Game and Animals Which May Be Slaughtered

Adi ibn Hatim told that God’s messenger said to him, “When you set off your dog mention God’s name, and if it catches anything for you and you come up to it while it is still alive cut its throat; if you come up to it when the dog has killed it but not eaten any of it eat it; but if it has eaten any of it do not eat, for it has caught it only for itself.

If you find another dog with yours and a kill has been made, do not eat, for you do not know which of them killed the animal. When you shoot your arrow mention God’s name and if the game goes out of your sight for a day and you find in it only the mark of your arrow eat if you wish, but if you find it drowned in water do not eat.”

He said he told God’s messenger that he set off trained dogs, and he replied, “Eat what they catch for you.” He asked if that applied even if they killed the game, and he replied that it did. He told him that he shot featherless arrows (mirad)* and he replied, “Eat what they pierce, but what they strike with the middle part and kill is beaten to death, so do not eat it.” *The mirad was thick in the middle and slender at the ends. It was liable to strike the animal with its middle part.

Abu Thalaba al-Khushani told that he said, “Prophet of God, we are in a land belonging to folk who are people of the Book, so may we eat out of their vessels? In a hunting region I hunt with my bow, my dog which is not trained and my dog which is trained, so what is right for me?”

He replied, “Regarding what you have mentioned about the vessels of the people of the Book, if you can get anything else do not eat out of them, but if you cannot, wash them and eat out of them. Eat what you catch with your bow when you have mentioned God’s name; eat what you catch by your trained dog when you have mentioned God’s name; and eat what you catch by your untrained dog when you are present at the kill.”

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “When you shoot your arrow and the animal goes out of your sight, eat it when you come upon it, provided it has not a stench.”

He reported the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as saying about one who comes three days later on the game he has shot, “Eat it, provided it has not a stench.”

Aishah told that some people said, “Messenger of God, there are people here, recent converts from polytheism, who bring us meat and we do not know whether or not they mention God’s name over it.” He replied, “Mention God’s name yourselves and eat.”

Abut Tufail said Ali was asked whether God’s messenger had given them* any instruction for themselves alone and replied that he had given them none which did not apply to all the people except what was in the scabbard of his sword. He then drew out a document containing, “God curse him who kills an animal mentioning anyone other than God, and God curse him who steals a landmark!”

A version has, “who changes a landmark; God curse him who curses his father; and God curse him who protects an innovator!” *i.e. the members of the Prophet’s family.

Rafi ibn Khadij told that he said, “Messenger of God, we shall meet the enemy tomorrow and we have no knives; may we kill animals with canes?”* He replied, “When God’s name is mentioned you may eat what is killed by anything which causes the blood to flow, except tooth and claw. I shall tell you about it. The tooth is a bone and the claw is the knife of the Abyssinians.”

We got some camels and sheep as booty, and when one of the camels ran away a man shot an arrow at it and prevented it from escaping, whereupon God’s messenger said, “Among camels there are some which bolt like wild animals, so when any of them get the better of you do thus to them.”

Kab ibn Malik told that he had sheep which were pastured at Sal, and when a slavegirl of his saw one of their sheep which was dying she broke a stone and cut its throat with it. He questioned the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and he ordered him to eat it.

Shaddad ibn Aus reported God’s messenger as saying, “God who is blessed and exalted has decreed that everything should be done in a good way, so when you kill use a good method, and when you cut an animal’s throat you should use a good method, for each of you should sharpen his knife and give the animal as little pain as possible.”

Ibn Umar told that he heard God’s messenger prohibit keeping an animal or anything else* waiting to be killed. *The word translated animal is bahima, which indicates a quadruped. “Anything else” means other creatures which are killed for food. The prohibition is said to refer either to keeping such animals without food and drink, or to imprisoning them and using them as targets.

He told that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) cursed those who used a living creature as a target.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “Do not take any living creature as a target.”

Jabir told that God’s messenger forbade striking the face and branding on the face.

He reported the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as saying when an ass which had been branded on its face passed him, “God curse the one who branded it!”

