42/27. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4323 — Hyena as Game
Hyenas
Hyena Hadith: Is Hyena Halal in Islam?
Sunan an-Nasai : 4323
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4323
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عَمَّارٍ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الضَّبُعِ، فَأَمَرَنِي بِأَكْلِهَا فَقُلْتُ أَصَيْدٌ هِيَ قَالَ نَعَمْ . قُلْتُ أَسَمِعْتَهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ نَعَمْ .
Ibn Abi 'Ammar Narrated from:
I asked Jabir bin 'Abdullah about hyenas and he told me to eat them. I said: 'Are they game (that can be hunted)? He said: 'Yes,' I said: 'Did you hear that from the Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'Yes'.
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4323In-book reference : Book 42, Hadith 61English translation : Vol. 5, Book 42, Hadith 4328
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4323
This hyena hadith gives a direct question-and-answer report. Ibn Abi Ammar asked Jabir bin Abdullah about hyenas, and Jabir told him to eat them. He then asked whether a hyena counts as game that may be hunted. Jabir answered yes. To confirm the source, he asked whether Jabir had heard this from the Messenger of Allah, and Jabir again answered yes. For people searching “is hyena halal in Islam,” this narration is clear in its own wording: Jabir approved eating it, classified it as game, and connected that answer to what he heard from the Prophet. The report also shows a useful method of learning: ask a precise question, confirm the category involved, and verify whether the answer comes from the Messenger of Allah.
What we learn from this hadith
- Ask clear follow-up questions when learning a religious matter.
- The narration classifies the hyena as game.
- Jabir linked his answer about eating the hyena directly to the Messenger of Allah.
