Someone came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said, "The donkeys have been (slaughtered and) eaten. Another man came and said, "The donkeys have been destroyed." On that the Prophet (ﷺ) ordered a caller to announce to the people: Allah and His Apostle forbid you to eat the meat of donkeys, for it is impure.' Thus the pots were turned upside down while the (donkeys') meat was boiling in them.
Hadith Text & Context
Sahih al-Bukhari 5528: This narration from the chapter "Hunting, Slaughtering" describes a significant incident during the Battle of Khaybar when companions consumed donkey meat, unaware of its prohibition. The Prophet (ﷺ) immediately intervened upon learning this, demonstrating his role as the divinely-guided lawgiver.
Legal Ruling & Prohibition
The primary ruling establishes the permanent prohibition (tahrim) of consuming domesticated donkey meat. Scholars classify this under forbidden (haram) foods due to the explicit wording "forbid you" from both Allah and His Messenger.
This prohibition applies specifically to domesticated donkeys, while wild donkeys (as mentioned in other narrations) remain permissible for consumption according to most scholars.
Reason for Prohibition
The hadith states the meat is "impure" (rijs), indicating spiritual and legal impurity. Classical commentators like Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani explain this impurity relates to the donkey's nature and characteristics that make it unsuitable for consumption.
Some scholars suggest additional wisdom behind the prohibition, including the donkey's utility for transportation and labor, making its consumption wasteful of beneficial resources.
Immediate Compliance
The companions' immediate action of overturning cooking pots demonstrates the principle of instant obedience to divine commandments without hesitation. This reflects the perfect submission (islam) required from believers when religious rulings are clarified.
This incident also shows the importance of publicly announcing religious rulings to ensure universal compliance and prevent continued sinning due to ignorance.
Scholarly Consensus
There is unanimous agreement (ijma') among the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence regarding the prohibition of domesticated donkey meat based on this and other authentic narrations.
The Hanafi school makes an exception for horse meat, which they consider permissible, while other schools extend the prohibition to horses as well, demonstrating minor differences in applying similar textual evidence.