46. Slaughtering
«إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الْإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذَّبْحَ وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ وَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيحَتَهُ»
✧ "Allah has prescribed excellence in everything. So when you kill, kill well; and when you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each of you sharpen his blade and spare suffering to the animal he slaughters."
«إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الْإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذَّبْحَ وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ وَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيحَتَهُ»
✧ "Allah has prescribed excellence in everything. So when you kill, kill well; and when you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each of you sharpen his blade and spare suffering to the animal he slaughters."
أَنَّ ذِئْبًا نَيَّبَ فِي شَاةٍ فَذَبَحُوهَا بِمَرْوَةٍ فَسَأَلُوا النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَأَمَرَهُمْ بِأَكْلِهَا فَأَكَلُوا
✧ A wolf bit a sheep, so they slaughtered it with a sharp stone. They asked the Prophet ﷺ and he ordered them to eat it, so they ate.
كُنَّا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِذِي الْحُلَيْفَةِ فَأَصَابَ النَّاسَ جُوعٌ وَأَصَبْنَا إِبِلًا وَغَنَمًا وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي أُخْرَيَاتِ النَّاسِ فَعَجِلُوا فَذَبَحُوا وَنَصَبُوا الْقُدُورَ فَرَجَعَ إِلَيْهِمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَمَرَ بِالْقُدُورِ فَأُكْفِئَتْ ثُمَّ قَسَمَ فَعَدَلَ عَشْرًا مِنَ الْغَنَمِ بِبَعِيرٍ فَنَدَّ مِنْهَا بَعِيرٌ وَكَانَ فِي الْقَوْمِ خَيْلٌ يَسِيرَةٌ فَطَلَبُوهُ فَأَعْيَاهُمْ فَأَهْوَى إِلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ بِسَهْمٍ فَحَبَسَهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «إِنَّ هَذِهِ الْبَهَائِمَ لَهَا أَوَابِدُ كَأَوَابِدِ الْوحُوشِ فَمَا نَدَّ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْهَا فَاصْنَعُوا بِهِ هَكَذَا» وَقَالَ جَدِّي إِنَّا نَرْجُو أَنْ نَلْقَى غَدًا عَدُوًّا وَلَيْسَ مَعَنَا مُدًى فَنَذْبَحُ بِالْقُضُبِ فَقَالَ ﷺ «مَا أَنْهَرَ الدَّمُ وَذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ فَكُلْ لَيْسَ السِّنَّ وَالظُّفُرَ وَسَأُحَدِّثُكُمْ عَنْ ذَلِكَ أَمَا السِّنُّ فَعَظْمٌ وَأَمَّا الظُّفُرُ فَمُدَى الْحَبَشَةِ»
✧ We were with the Prophet ﷺ at Dhu al-Hulayfah. The people were afflicted by hunger, and we had captured camels and sheep. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was in the rear of the people, so they hastened and slaughtered and set up cooking pots. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned to them and ordered that the pots be overturned. Then he distributed and considered ten sheep equal to one camel. One of the camels bolted, and there were a few horses among the people, so they chased it but it tired them. A man aimed at it with an arrow and stopped it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "These beasts have wild tendencies like wild animals, so if any of them bolts from you, do with it like this." My grandfather said: We hope to meet the enemy tomorrow, and we have no knives, so we slaughter with sharp sticks. He ﷺ said: "Whatever lets the blood flow and the name of Allah is mentioned over it, eat it, except the tooth and the nail. I will tell you about that: as for the tooth, it is bone; and as for the nail, it is the knife of the Abyssinians."
«أَنَّهُ صَادَ أَرْنَبَيْنِ فَذَبَحَهُمَا بِمَرْوَةٍ فَسَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَأَمَرَهُ بِأَكْلِهِمَا»
✧ "He hunted two rabbits and slaughtered them with a sharp stone. He asked the Prophet ﷺ and he ordered him to eat them."
«نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ شَرِيطَةِ الشَّيْطَانِ»
✧ "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade the devil's slaughter."
«ذَكَاةُ الْجَنِينِ ذَكَاةُ أُمِّهِ»
✧ "The slaughter of the fetus is the slaughter of its mother."
