Question:

Is it permissible to consume elephant meat?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Food plays a vital role in our lives.  The famous proverb states, “You are what you eat.”  The Shari’ah has made the majority of edible substances permissible.  However, some animals possessing certain traits have been prohibited.
The famous hadith of Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) states that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) prohibited the eating of all fanged beasts of prey, and all the birds having talons.” [1]
The definition given by the Ibn Nujaym (Allah have mercy on him) for a predatory animal is as follows:
“A predator is every animal that would normally prey, quarry, wound, kill and transgress on other animals (or humans).” [2]
“An elephant is a fanged animal; hence, it will be prohibitively disliked (makruh) to consume its meat.” [3]
Imam al-Haskafi (Allah have mercy on him), whilst mentioning the list of haram animals, states that it is not permissible to eat the meat of an elephant. [4]

Although an elephant is different from other predatory animals in that it does not prey and live on other animals like other animals. However, due to the fact that an elephant can harm, kill and attack other animals, it has the attributes of natural predatory animals.  Thus the jurists gave the elephants the same ruling as natural predators.[5]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mufti Faraz Adam