The Book on Food

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Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Mu‘adh ibn Hisham narrated to me: my father narrated to me, from Yunus, from Qatadah, from Anas, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) never ate at a dining tray, nor from a small bowl, and thin bread was never baked for him. He [Yunus] said: I asked Qatadah, ‘Then what did they eat on?’ He replied, ‘On these travel mats.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan gharīb (good, though rare). Muhammad ibn Bashshar said: This Yunus is Yunus al-Iskaf. ‘Abd al-Warith ibn Sa‘id also reported something similar from Sa‘id ibn Abi ‘Arubah, from Qatadah, from Anas, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

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Mahmud ibn Ghaylan narrated to us: Abu Dawud narrated to us: Shu‘bah informed us, from Hisham ibn Zayd ibn Anas, who said: I heard Anas say: We flushed a rabbit out at Marr al-Zahran. The Prophet’s Companions ran after it, and I caught up with it and seized it. I brought it to Abu Talhah, who slaughtered it with a flint stone. He sent its thigh—or its hip—with me to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he ate it. I [Hisham] asked, ‘Did he eat it?’ Anas replied, ‘He accepted it.’

Abu ‘Isa said: There are reports on this topic from Jabir, ‘Ammar, and Muhammad ibn Safwan; the latter is also said to be Muhammad ibn Sayfi. This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic). Most scholars act on this and see no harm in eating rabbit. Some scholars disliked eating rabbit, saying that it menstruates.

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Qutaybah narrated to us: Malik ibn Anas narrated to us, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Dinar, from Ibn ‘Umar, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about eating dabb (the desert lizard, often called a mastigure) and said: ‘I do not eat it, nor do I declare it forbidden.’ Reports on this topic also come from ‘Umar, Abu Sa‘id, Ibn ‘Abbas, Thabit ibn Wadi‘ah, Jabir, and ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasanah. Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic).

Scholars differed about eating dabb. Some scholars among the Prophet’s Companions and others allowed it, while some disliked it. It is reported from Ibn ‘Abbas that he said: ‘Dabb was eaten at the Messenger of Allah’s table; the Messenger of Allah left it only because he found it distasteful.’

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Ahmad ibn Mani‘ narrated to us: Isma‘il ibn Ibrahim narrated to us: Ibn Jurayj informed us, from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr, from Ibn Abi ‘Ammar, who said: I asked Jabir, ‘Is the hyena considered game?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I asked, ‘May I eat it?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I asked him, ‘Did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say so?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic). Some scholars held this view and saw no harm in eating hyena; this is the view of Ahmad and Ishaq. A report from the Prophet disapproving of eating hyena has also been transmitted, but its chain is not strong. Some scholars disliked eating hyena; this is the view of Ibn al-Mubarak. Yahya al-Qattan said: Jarir ibn Hazim reported this hadith from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr, from Ibn Abi ‘Ammar, from Jabir, from ‘Umar, as a statement of ‘Umar. The report of Ibn Jurayj is more sound. Ibn Abi ‘Ammar is ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi ‘Ammar al-Makki.

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Hannad narrated to us: Abu Mu‘awiyah narrated to us, from Isma‘il ibn Muslim, from ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Abi al-Mukharriq, Abu Umayyah, from Hibban ibn Jaz’, from his brother Khuzaymah ibn Jaz’, who said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about eating hyena. He said: ‘Would anyone eat hyena?’ I asked him about eating wolf, and he said: ‘Would anyone with goodness in him eat wolf?’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith’s chain is not strong. We know it only through the report of Isma‘il ibn Muslim from ‘Abd al-Karim Abu Umayyah. Some hadith scholars criticized Isma‘il and ‘Abd al-Karim Abu Umayyah, who is ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Qays ibn Abi al-Mukharriq. ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Malik al-Jazari, however, is trustworthy.