«لَا فَرَعَ وَلَا عَتِيرَةَ»
✧ "No far' and no 'atirah."
أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنَّا كُنَّا نَذْبَحُ ذَبَائِحَ فَنَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا وَنُطْعِمُ مَنْ جَاءَنَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «لَا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ»
✧ He asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: We used to slaughter sacrifices and eat from them and feed whoever came to us. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "There is no harm in that."
«أَنَّ خَادِمًا لِكَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ كَانَتْ تَرْعَى غَنَمَهُ بِسَلْعٍ فَأَرَادَتْ شَاةٌ مِنْهَا أَنْ تَمُوتَ فَلَمْ تَجِدْ حَدِيدَةً تُذَكِّيهَا فَذَكَّتْهَا بِمَرْوَةٍ فَسُئِلَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَأَمَرَ بِأَكْلِهَا»
✧ A servant of Ka'b b. Malik used to tend his sheep at Sal'. One of the sheep was about to die, so she could not find a knife to slaughter it with, so she slaughtered it with a sharp stone. The Prophet ﷺ was asked about that and he ordered that it be eaten.
أَنَّ جَارِيَةً لَهُمْ كَانَتْ تَرْعَى بِسَلْعٍ فَرَأَتْ بِشَاةٍ مِنْ غَنَمِهَا مَوْتًا فَكَسَرَتْ حَجَرًا فَذَبَحَتْهَا بِهِ فَقَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ لَا تَأْكُلُوا مِنْهُ حَتَّى آتِيَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَسْأَلَهُ فَأَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ جَارِيَةً لَنَا كَانَتْ تَرْعَى بِسَلْعٍ فَأَبْصَرَتْ بِشَاةٍ مِنْ غَنَمِهَا مَوْتًا فَكَسَرَتْ حَجَرًا فَذَبَحَتْهَا بِهِ فَأَمَرَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ بِأَكْلِهَا
✧ A slave girl of theirs was tending sheep at Mount Salʿ. She saw a sheep from their flock near death, so she broke a stone and slaughtered it with it. He said to his family, 'Do not eat from it until I go to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and ask him.' He came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him about that. He said, 'O Messenger of Allah, a slave girl of ours was tending sheep at Salʿ. She saw a sheep from her flock near death, so she broke a stone and slaughtered it with it.' The Prophet ﷺ commanded him to eat it.
«مَنْ قَتَلَ عُصْفُورًا عَبَثًا عَجَّ إِلَى اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّ فُلَانًا قَتَلَنِي عَبَثًا وَلَمْ يَقْتُلْنِي مَنْفَعَةً»
✧ Whoever kills a sparrow in vain, it will cry out to Allah on the Day of Resurrection, saying, 'O Lord, so-and-so killed me in vain and did not kill me for any benefit.'
«أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُقَاتِلَ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَشْهَدُوا أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ فَإِذَا شَهِدُوا أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَاسْتَقْبَلُوا قِبْلَتَنَا وَأَكَلُوا ذَبِيحَتَنَا وَصَلُّوا صَلَاتَنَا فَقَدْ حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْنَا دِمَاؤُهُمْ وَأَمْوَالُهُمْ لَهُمْ مَا لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ وَعَلَيْهِمْ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ»
✧ 'I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. If they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, face our qiblah, eat our slaughtered animals, and pray our prayer, then their blood and wealth are forbidden to us. They have the rights of Muslims and bear the obligations that Muslims bear.'
Sahih Ibn Hibban 5896No grade recorded
قُلْتُ لِعَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عِنْدَكُمْ شَيْءٌ سِوَى كِتَابِ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ لَا إِلَّا مَا فِي قِرَابِ هَذَا السَّيْفِ صَحِيفَةً صَغِيرَةً قَالَ فَوَجَدْنَا فِيهَا «لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَنْ أَهَلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ وَلَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَنْ تَوَلَّى لِغَيْرِ مَوَالِيهِ»
✧ I said to ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, 'Do you have anything besides the Book of Allah?' He said, 'No, except what is in the sheath of this sword: a small sheet.' He said, 'We found in it: "May Allah curse whoever slaughters for other than Allah, and may Allah curse whoever gives allegiance to other than his patrons."'