is not mentioned over is not considered property, for it is carrion, and carrion is not property. It is established in al-Bukhari and Muslim that, on the day of the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah has forbidden the sale of carrion.” (1) Thus, leaving it or throwing it to wild beasts is not regarded as wasting wealth.

We then say: This is not, in absolute terms, a waste of wealth, for it is possible to take the hide of this carcass, tan it, and thereby render it pure, since the hide of a carcass is purified by tanning. Its wool may also be taken, and its fat may be used to grease ships, leather, and the like—in a use that does not extend beyond that.

We then give a third reply: if we hold this view, we are in fact safeguarding wealth. For when a person remembers that he threw away his sheep on the day when he forgot to pronounce Allah’s Name over it, then the next time he will not omit pronouncing Allah’s Name; indeed, he may pronounce it two or three times. Thus, there is no waste of wealth in this.

Invoking the waste of wealth in a matter such as this is no different from the argument of one who says: “If you cut off the thief’s hand, you will cut off half the hands of the population, leaving half the people with only one hand!” We say: A society in which half the population are thieves is the society in which hands are not cut off. But where the hand is cut off, thieves undoubtedly become few—or disappear altogether.

In sum, the more you reflect upon this issue, the more you will find that the correct view is that chosen by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him: pronouncing Allah’s Name is not waived due to forgetfulness or ignorance, just as it is not waived when omitted deliberately.