Mishkat al-Masabih

‘Adi b. 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.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

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 (mi'rad)* 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 mi'rad was thick in the middle and slender at the ends. It was liable to strike the animal with its middle part. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Tha'laba 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.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

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.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported the Prophet as saying about one who comes three days later on the game he has shot, “Eat it, provided it has not a stench.” Muslim transmitted it.

‘A'isha 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.” Bukhari transmitted it.

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. Muslim transmitted it.

Rafi‘ b. 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.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ka‘b b. 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 and he ordered him to eat it. Bukhari transmitted it.

Shaddad b. 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.” Muslim transmitted it.

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. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He told that the Prophet cursed those who used a living creature as a target. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Abbas reported the Prophet as saying, "Do not take any living creature as a target." Muslim transmitted it.

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

He reported the Prophet as saying when an ass which had been branded on its face passed him, “God curse the one who branded it!” Muslim transmitted it.

Anas told that one morning he took ‘Abdallah b. 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. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

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

‘Adi b. 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 Nasa’i 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 Usama b. Malik b. Qahtam (or Qahtam). See Ibn *Abd al-Barr. Isti'ab, p. 246, No. 10S9. Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, 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 b. Hatim reported the Prophet 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.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

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.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

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

Abu Tha'laba 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.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Qabisa b. Hulb quoted his father as saying that he asked the Prophet 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. Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

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

Al-Irbad b. 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 b. 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. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas and Abu Huraira 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. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Jabir reported the Prophet as saying, “The slaughter of the embryo is included when its mother is slaughtered.” Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it, and Tirmidhi transmitted it on the authority of Abu Sa‘id.

Abu Sa'id 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.” Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. ‘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, Nasa’i and Darimi transmitted it.

Abu Waqid al-Laithi told that when the Prophet 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. Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘Ata’ b. 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 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." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira 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." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

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." Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar said the Prophet ordered dogs to be killed, except hunting dogs or sheepdogs or dogs used for looking after animals. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abdallah b. Mughaffal reported the Prophet as saying, "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 Nasa'i 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. Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, "Eating any fanged beast of prey is prohibited." Muslim transmitted it.

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

Abu Tha'laba said God's messenger prohibited the flesh of domestic asses. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir said that on the day of Khaibar God’s messenger forbade the flesh of domestic asses, but permitted horseflesh. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Qatada told that he saw a wild ass and killed it. The Prophet asked whether they had any of its flesh and when he replied that they had a leg he took it and ate it. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

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. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Umar reported God’s messenger as saying, "I neither eat nor prohibit the eating of lizards." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

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." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Musa told that he saw God’s messenger eating fowl. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn Abu Aufa told that they went on seven expeditions along with God's messenger and ate locusts along with him. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

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 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. (Bukhari and Muslim.)