Is horse meat halal?

The evidence for eating horse

Two well-known narrations show the Companions ate horse meat. Asma bint Abi Bakr said, "We slaughtered a horse in the time of the Prophet ﷺ and ate it" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5510). Jabir ibn Abdullah reported that on the day of Khaybar the Prophet ﷺ forbade the meat of domestic donkeys but allowed horse meat (Sahih al-Bukhari 4219). Based on these, the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools, and Abu Hanifa's two main students, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad, say horse meat is permissible.

Why some scholars disliked it

Others pointed to this verse, which mentions horses for riding but not for eating:

Abu Hanifa considered horse meat disliked (makruh), partly because horses were needed for travel and defence. Many later Hanafis understood this as a mild dislike rather than a ban. In the Maliki school, opinions range from disliked to forbidden. The majority reply that the verse lists a main use without forbidding other uses, and the hadith are explicit. All of these are respected positions, so follow the school you learn from.

It still needs halal slaughter

Horse meat is only halal if the horse was slaughtered by a Muslim (or by People of the Book, according to many scholars) with the name of Allah mentioned. Ordinary horse meat sold in parts of Europe is not slaughtered this way. See How is halal meat slaughtered?

Horse meat in Europe and the USA

• Where you'll find it: horse meat is sold in France, Belgium, Italy and Central Asia (where Muslims have eaten it for centuries, often as sausage). It is rare in the UK and USA.
• Hidden horse: the 2013 European scandal found undeclared horse in "beef" products. Buying from a trusted halal butcher avoids this. See Is supermarket meat halal?
• Donkeys and mules: unlike horses, domestic donkey meat is forbidden by the hadith above, and mules follow the donkey. Pork is forbidden in every case. See Why can't Muslims eat pork?