34/7. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1951b — Desert Lizard and Prophetic Restraint
The permissibility of eating the Dabb (mastigure)
Is Eating Lizard Forbidden? A Clear Reading of Sahih Muslim 1951b
Sahih Muslim : 1951b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1951b
حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا بَهْزٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَقِيلٍ الدَّوْرَقِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نَضْرَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، أَنَّ أَعْرَابِيًّا، أَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ إِنِّي فِي غَائِطٍ مَضَبَّةٍ وَإِنَّهُ عَامَّةُ طَعَامِ أَهْلِي - قَالَ - فَلَمْ يُجِبْهُ فَقُلْنَا عَاوِدْهُ . فَعَاوَدَهُ فَلَمْ يُجِبْهُ ثَلاَثًا ثُمَّ نَادَاهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي الثَّالِثَةِ فَقَالَ " يَا أَعْرَابِيُّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَعَنَ أَوْ غَضِبَ عَلَى سِبْطٍ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَمَسَخَهُمْ دَوَابَّ يَدِبُّونَ فِي الأَرْضِ فَلاَ أَدْرِي لَعَلَّ هَذَا مِنْهَا فَلَسْتُ آكُلُهَا وَلاَ أَنْهَى عَنْهَا " .
Abu Sa'id Narrated from:
An Arab of the desert came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said: I live in a low land abounding in lizards, and these are the common diet of my family, but he (the Holy Prophet) did not make any reply. We said to him: Repeat it (your problem) and so he repeated it, but he did not make any reply. (It was repeated thrice)Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) called him out at the third time saying: O man of the desert, verily Allah cursed or showed wrath to a tribe of Bani Isra'il and distorted them to beasts which move on the earth. I do not know, perhaps this (lizard) may be one of them. So I do not eat it, nor do I prohibit the eating of it.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1951bIn-book reference : Book 34, Hadith 73USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 21, Hadith 4800
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1951b
This narration gives a fuller scene about the lizard food question. A desert Arab said he lived in low land full of lizards and that lizard was the common food of his family. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did not answer at first, even after the man repeated the question. On the third time, he said that Allah had cursed or shown wrath to a tribe of Bani Isra’il and changed them into creatures moving on the earth. He then said he did not know whether this lizard might be one of them. His final words are the heart of the hadith: he did not eat it, and he did not prohibit it. This makes the hadith useful for searches like “is lizard halal in Islam” and “Prophet did not eat lizard.”
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم showed restraint before answering a food question.
- The man’s family relied on lizard as a common food, and the report keeps that detail clear.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said he personally did not eat it.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also said he did not prohibit it.