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Qutaybah and Nasr ibn ‘Ali both narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from ‘Amr ibn Dinar, from Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fed us horse meat and forbade us from eating donkey meat. There is also a report on this topic from Asma’ bint Abi Bakr. Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic). More than one narrator reported it from ‘Amr ibn Dinar, from Jabir, in this way. Hammad ibn Zayd reported it from ‘Amr ibn Dinar, from Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, from Jabir; the report of Ibn ‘Uyaynah is more sound. He said: I heard Muhammad say, ‘Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah has a better memory than Hammad ibn Zayd.’

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Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Wahhab al-Thaqafi narrated to us, from Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Ansari, from Malik ibn Anas, from al-Zuhri. (Another route:) Ibn Abi ‘Umar narrated to us: Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from ‘Abd Allah and al-Hasan, the two sons of Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, from their father, from ‘Ali, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade temporary marriage with women during the time of Khaybar and the meat of domesticated donkeys.

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Sa‘id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Makhzumi narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from ‘Abd Allah and al-Hasan—the two sons of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah—and he related something similar. ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad’s teknonym was Abu Hashim. Al-Zuhri said: ‘Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad was the more acceptable of the two.’ Others besides Sa‘id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman reported from Ibn ‘Uyaynah that he said: ‘‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad was the more acceptable of the two.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic).

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Abu Kurayb narrated to us: Husayn ibn ‘Ali al-Ju‘fi narrated to us, from Za’idah, from Muhammad ibn ‘Amr, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) declared unlawful on the day of Khaybar every predatory animal with fangs, al-mujaththamah (an animal tied up as a target and killed), and the domesticated donkey. Reports on this topic also come from ‘Ali, Jabir, al-Bara’, Ibn Abi Awfa, Anas, al-‘Irbad ibn Sariyah, Abu Tha‘labah, Ibn ‘Umar, and Abu Sa‘id. Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic). ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Muhammad and others also reported this hadith from Muhammad ibn ‘Amr, but they mentioned only one phrase: ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade every predatory animal with fangs.’

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Zayd ibn Akhzam al-Ta’i narrated to us: Salm ibn Qutaybah narrated to us: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Ayyub, from Abu Qilabah, from Abu Tha‘labah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the cooking pots of the Magians. He said: ‘Wash them thoroughly, then cook in them.’ He also forbade every predatory animal with fangs. Abu ‘Isa said: This is a well-known hadith from Abu Tha‘labah, and it has been reported from him by routes other than this one. Abu Tha‘labah’s name was Jurthum; it is also said Jurhum, and it is also said Nashib. This hadith has also been cited through Abu Qilabah, from Abu Asma’ al-Rahabi, from Abu Tha‘labah.

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‘Ali ibn ‘Isa ibn Yazid al-Baghdadi narrated to us: ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Muhammad al-‘Aishi narrated to us: Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us, from Ayyub and Qatadah, from Abu Qilabah, from Abu Asma’ al-Rahabi, from Abu Tha‘labah al-Khushani, who said: I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, we live in a land of the People of the Book, and we cook in their pots and drink from their vessels.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘If you cannot find other vessels, wash them with water.’ Then I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, we live in a land where game is plentiful, so what should we do?’ He said: ‘When you send your trained hunting dog and mention Allah’s name, and it kills the game, eat it. If it is untrained but you slaughter the game properly, eat it. And when you shoot with your arrow, mention Allah’s name; if it kills the game, eat it.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic).

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Sa‘id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Makhzumi and Abu ‘Ammar both narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from ‘Ubayd Allah, from Ibn ‘Abbas, from Maymunah, that a mouse fell into ghee and died. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about it and said: ‘Throw it away, and what is around it, and eat the rest.’ There is also a report on this topic from Abu Hurayrah. Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic).

This hadith has also been reported from al-Zuhri, from ‘Ubayd Allah, from Ibn ‘Abbas, stating that the Prophet was asked, but without mentioning Maymunah. The report of Ibn ‘Abbas from Maymunah is more sound. Ma‘mar reported something similar from al-Zuhri, from Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, but this report is not preserved.

I heard Muhammad ibn Isma‘il say: In Ma‘mar’s report from al-Zuhri, from Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, it says that he was asked about it and replied: ‘If the ghee is solid, throw away the mouse and what is around it; if it is liquid, do not go near it.’ Muhammad said: ‘This is an error; Ma‘mar made a mistake in it. The sound report is that of al-Zuhri, from ‘Ubayd Allah, from Ibn ‘Abbas, from Maymunah.’

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Ishaq ibn Mansur informed us: ‘Abd Allah ibn Numayr narrated to us: ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Umar narrated to us, from Ibn Shihab, from Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar, from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Let none of you eat with his left hand or drink with his left hand, for Satan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand.’ Reports on this topic also come from Jabir, ‘Umar ibn Abi Salamah, Salamah ibn al-Akwa‘, Anas ibn Malik, and Hafsah. Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic). Malik and Ibn ‘Uyaynah reported it from al-Zuhri, from Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ubayd Allah, from Ibn ‘Umar. Ma‘mar and ‘Uqayl reported it from al-Zuhri, from Salim, from Ibn ‘Umar. The report of Malik and Ibn ‘Uyaynah is more sound.

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‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman narrated to us: Ja‘far ibn ‘Awn narrated to us, from Sa‘id ibn Abi ‘Arubah, from Ma‘mar, from al-Zuhri, from Salim, from his father, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When one of you eats, let him eat with his right hand and drink with his right hand, for Satan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Abi al-Shawarib narrated to us: ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn al-Mukhtar narrated to us, from Suhayl ibn Abi Salih, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When one of you eats, let him lick his fingers, for he does not know in which of them the blessing lies.’ Reports on this topic also come from Jabir, Ka‘b ibn Malik, and Anas. Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan gharīb (good, though rare); we know it only by this route, through the report of Suhayl. I asked Muhammad about this hadith, and he said: ‘This is among the reports of ‘Abd al-‘Aziz that are little known; it is known only through his report.’

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Qutaybah narrated to us: Ibn Lahi‘ah narrated to us, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When one of you is eating and a morsel falls, let him remove whatever is objectionable from it, then eat it; let him not leave it for Satan.’ There is also a report on this topic from Anas.

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Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali al-Khallal narrated to us: ‘Affan ibn Muslim narrated to us: Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us: Thabit narrated to us, from Anas, that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ate, he would lick his three fingers and say: ‘If a morsel of one of you falls, let him remove any filth from it, then eat it, and not leave it for Satan.’ He instructed us to scrape the dish clean, and said: ‘You do not know in which part of your food the blessing lies.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic).

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Nasr ibn ‘Ali al-Jahdami narrated to us: Abu al-Yaman al-Mu‘alla ibn Rashid informed us: My grandmother, Umm ‘Asim, narrated to me—she was an umm walad (a slave woman who had borne a child) of Sinan ibn Salamah. She said: Nubaishah al-Khayr came to us while we were eating from a large bowl. He told us that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Whoever eats from a large bowl and then licks it, the bowl will ask forgiveness for him.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is gharīb (rare); we know it only through the report of al-Mu‘alla ibn Rashid. Yazid ibn Harun and more than one of the leading scholars also reported this hadith from al-Mu‘alla ibn Rashid.

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Qutaybah, Abu Raja’, narrated to us: Jarir narrated to us, from ‘Ata’ ibn al-Sa’ib, from Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ‘Abbas, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Blessing descends in the middle of the food, so eat from its edges and do not eat from its middle.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic); it is known only through the report of ‘Ata’ ibn al-Sa’ib. Shu‘bah and al-Thawri also reported it from ‘Ata’ ibn al-Sa’ib. There is also a report on this topic from Ibn ‘Umar.

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Ishaq ibn Mansur informed us: Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Qattan informed us, from Ibn Jurayj, who narrated to us: ‘Ata’ narrated to us, from Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Whoever eats any of these—’ The first time he said garlic; then he specified: ‘garlic, onion, and leek—let him not approach us in our mosques.’ Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic). Reports on this topic also come from ‘Umar, Abu Ayyub, Abu Hurayrah, Abu Sa‘id, Jabir ibn Samurah, Qurrah ibn Iyas al-Muzani, and Ibn ‘Umar.