The Book of Hunting, Slaughter, and what may be Eaten — Hadith 4907

Arabic Text

وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي عَدِيٍّ، عَنْ دَاوُدَ، عَنْ أَبِي نَضْرَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا بِأَرْضٍ مَضَبَّةٍ فَمَا تَأْمُرُنَا أَوْ فَمَا تُفْتِينَا قَالَ ‏ "‏ ذُكِرَ لِي أَنَّ أُمَّةً مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مُسِخَتْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَلَمْ يَأْمُرْ وَلَمْ يَنْهَ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ فَلَمَّا كَانَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ عُمَرُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَيَنْفَعُ بِهِ غَيْرَ وَاحِدٍ وَإِنَّهُ لَطَعَامُ عَامَّةِ هَذِهِ الرِّعَاءِ وَلَوْ كَانَ عِنْدِي لَطَعِمْتُهُ إِنَّمَا عَافَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏

English Translation

Abu Sa'id reported that a person said: Messenger of Allah, we live in a land abounding in lizards, so what do you command or what verdict you give (about eating of it)? Thereupon he said: It was mentioned to me that a people from among Bani Isra'il were distorted (so there is a likelihood that those people might have been distorted in the shape of lizards). So he neither commanded (us to eat that) nor forbade (us). Abu Sa'id said: After some time Umar said: Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has made it (a source of) benefit for more than one (person), for it is the common diet of shepherds. Had it been with me, I would have eaten that. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) disliked it.