72/10. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5490 — Onager Meat During Ihram
What have been said about hunting
Abu Qatada Onager Hadith: Hunting Meat and Ihram
Sahih Bukhari : 5490
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5490
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنْ أَبِي النَّضْرِ، مَوْلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ نَافِعٍ، مَوْلَى أَبِي قَتَادَةَ عَنْ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ، أَنَّهُ كَانَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ بِبَعْضِ طَرِيقِ مَكَّةَ تَخَلَّفَ مَعَ أَصْحَابٍ لَهُ مُحْرِمِينَ، وَهْوَ غَيْرُ مُحْرِمٍ، فَرَأَى حِمَارًا وَحْشِيًّا، فَاسْتَوَى عَلَى فَرَسِهِ، ثُمَّ سَأَلَ أَصْحَابَهُ أَنْ يُنَاوِلُوهُ سَوْطًا، فَأَبَوْا فَسَأَلَهُمْ رُمْحَهُ فَأَبَوْا فَأَخَذَهُ ثُمَّ شَدَّ عَلَى الْحِمَارِ، فَقَتَلَهُ فَأَكَلَ مِنْهُ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَبَى بَعْضُهُمْ، فَلَمَّا أَدْرَكُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم سَأَلُوهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ " إِنَّمَا هِيَ طُعْمَةٌ أَطْعَمَكُمُوهَا اللَّهُ ".
Abu Qatadah Narrated from:
Once he was with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (on the way to Mecca). When he had covered some of the way to Mecca, he and some companions of his, who were in the state of Ihram. remained behind the Prophet while Abu Qatada himself was not in the state of Ihram.Abu Qatada, seeing an onager rode his horse and asked his companions to hand him a whip, but they refused. He then asked them to hand him his spear, but they refused. Then he took it himself and attacked the onager and killed it. Some of the Companions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ate of it, but some others refused to eat. When they met Allah's Apostle they asked him about that. He said, "It was meal given to you by Allah."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5490In-book reference : Book 72, Hadith 16USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 67, Hadith 398
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5490
This Abu Qatada onager hadith is about a journey to Mecca where some companions were in Ihram and Abu Qatada was not. He saw an onager, mounted his horse, and asked his companions to hand him a whip and then a spear, but they refused. He took the spear himself, hunted the onager, and killed it. Some companions ate from the meat and some refused. When they later asked Allah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم, he said it was a meal Allah had given them. The main point in the text is the difference between Abu Qatada’s state and theirs, and their refusal to help him hunt. For searches like hunting in Ihram hadith, the wording should be read with those details in place.
What we learn from this hadith
- Abu Qatada was not in Ihram while the others were.
- The companions refused to help him in hunting.
- Some ate from the onager meat while others held back.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم described it as a meal Allah had given them.
