Book 20: Game and Animals Which May Be Slaughtered

‘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 (ﷺ) 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‘, [A hill near Medina.] 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 (ﷺ) 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 (ﷺ) cursed those who used a living creature as a target. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Abbas reported the Prophet (ﷺ) 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 (ﷺ) 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 (ﷺ) 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 (ﷺ) 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.