Eating snake

Q 1: Is it permissible for a person to eat a snake if he does not fear its venom?

A: The basic ruling is that everything is lawful unless there is legal evidence that makes it unlawful. Just as we deduce analogous prohibition from original prohibition in the absence of such an indication that restricts the original case, analogous prohibition (of eating snakes) is deduced from the original ruling on the order to kill snakes. Indeed, a snake is a type of animal that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered Muslims to kill. `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: Five animals are harmful and should be killed inside and outside the Haram (Sacred Mosque in Makkah): the snake, the speckled crow, the rat, a voracious dog, and the kite. Related by Ahmad, Muslim, Ibn Majah, and Al-Tirmidhy.