and what is meant is that they were in a state of iḥrām.
Lessons derived from the ḥadīth:
1 – It is lawful to eat the flesh of the wild donkey, and it counts as game; by contrast, the domesticated donkey is impure and forbidden.
2 – A pilgrim in iḥrām may eat from game hunted by someone who is not in iḥrām, provided the animal was not hunted specifically for him.
3 – Hunting is forbidden for the pilgrim, as is assisting in it—whether by giving directions, making a signal, handing over a weapon, or any other means that facilitates the killing or capture of the animal. This ruling contains profound wisdom: foremost, it places the pilgrim far from every form of aggression or harm toward others. