ants, bees, hoopoes and sparrow-hawks. Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas said that the people of pre-Islamic times used to eat some things and leave others alone, considering them unclean. Then God sent His Prophet and sent down His Book, marking some things lawful and others unlawful; so what He made lawful is lawful, what He made unlawful is unlawful, and what He said nothing about is allowable. And he recited, ''Say, I do not find in what is revealed to me anything forbidden to him who eats it, except carrion or blood..." 1 1. Qur'an, vi, 145.Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Zahir al-Aslami said he was kindling fire under pots which contained asses' flesh when God's messenger's crier made an announcement to the effect that God's messenger prohibited asses' flesh to the people. Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Tha'laba al-Khushani traced to the Prophet the saying that the jinn are of three classes, one which have wings and fly in the air, one which consists of snakes and dogs, and one which stay in places and travel about. It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

Salman b. ‘Amir ad Dabbl told that he heard God's messenger say, “Along with a boy there is an ‘aqiqa, so shed blood on his behalf and remove injury from him.”* *This is variously explained as shaving the hair of the infant, or removing the impurities with which it is defiled at birth, or even circumcision.Bukhari transmitted it.

‘A’isha told that boys used to be brought to God’s messenger, and he would invoke blessings on them and soften some dates and rub their palates with them. Muslim transmitted it.

Asma’ daughter of Abu Bakr said she conceived ‘Abdallah b. azZubair in Mecca and gave birth to him in Quba’, then took him to God’s messenger and placed him in his lap. He called for a date, chewed it and spat in his mouth, after which he rubbed his palate and then made supplication for him and invoked a blessing on him. He was the first child to be born in the Islamic period. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Umm Kurz told that she heard God’s messenger say, “Let the birds stay in their roosts.”* She told that she also heard him say, “Two sheep are to be sacrificed for a boy and one for a girl, but it does you no harm whether they are male or female.” *Either that they are not to be molested, or that they are not to be disturbed for the purpose of taking omens.Abu Dawud transmitted it. Tirmidhi and Nasa’i transmit it from “two sheep” to the end, Tirmidhi saying this is a sahih tradition.

Al-Hasan quoted Samura who reported God’s messenger as saying, "A boy is in pledge for his ‘aqiqa. Sacrifice is made for him on the seventh day, he is given a name and his head is shaved.” Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it, but the last two have “a pledge” for “in pledge.” A version by Ahmad and Abu Dawud has “is smeared with blood” 1 in place of “is given a name.” Abu Dawud says th at “is given a name” is sounder.

Muhammad b. ‘All b. Husain quoted ‘Ali b. Abu Talib as saying that God’s messenger sacrificed a sheep on the seventh day for al-Hasan and said, “Shave his head, Fatima, and give the weight of his hair in silver as sadaqa.” So they weighed it and it amounted to a dirham or part of a dirham. Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan gharib tradition, but its isnad is not fully connected because Muhammad b. ‘Ali b. Husain was not born in the time of ‘Ali b. Abu Talib.

Ibn ‘Abbas told that God’s messenger sacrificed a ram on the seventh day for both al-Hasan and al-Husain. Abu Dawud transmitted it. Nasa’i says two rams each.

'Amr b. Shu'aib, on his father's authority, said his grandfather told that God’s messenger was asked about the ‘aqiqa and replied, “God does not like the breaking of ties (‘uquq),” as though he disliked the name. And he said, “If anyone has a child born to him and wishes to offer a sacrifice on its behalf, he may offer two sheep for a boy and one for a girl. Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

Abu Rafi' told th at he saw God's messenger uttering the call to prayer in the ear of al-Hasan b. ‘Ali when Fatima gave birth to him.Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan sahih tradition.

When a boy was born to one of us in the pre-Islamic period he sacrificed a sheep and smeared his head with its blood; but when Islam came we sacrificed a sheep on the seventh day, shaved his head and smeared it with saffron. Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Razin added, “and gave him his name.”