Clean and Unclean Animals

CLEAN AND UNCLEAN ANIMALS. All quadrupeds that seize their prey with their teeth, and all birds which seize it with their talons, are unlawful (haram), the Prophet having prohibited mankind from eating them. Hyenas and foxes, being both included under the class of animals of prey are unlawful. (This is the doctrine of Abu Hanifah, but ash-Shafi`i holds that they are lawful) Elephants and weasels are also animals of prey. Pelicans and kites are abominable ((makruh) because they devour dead bodies.
Crows which feed on grain are mubah or indifferent, but carrion crows and ravens are unlawful. Abu Hanifah says the magpie is indifferent ((mubah), but the Imam Yusuf say it is abominable (makruh).
Crocodiles and otters and wasps, and in general, all insects are makruh or abominable. The ass and the mule are both unlawful. According to Abu Hanifah and Malik, horse-flesh in unlawful, but ash-Shafi`i says it is indifferent. The f1esh of hares is also indifferent.
No animal that lives in the water, except fish, is lawful. But Malik allows them.
Fishes dying of themselves are unlawful, and so are all animals who are not slain by zabah (Hidayah, vol. iv. p. 74.) [ZABAH.]
It must be observed that in Muslim law animals are either halal, “lawful,” or mubah, “indifferent”, or makruh, “abominable” (i.e. which is condemned but still is lawful), or haram, “unlawful.”

Based on Hughes, Dictionary of Islam