Ahmad said: “If it remains,” that is, if we cut off its leg but it escapes and we do not catch it, then its leg is impure and unlawful, because it was severed from a living creature whose carcass is impure.

The second exception is musk and its pod. It comes from a type of gazelle known as the musk deer.

It is said that when they wish to extract musk, they make it run, whereupon blood flows from near its navel. They then bring a strong, sturdy thread and tie the flowing blood tightly so that it does not remain connected to the body and continue to be nourished by the blood. After some time, it falls off, and they find it to be among the most fragrant kinds of musk.

This receptacle is called the musk pod, while the musk is what lies within it. Thus, it has separated from a living animal while remaining pure, according to the view of most scholars (1). Hence al-Mutanabbi said:

“If you surpass mankind while being one of them,
Then musk is but part of the gazelle’s blood.” (2)