Anas told that one morning he took Abdallah ibn Abu Talha to God’s messenger for him to chew something and rub his palate with it,* and found him with a branding-iron in his hand branding the camels of the sadaqa. *This was a custom for the purpose of acquiring a blessing for children.

Hisham ibn Zaid quoted Anas as saying that he went to visit the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) when he was in an enclosure and saw him branding sheep. He thought he said it was on their ears.

Adi ibn Hatim told that he said, “Tell me, messenger of God; when one of us catches game and has no knife, may he cut its throat with a flint and a splinter of stick?” He replied, “Cause the blood to flow with whatever you take and mention God’s name.” Abu Dawud and Nasai transmitted it.

Abul ‘Ushara’* quoted his father as telling that he said, “Is the slaughtering to be done, messenger of God, only in the throat and the upper part of the breast?” He replied, “If you pierced its thigh that would serve you.” *He was Usamah ibn Malik ibn Qahtam (or Qahtam). See Ibn *Abd al-Barr. Istiab, p. 246, No. 10S9. Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasai, Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it.

Abu Dawud said this is the way to slaughter an animal which has fallen into a well, and Tirmidhi said it is in case of necessity.

Adi ibn Hatim reported the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as saying, “Eat whatever is caught for you by a dog or a hawk which you have trained and set off when you have mentioned God’s name.” He asked whether that applied if it killed the animal and he replied, “When it kills it without eating any of it, for it caught it only for you.”

He told that he said, “Messenger of God, I shoot at game and find my arrow in it the next day.” He replied, “When you know your arrow killed it and see no mark of a beast of prey on the animal you may eat it.”

Jabir said they were forbidden game caught by a dog belonging to Magians.

Abu Thalaba al-Khushani told that he said, “Messenger of God, we travel about and when we come to Jews, Christians and Magians we can get nothing but their vessels.” He replied, “If you can get nothing else, wash them with water and then eat and drink out of them.”

Qabisa ibn Hulb quoted his father as saying that he asked the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) about the food of the Christians, (a version saying it was a man who asked him), adding that it was a kind of food from which he kept aloof. He replied, “Let no doubt enter your breast by which you resemble Christianity.”* *The general sense is that such food is allowable.

Abud Darda said God’s messenger forbade eating the mujaththama, which is the animal kept as a target for arrows.

Al-Irbad ibn Sariya told that on the day of Khaibar God’s messenger forbade every carnivorous beast which had a fang, every bird which had a claw, the flesh of domestic asses, the mujaththama, the khalisa, and sexual intercourse with pregnant wbmen till they have given birth to a child.

Muhammad ibn Yahya* said that Abu Asim was asked about the mujaththama and said it meant a bird or something else being set up and shot at. He was asked about the khalisa and said it was an animal taken from a wolf or a beast of prey by a man who has caught up on it, but which dies in his hand before he can slaughter it. *Tirmidhi’s immediate authority.

Ibn Abbas and Abu Hurayrah said God’s messenger forbade the devil’s sacrification. Ibn Isa* added that this refers to the slaughtered animal whose skin is cut off and is then left to die without its jugular veins being severed. *Cf. Abu Dawud, Adahi, 17.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “The slaughter of the embryo is included when its mother is slaughtered.”

Abu Said al-Khudri told th at they said, “Messenger of God, we cut the throat of a she-camel and slaughter a cow and a sheep and find an embryo in its womb. Shall we throw it away or eat it?” He replied, “Eat it if you wish, for its slaughter is included when its mother is slaughtered.”

Abdallah ibn Amr b. al-‘As reported God’s messenger as saying, ‘If anyone kills a sparrow or anything greater wrongfully God will question him about killing it.’ On being asked what was the right way he replied, ‘To cut its throat and eat it, but not to cut off its head and throw it away.’ Ahmad, Nasai and.’

Abu Waqid al-Laithi told that when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) came to Medina the people used to cut off camels humps and cut the fat tails of sheep, so he said, “Whatever is cut off an animal when it is alive is dead* and must not be eaten.” *i.e. it is treated as something which had died a natural death, and therefore may not be lawfully eaten.

