70/19. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5407 — Eating Hunted Game While in Ihram
To eat the flesh of a foreleg (by stripping the bone of its meat with the teeth).
Hadith About Hunting in Ihram: Lawful Game and Careful Limits
Sahih Bukhari : 5407
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5407
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ السَّلَمِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ يَوْمًا جَالِسًا مَعَ رِجَالٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي مَنْزِلٍ فِي طَرِيقِ مَكَّةَ، وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَازِلٌ أَمَامَنَا، وَالْقَوْمُ مُحْرِمُونَ وَأَنَا غَيْرُ مُحْرِمٍ، فَأَبْصَرُوا حِمَارًا وَحْشِيًّا وَأَنَا مَشْغُولٌ أَخْصِفُ نَعْلِي، فَلَمْ يُؤْذِنُونِي لَهُ، وَأَحَبُّوا لَوْ أَنِّي أَبْصَرْتُهُ، فَالْتَفَتُّ فَأَبْصَرْتُهُ فَقُمْتُ إِلَى الْفَرَسِ فَأَسْرَجْتُهُ. ثُمَّ رَكِبْتُ وَنَسِيتُ السَّوْطَ وَالرُّمْحَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ نَاوِلُونِي السَّوْطَ وَالرُّمْحَ. فَقَالُوا لاَ وَاللَّهِ لاَ نُعِينُكَ عَلَيْهِ بِشَىْءٍ. فَغَضِبْتُ فَنَزَلْتُ فَأَخَذْتُهُمَا، ثُمَّ رَكِبْتُ فَشَدَدْتُ عَلَى الْحِمَارِ فَعَقَرْتُهُ، ثُمَّ جِئْتُ بِهِ وَقَدْ مَاتَ فَوَقَعُوا فِيهِ يَأْكُلُونَهُ، ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ شَكُّوا فِي أَكْلِهِمْ إِيَّاهُ وَهُمْ حُرُمٌ، فَرُحْنَا وَخَبَأْتُ الْعَضُدَ مَعِي، فَأَدْرَكْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَسَأَلْنَاهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ " مَعَكُمْ مِنْهُ شَىْءٌ ". فَنَاوَلْتُهُ الْعَضُدَ فَأَكَلَهَا حَتَّى تَعَرَّقَهَا، وَهْوَ مُحْرِمٌ. قَالَ ابْنُ جَعْفَرٍ وَحَدَّثَنِي زَيْدُ بْنُ أَسْلَمَ عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ مِثْلَهُ.
Abu Qatadah Narrated from:
Once, while I was sitting with the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) at a station on the road to Mecca and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was stationing ahead of us and all the people were assuming Ihram while I was not. My companion, saw an onager while I was busy Mending my shoes.They did not Inform me of the onager but they wished that I would see it Suddenly I looked and saw the onager Then I headed towards my horse, saddled it and rode, but I forgot to take the lash and the spear. So I said to them my companions), "Give me the lash and the spear." But they said, "No, by Allah we will not help you in any way to hunt it ' I got angry, dismounted, took it the spear and the lash), rode (the horse chased the onager and wounded it Then I brought it when it had dyed.My companions started eating of its (cooked) meat, but they suspected that it might be unlawful to eat of its meat while they were in a state of Ihram Then I proceeded further and I kept one of its forelegs with me. When we met Allah's Apostle we asked him about that. He said, "Have you some of its meat with you?" I gave him that foreleg and he ate the meat till he stripped the bone of its flesh although he was in a state of Ihram.
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5407In-book reference : Book 70, Hadith 35USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 65, Hadith 318
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5407
This Hadith about hunting in Ihram gives a detailed case from Abu Qatada. He was not in Ihram, while his companions were in Ihram on the road to Mecca. They saw an onager but did not point it out or help him hunt it. When Abu Qatada saw it himself, he rode after it, killed it, and brought the meat. His companions ate from it, then became unsure because they were in Ihram. When they asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, he asked whether any meat remained. Abu Qatada gave him the foreleg, and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ate from it while he was in Ihram. The key lesson is care around the limits of Ihram: the companions refused to help in the hunt, yet the meat was later eaten in this specific case. This is useful for searches like onager hadith, hunting during Ihram, and Abu Qatada hunting hadith.
What we learn from this hadith
- The companions in Ihram did not help Abu Qatada hunt the onager.
- Abu Qatada was not in Ihram when he hunted it.
- The companions asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when they became unsure.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ate from the meat in this specific case.
