41/4. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4238 — Take, Tan, and Use the Hide
The Skin Of Dead Animals (Those Not Slaughtered Or Killed Properly)
Take and Tan the Hide of a Dead Sheep
Sunan an-Nasai : 4238
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4238
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ عَطَاءٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ مَرَّ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِشَاةٍ لِمَيْمُونَةَ مَيِّتَةٍ فَقَالَ " أَلاَّ أَخَذْتُمْ إِهَابَهَا فَدَبَغْتُمْ فَانْتَفَعْتُمْ " .
Ibn 'Abbas Narrated from:
The Prophet passed by a sheep belonging to Maimunah that had died and said: 'Why don't you take its skin and tan it and make use of it'?
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4238In-book reference : Book 41, Hadith 17English translation : Vol. 5, Book 41, Hadith 4243
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4238
Ibn Abbas reports that the Prophet passed by a sheep belonging to Maimunah after it had died. He asked why they did not take its hide, tan it, and make use of it. The three actions are clearly stated in sequence: take the hide, tan it, and benefit from it. The narration is not about eating the dead sheep. Its focus is the continued usefulness of the skin after proper preparation. No details are supplied here about the tanning materials, the time required, or the final product. Therefore, the explanation should stay with the simple direction found in the text. The hadith teaches that something unsuitable for one purpose may still be prepared for another beneficial use.
What we learn from this hadith
- The hide was to be removed from the dead sheep.
- The Prophet instructed that the skin should be tanned.
- The prepared hide could then be put to beneficial use.
- The death of the sheep did not make every part of it useless.
