your arrow, and mention Allah’s name over it, then eat.” (1) Thus, he made two conditions for the permissibility of eating: first, intentional action—namely, releasing the arrow; and second, mentioning Allah’s name.

We say: He also said concerning slaughtered animals: “Eat of that which causes the blood to flow and over which Allah’s name has been mentioned.” (2) He stipulated two conditions: first, causing the blood to flow; and second, mentioning Allah’s name. There is no difference between the two cases.

Moreover, if we excuse someone for forgetting to mention Allah’s name when slaughtering an animal, then he is even more deserving of excuse when hunting, for game may suddenly appear, requiring haste and speed. Hunters can become so distracted when they see game that they may sometimes fall into a pit or be struck by a palm tree or another tree without realizing it. Such a person is more deserving of excuse than someone who brings the animal forward calmly, lays it down, and forgets to say, “In the name of Allah.”

The fourth view is that mentioning Allah’s name is a condition in both slaughtering and hunting, and it is not waived through forgetfulness or ignorance. This is the view of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, and it is what the evidence indicates.

If someone were to say: What if a person forgets to mention Allah’s name over a camel worth five thousand riyals, and we say that it is unlawful? Five thousand riyals would then be lost.

The reply is: This is among the things that Allah decrees a person to lose.