Ata ibn Yasar was told by a man of the B. Haritha that when he was pasturing a pregnant she-camel in one of the ravines of Uhud he saw that it was about to die, and as he could find nothing with which to cut its throat he took a stake and stabbed it in the upper part of its breast till he made its blood flow. He then informed the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and he ordered him to eat it. Abu Dawud and Malik transmitted it. In his version he said he slaughtered it with a pointed piece of wood.

Jabir reported God’s messenger as saying, “There is no creature in the sea which God has not slaughtered for the sons of Adam.”* *A way of saying that fish are lawful food although they are not slaughtered. Daraqutni transmitted it.

Ibn Umar reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone acquires a dog, except a sheepdog or one trained for hunting, two qirats will be deducted from his good deeds daily.”

Abu Hurayrah reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone gets a dog, except a sheepdog or a hunting dog or a farm dog, a qirat of his reward will be deducted daily.”

God’s messenger ordered us to kill dogs, and we were even killing a dog which a woman brought with her from the desert. Afterwards God’s messenger forbade us to kill dogs, saying, “Confine yourselves to the type which is pure black and has two spots, for it is a devil.”

Ibn Umar said the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) ordered dogs to be killed, except hunting dogs or sheepdogs or dogs used for looking after animals.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “Were dogs not a species of creature I should command that they all be killed; but kill every pure black one.” Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it. Tirmidhi and Nasai added, “No family attaches itself to a dog without a qirat of their good deeds being deducted daily, except in the case of a hunting dog, a farm dog, or a sheepdog.”

Ibn Abbas told that God’s messenger forbade inciting animals to fight with one another.

Abu Hurayrah reported God’s messenger as saying, “Eating any fanged beast of prey is prohibited.”

Ibn Abbas said God’s messenger prohibited every beast of prey with a fang and every bird with a talon.

Abu Thalaba said God’s messenger prohibited the flesh of domestic asses.

On the day of Khaibar God’s messenger forbade the flesh of domestic asses, but permitted horseflesh.

Abu Qatadah told that he saw a wild ass and killed it. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) asked whether they had any of its flesh and when he replied that they had a leg he took it and ate it.

We started a hare at Marr az-Zahran1 and when I caught it and brought it to Abu Talha he cut its throat and sent its haunch and two hindlegs to God’s messenger, and he accepted it. 1. A wadi near Mecca.

Ibn Umar reported God’s messenger as saying, “I neither eat nor prohibit the eating of lizards.”

Ibn Abbas said he was told by Khalid b. al-Walid that he went with God’s messenger to visit Maimuna who was both his and Ibn Abbas’s maternal aunt and found that she had a roasted lizard. She offered the lizard to God’s messenger, and when he withdrew his hand from it Khalid asked him whether lizards were prohibited. He replaid, “No; but there were none in the land of my people, and I find that I dislike them.” Khalid said, “I then chewed and ate it while God’s messenger was looking at me.”

Abu Musa told that he saw God’s messenger eating fowl.

Ibn Abu Aufa told that they went on seven expeditions along with God’s messenger and ate locusts along with him.

I was on the expedition when the army had to beat leaves off trees for food and Abu Ubaida was placed in charge. We suffered severe hunger, and then the sea cast up a dead fish the like of which we had never seen before, called the spermaceti whale, and we ate of it for half a month. Abu Ubaida took one of its bones and a rider was able to pass under it.

When we arrived and mentioned the matter to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) he said, “Eat a provision which God has brought forth for you, and give us some to eat if you have any.” He said they sent some of it to God’s messenger and he ate it.

Abu Hurayrah reported God’s messenger as saying, “When a fly alights in anyone’s vessel he should plunge it all in and then throw it away, for in one of its wings there is a cure and in the other disease.”

When a mouse fell into some clarified butter and died God’s messenger was asked about it and replied, “Throw it and what is round it away and eat what is left.”

