Short answer
Yes. The Companions ate a huge whale washed up by the sea, and the Prophet ﷺ approved and ate from it. The Hanafi school counts the whale as a fish, so it is halal without slaughter, and the other schools agree. Whaling is restricted by law in most countries, and Muslims should respect that.
Whale is halal, as the Hanafi scholars count it among fish. A whale that died from a cause, such as being stranded or thrown ashore, is lawful; only a fish that died by itself in the water and floats is disliked.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
On an expedition led by Abu Ubaydah, the Companions ran out of food, and the sea threw up an enormous creature called al-anbar, a kind of whale. They ate from it for about half a month. When they returned to Madinah and told the Prophet ﷺ, he called it provision Allah had brought out for them and asked if they had any left for him. Some was brought, and he ate it.
The Hanafi school, which allows only fish from the water, treats the whale as a fish for this ruling. That fits ordinary Arabic, which called it a giant fish, and the hadith settles it. Because it was cast ashore, it did not die by itself in the water, so the Hanafi dislike of floating fish does not apply. The other schools, which allow all sea animals, agree.
Practical points:
- Commercial whaling is banned or limited in most countries, and whale products cannot be legally imported into many. Keeping the law of the land you live in is part of your covenant there.
- Ambergris, a substance formed in the sperm whale and used in perfume, is pure, and classical Muslim perfumers used it widely.
- Dolphins and porpoises are a separate question for Hanafis; ask a mufti before eating them.
See also what seafood is halal.
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.
Sea game and what the sea casts up are lawful.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4362
Sahih... كلوا رزقا أخرجه الله أطعمونا إن كان معكم ...
"Eat: it is provision Allah brought out. Feed us some if you have it with you."
The Prophet ﷺ approved eating the whale and asked to eat from it.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Dhaba'ih, on sea animals. Fish that dies from a cause is lawful; floating dead fish is disliked.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Dhaba'ih. Which sea creatures count as fish.
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.