Short answer
Yes. A shark is a fish, so it is halal in the Hanafi school, which allows only fish from the sea, and the other schools, which allow more, agree. Like all fish, it needs no slaughter.
Shark is halal as a kind of fish, without slaughter. The only Hanafi exception for fish is one that died by itself in the water and floats.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Some people think shark might be haram because it is a predator with sharp teeth. The rule against animals with fangs applies to land predators, such as lions, wolves and dogs. In the sea, the Hanafi test is simply whether the animal is a fish, and sharks are fish, with gills, fins and a backbone of cartilage. The hadith that the dead of the sea are lawful applies to them.
Shark is eaten in many places: as rock salmon or huss in British fish and chip shops, as dogfish, as mako steaks, and in Gulf, South Asian and East African dishes. Rays and skate, close relatives of sharks, are fish too and halal on the same basis.
Some practical points:
- Shark fin soup is halal as far as the fish goes, but the broth often uses chicken or pork stock, and finning is banned in many countries for cruelty. Avoid it.
- Shark liver oil and squalene from shark are fish products and halal.
- Mercury: large sharks can contain high levels, so health advice, especially in pregnancy, is worth following.
- Batter: check fish and chip shops for beer batter.
See also what seafood is halal and tuna and salmon.
The evidence
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.
Fish of the sea are lawful.
Sunan Abi Dawud 83
Graded sahih... هو الطهور ماؤه الحل ميتته ...
"Its water is pure and its dead are lawful."
Fish need no slaughter, sharks included.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Dhaba'ih, on sea animals. Fish of every kind are lawful; floating dead fish is disliked.
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.