72/4. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5478 — Bow, Trained Hound, and Clean Utensils
About hunting with a bow
وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ إِذَا ضَرَبَ صَيْدًا، فَبَانَ مِنْهُ يَدٌ أَوْ رِجْلٌ، لاَ تَأْكُلُ الَّذِي بَانَ، وَتَأْكُلُ سَائِرَهُ، وَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ إِذَا ضَرَبْتَ عُنُقَهُ أَوْ وَسَطَهُ فَكُلْهُ. وَقَالَ الأَعْمَشُ عَنْ زَيْدٍ اسْتَعْصَى عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنْ آلِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ حِمَارٌ، فَأَمَرَهُمْ أَنْ يَضْرِبُوهُ حَيْثُ تَيَسَّرَ، دَعُوا مَا سَقَطَ مِنْهُ، وَكُلُوهُ.
Hadith About Bow Hunting and Utensils of People of Scripture
Sahih Bukhari : 5478
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5478
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يَزِيدَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَيْوَةُ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي رَبِيعَةُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي إِدْرِيسَ، عَنْ أَبِي ثَعْلَبَةَ الْخُشَنِيِّ، قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ إِنَّا بِأَرْضِ قَوْمٍ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ، أَفَنَأْكُلُ فِي آنِيَتِهِمْ وَبِأَرْضِ صَيْدٍ، أَصِيدُ بِقَوْسِي وَبِكَلْبِي الَّذِي لَيْسَ بِمُعَلَّمٍ، وَبِكَلْبِي الْمُعَلَّمِ، فَمَا يَصْلُحُ لِي قَالَ " أَمَّا مَا ذَكَرْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ فَإِنْ وَجَدْتُمْ غَيْرَهَا فَلاَ تَأْكُلُوا فِيهَا، وَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدُوا فَاغْسِلُوهَا وَكُلُوا فِيهَا، وَمَا صِدْتَ بِقَوْسِكَ فَذَكَرْتَ اسْمَ اللَّهِ فَكُلْ، وَمَا صِدْتَ بِكَلْبِكَ الْمُعَلَّمِ فَذَكَرْتَ اسْمَ اللَّهِ فَكُلْ، وَمَا صِدْتَ بِكَلْبِكَ غَيْرَ مُعَلَّمٍ فَأَدْرَكْتَ ذَكَاتَهُ فَكُلْ ".
Abu Tha'labah Al-Khushani Narrated from:
I said, "O Allah's Prophet! We are living in a land ruled by the people of the Scripture; Can we take our meals in their utensils? In that land there is plenty of game and I hunt the game with my bow and with my hound that is not trained and with my trained hound. Then what is lawful for me to eat?"He said, "As for what you have mentioned about the people of the Scripture, if you can get utensils other than theirs, do not eat out of theirs, but if you cannot get other than theirs, wash their utensils and eat out of it. If you hunt an animal with your bow after mentioning Allah's Name, eat of it. and if you hunt something with your trained hound after mentioning Allah's Name, eat of it, and if you hunt something with your untrained hound (and get it before it dies) and slaughter it, eat of it."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5478In-book reference : Book 72, Hadith 4USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 67, Hadith 387
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5478
This hadith about bow hunting and utensils gives several answers to Abu Tha'laba Al-Khushani. He asked about eating from the utensils of the People of the Scripture and about hunting with a bow, an untrained hound, and a trained hound. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that if other utensils are available, do not eat from theirs; if not, wash them and eat from them. He then said that game hunted with a bow after mentioning Allah's name may be eaten. Game caught by a trained hound after mentioning Allah's name may also be eaten. With an untrained hound, the animal is eaten only if the hunter reaches it and slaughters it.
What we learn from this hadith
- Use other utensils when available; if not, wash theirs before eating.
- Game hunted with a bow is linked to mentioning Allah's name.
- A trained hound's catch is linked to mentioning Allah's name.
- With an untrained hound, the text requires reaching and slaughtering the animal.
