Short answer
No. Snakes are haram in the Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools: they are among the creeping creatures counted as repulsive, and the Prophet ﷺ ordered harmful snakes to be killed, not eaten. Only the Maliki school allows snake, if slaughtered so that its venom is removed.
Snake is haram to eat, as one of the hasharat (creeping creatures) and as a harmful animal that the Sunnah orders killed. Slaughtering it does not make it lawful.
Other madhhabs
- Maliki
- Snake is lawful for someone safe from its venom, if it is slaughtered properly at the point that removes the venom.
Explanation
Snake is eaten in parts of Southeast Asia and China, and rattlesnake is served as a novelty in the American Southwest. In the Hanafi school, snakes, lizards, scorpions, rats and similar animals fall under the khaba'ith, the repulsive things the Prophet ﷺ was sent to forbid.
The Sunnah adds a second reason. The Prophet ﷺ named the snake among the harmful creatures that may be killed even inside the sacred precinct and by a pilgrim in ihram. An animal that is to be killed for its harm is not one that is slaughtered for food. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools reach the same ruling.
The Maliki school is the exception: it allows a snake to be eaten by someone who is safe from its venom, if it is slaughtered in the right place. Followers of that school act on it; a Hanafi does not.
Related questions:
- Snakeskin leather is pure once tanned and may be worn.
- Antivenom and medicines made using venom are a medical matter, generally allowed for treatment.
- Snake wine (a snake steeped in alcohol) is haram on two counts.
See also alligator and crocodile and which animals are haram.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-A'raaf 7:157
ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلرَّسُولَ ٱلنَّبِىَّ ٱلْأُمِّىَّ ٱلَّذِى يَجِدُونَهُۥ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِى ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَٱلْإِنجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُم بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَىٰهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْخَبَٰٓئِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَٱلْأَغْلَٰلَ ٱلَّتِى كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ ٱلنُّورَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ مَعَهُۥٓ ۙ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿١٥٧﴾
Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who will be the successful.
The basis for forbidding repulsive creatures such as snakes.
Sahih Muslim 1198
Sahih... خمس فواسق يقتلن في الحل والحرم الحية ...
"Five harmful creatures may be killed both outside and inside the sacred precinct: the snake..."
The snake is among the harmful animals to be killed, not eaten.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Dhaba'ih, on what may and may not be eaten. Creeping creatures, including snakes, are not eaten.
- Mukhtasar Khalil with al-Sharh al-Kabir, Bab al-Mubah, on permitted foods. Snake is lawful for one safe from its venom when properly slaughtered.
- al-Mughni (Ibn Qudama), Kitab al-At'ima. Snakes are not eaten in the Hanbali school.
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.