18/19. Chapter:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 1492 — Runaway Animal Slaughter
What Has Been Related About Camels, Cows, And Sheep, When They Flee And Become Wild: Are They Shot With An Arrow Or Not?
Hadith About a Runaway Camel and Slaughter
Jami at-Tirmidhi : 1492
Jami at-TirmidhiHadith Number 1492
حَدَّثَنَا هَنَّادٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَحْوَصِ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ مَسْرُوقٍ، عَنْ عَبَايَةَ بْنِ رِفَاعَةَ بْنِ رَافِعٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، رَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ قَالَ كُنَّا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي سَفَرٍ فَنَدَّ بَعِيرٌ مِنْ إِبِلِ الْقَوْمِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مَعَهُمْ خَيْلٌ فَرَمَاهُ رَجُلٌ بِسَهْمٍ فَحَبَسَهُ اللَّهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّ لِهَذِهِ الْبَهَائِمِ أَوَابِدَ كَأَوَابِدِ الْوَحْشِ فَمَا فَعَلَ مِنْهَا هَذَا فَافْعَلُوا بِهِ هَكَذَا " .حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلاَنَ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَبَايَةَ بْنِ رِفَاعَةَ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، رَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَحْوَهُ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ فِيهِ عَبَايَةُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ وَهَذَا أَصَحُّ . وَالْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ . وَهَكَذَا رَوَاهُ شُعْبَةُ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ مَسْرُوقٍ نَحْوَ رِوَايَةِ سُفْيَانَ .
Rafi' bin Khadij Narrated from:
We Were With The Prophet (ﷺ) On Journey When The Camel That Belonged To Some People Ran Away And They Did Not Have A Horse. So A Man Shot It With An Arrow And Allah Stopped It. The Messenger Of Allah (ﷺ) Said: 'Of These Beasts There Are Some That Are As Wild As Wild Animals. So If One Of Them Does This, Then Treat It Similarly.'"Another Chain From Rafi' Bin Khadij From The Prophet (ﷺ) And It Is Similar, But (The Narrator) Did Not Mention In It "Abayah From His Father." And This Is More Correct.
Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1492In-book reference : Book 18, Hadith 35,36English translation : Vol. 3, Book 16, Hadith 1492
Summary of Jami at-Tirmidhi Hadith 1492
This hadith about a runaway camel describes a journey with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. A camel ran away from some people, and they had no horse to catch it. A man shot it with an arrow, and Allah stopped it. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم then said that some beasts act like wild animals, and if one of them does this, then treat it in a similar way. The meaning stays close to the event: when a domestic animal becomes uncontrollable like a wild animal, the response may follow that situation. The hadith is practical and does not speak about normal, calm animals ready for regular slaughter.
What we learn from this hadith
- A runaway animal may be treated differently from a controlled animal.
- The hadith is tied to a camel that could not be caught.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم compared such behavior to wild animals.
- The text teaches a practical response when normal handling is not possible.