Ibn Umar told of hearing the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) say, “Kill snakes, kill those which have two streaks and those with small tails, for they obliterate the eyesight and cause miscarriage.” Abdallah said that while he was chasing a snake and trying to kill it Abu Lubaba called to him not to kill it, but he replied that God’s messenger had given command that snakes should be killed. He then said that he had later prohibited killing house-snakes, for they are resident jinn.

Umm Sharik told that God’s messenger ordered geckos to be killed, saying the gecko blew on Abraham.1 1. Al-Qur’an 21:68 speaks of Abraham being put into a fire. In this tradition it is said that the gecko blew on the fire to stir it up.

Sad ibn Abu Waqqas told that God’s messenger ordered geckos to be killed, calling them noxious little creatures.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “If anyone kills a gecko with the first blow a hundred good deeds will be recorded for him, less if he kills it at the second and less still if he kills it at the third.”

He reported God’s messenger as saying that when a prophet was stung by an ant he ordered a colony of ants to be burned, and God most high revealed to him, “Because an ant stung you you have burned a community which glorifies me.”

Abu Hurayrah reported God’s messenger as saying, “When a mouse falls into clarified butter which, is solid throw the mouse and what is around it away; but if it is in a liquid state do not go near it.”

Safinah told that he and God’s messenger ate the flesh of a bustard.

Ibn Umar told that God’s messenger prohibited eating the animal which feeds on filth or drinking its milk. Trimidhi transmitted it. In Abu Dawud’s version he said that he forbade riding the animal which feeds on filth.

Abd ar-Rahman ibn Shibl said the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade eating the flesh of lizards.

Jabir said the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade eating cats or what is paid for them. 1 1. This might be either what was paid in kind, or what was bought with money paid for them.

He said, referring to the day of Khaibar, that God’s messenger declared domestic asses, the flesh of mules, every beast of prey with a fang and every bird with a talon to be unlawful.

Khalid b. al-Walld said God’s messenger prohibited eating the flesh of horses, mules and asses. Abu Dawud and Nasai transmitted it.

He said that he went with the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to fight at the battle of Khaibar and the Jews came and complained that the people had hastened to take their green dates, 2 so God’s messenger said, “The property of those who have been given a covenant is not lawful except for the dues which are levied.” 2. The reference is to dates which fall from the tree while still green.

Ibn Umar reported God’s messenger as saying, “Two types of animals which have died a natural death and two types of blood have been made allowable to us, the two which die a natural death being the fish and the locust, and the two types of blood being the liver and the spleen.” Ahmad, Ibn Majah and Daraqutni transmitted it.

Abuz Zubair quoted Jabir’s authority for the statement that God’s messenger said, “What the sea throws up and is left by the tide you may eat, but what dies in the sea and floats you must not eat.”

Salman said the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was asked about locusts and replied, “They are the most numerous of God’s hosts. I neither eat them nor declare them unlawful.”

God’s messenger prohibited reviling a cock, saying that it is making the caH to prayer. It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “Do not revile a cock, for it wakens people for prayer.”

Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abu Laila. said that Abu Laila reported God’s messenger as saying, “When a snake appears in a dwelling say to it, ‘We ask you by the covenant made with Noah and the covenant made with Solomon son of David not to harm us.’ Then if it comes back, kill it.”

Ikrima told on the authority of Ibn Abbas, saying he was sure that he traced it back to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), that he used to order snakes to be killed and say, “He who leaves them alone fearing that one will come to take revenge does not belong to us.” It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “We have not made peace with them 1 since we fought with them, so he who leaves any of them alone through fear does not belong to us.” 1. i.e. snakes.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “Kill all the snakes, and he who fears their revenge does not belong to me.”

“Messenger of God, we wish to sweep out Zamzam, but in it there are some of these jinnan,” meaning small snakes; so God’s messenger ordered that they should be killed.

Ibn Masud reported God’s messenger as saying, “Kill all the snakes except the little white one which looks like a silver wand.”

Abu Hurayrah reported God’s messenger as saying, “When a fly alights in the vessel of any of you plunge it in, for in one of its wings there is disease and in the other a cure; it puts forward the one containing the disease, so dip it all in.”

