or killing animals for trophies and leaving the meat, is not allowed: the Prophet ﷺ forbade using living creatures as targets. Hunting land animals is also forbidden while in ihram.
Hunting is mubah for food, trade, or to remove harm. Hunting only for amusement is makruh, and killing animals without any benefit is not permitted. Game is halal when the hunter is Muslim or from the People of the Book, says Bismillah when releasing the arrow or trained animal, and the animal dies from a cutting wound or is slaughtered if caught alive. Game hit by a bullet is halal only if reached alive and slaughtered.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Allah says: lawful for you are good foods and what your trained hunting animals catch for you, so eat what they catch and mention Allah's name over it. Hunting fed people long before supermarkets, and the Companions hunted. The Quran also says that game of the land is forbidden while you are in ihram, which shows hunting is otherwise lawful.
Islam limits it in two ways.
Purpose. The Prophet ﷺ said: do not take anything with a soul as a target. The Hanafi texts say hunting is permitted except when done only for amusement. So:
- Hunting deer, rabbits or birds to eat, share or sell is permitted.
- Culling pests or predators that threaten crops or livestock is permitted.
- Trophy hunting, where the animal is killed for a photo or a head on the wall and the meat is wasted, is not.
- Shooting animals for target practice is not.
Method. Allah has prescribed excellence in everything, including killing. Use a weapon that kills quickly, aim well, follow up a wounded animal and do not leave it suffering. Say Bismillah when you shoot or release your dog or bird. If you reach the animal alive, slaughter it properly. In the Hanafi school a bullet kills by force rather than by a cutting edge, so game shot with a gun is halal only if you reach it alive and slaughter it. Do not keep killing beyond what you need.
Respect the hunting laws of your country, including licences and seasons, as part of keeping your agreements. For the detailed rules of what makes game halal to eat, see why Muslims eat halal. For fishing, see is fishing haram. The four schools agree on these principles.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Maaida 5:4
يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَآ أُحِلَّ لَهُمْ ۖ قُلْ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتُ ۙ وَمَا عَلَّمْتُم مِّنَ ٱلْجَوَارِحِ مُكَلِّبِينَ تُعَلِّمُونَهُنَّ مِمَّا عَلَّمَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ فَكُلُوا۟ مِمَّآ أَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ ﴿٤﴾
They ask you, [O Muhammad], what has been made lawful for them. Say, "Lawful for you are [all] good foods and [game caught by] what you have trained of hunting animals which you train as Allah has taught you. So eat of what they catch for you, and mention the name of Allah upon it, and fear Allah." Indeed, Allah is swift in account.
Hunting with trained animals is lawful with Allah's name mentioned.
Quran, Surah Al-Maaida 5:96
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ ٱلْبَحْرِ وَطَعَامُهُۥ مَتَٰعًۭا لَّكُمْ وَلِلسَّيَّارَةِ ۖ وَحُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ صَيْدُ ٱلْبَرِّ مَا دُمْتُمْ حُرُمًۭا ۗ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِىٓ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ ﴿٩٦﴾
Lawful to you is game from the sea and its food as provision for you and the travelers, but forbidden to you is game from the land as long as you are in the state of ihram. And fear Allah to whom you will be gathered.
Land hunting is lawful outside ihram.
Sahih Muslim 1957
Sahih... لا تتخذوا شيئا فيه الروح غرضا ...
"Do not take anything that has a soul as a target."
Killing animals for sport alone is forbidden.
Sahih Muslim 1955
Sahih... إن الله كتب الإحسان على كل شيء ...
"Allah has prescribed excellence in everything."
Hunters must kill quickly and without needless suffering.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Sayd (the book of hunting). Hunting is permitted, except for land game in ihram or when done only for amusement.
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Sayd. Sets the conditions for game to be halal: a qualified hunter, Bismillah on release, and death from the wound.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.