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “When a fly alights on food plunge it in, for one of its wings contains poison and the other a cure, and it puts the poison first and the cure second.” It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

ants, bees, hoopoes and sparrow-hawks.

The people of pre-Islamic times used to eat some things and leave others alone, considering them unclean. Then God sent His Prophet and sent down His Book, marking some things lawful and others unlawful; so what He made lawful is lawful, what He made unlawful is unlawful, and what He said nothing about is allowable. And he recited, “Say, I do not find in what is revealed to me anything forbidden to him who eats it, except carrion or blood…” 1 1. Qur’an, vi, 145.

Zahir al-Aslami said he was kindling fire under pots which contained asses flesh when God’s messenger’s crier made an announcement to the effect that God’s messenger prohibited asses flesh to the people.

Abu Thalaba al-Khushani traced to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) the saying that the jinn are of three classes, one which have wings and fly in the air, one which consists of snakes and dogs, and one which stay in places and travel about. It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

Salman ibn Amir ad Dabbl told that he heard God’s messenger say, “Along with a boy there is an ‘aqiqa, so shed blood on his behalf and remove injury from him.’* *This is variously explained as shaving the hair of the infant, or removing the impurities with which it is defiled at birth, or even circumcision.”

Aishah told that boys used to be brought to God’s messenger, and he would invoke blessings on them and soften some dates and rub their palates with them.

Asma daughter of Abu Bakr said she conceived Abdallah b. azZubair in Mecca and gave birth to him in Quba, then took him to God’s messenger and placed him in his lap. He called for a date, chewed it and spat in his mouth, after which he rubbed his palate and then made supplication for him and invoked a blessing on him. He was the first child to be born in the Islamic period.

Umm Kurz told that she heard God’s messenger say, “Let the birds stay in their roosts.”* She told that she also heard him say, “Two sheep are to be sacrificed for a boy and one for a girl, but it does you no harm whether they are male or female.” *Either that they are not to be molested, or that they are not to be disturbed for the purpose of taking omens. Abu Dawud transmitted it. Tirmidhi and Nasai transmit it from “two sheep” to the end, Tirmidhi saying this is a sahih tradition.

Al-Hasan quoted Samurah who reported God’s messenger as saying, “A boy is in pledge for his ‘aqiqa. Sacrifice is made for him on the seventh day, he is given a name and his head is shaved.’ Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Nasai transmitted it, but the last two have ‘a pledge’ for ‘in pledge.’ A version by Ahmad and Abu Dawud has ‘is smeared with blood’ 1 in place of ‘is given a name.’ Abu Dawud says th at ‘is given a name’ is sounder.”

Muhammad ibn ‘All ibn Husain quoted Ali ibn Abu Talib as saying that God’s messenger sacrificed a sheep on the seventh day for al-Hasan and said, ‘Shave his head, Fatima, and give the weight of his hair in silver as sadaqa.’ So they weighed it and it amounted to a dirham or part of a dirham. Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan gharib tradition, but its isnad is not fully connected because Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Husain was not born in the time of Ali ibn Abu Talib.’

Ibn Abbas told that God’s messenger sacrificed a ram on the seventh day for both al-Hasan and al-Husain. Abu Dawud transmitted it. Nasai says two rams each.

Amr ibn Shuaib, on his father’s authority, said his grandfather told that God’s messenger was asked about the ‘aqiqa and replied, ‘God does not like the breaking of ties (‘uquq),’ as though he disliked the name. And he said, ‘If anyone has a child born to him and wishes to offer a sacrifice on its behalf, he may offer two sheep for a boy and one for a girl. Abu Dawud and Nasai transmitted it.’’’

Abu Rafi told th at he saw God’s messenger uttering the call to prayer in the ear of Al-Hasan ibn Ali when Fatima gave birth to him.

When a boy was born to one of us in the pre-Islamic period he sacrificed a sheep and smeared his head with its blood; but when Islam came we sacrificed a sheep on the seventh day, shaved his head and smeared it with saffron. Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Razin added, “and gave him his name.”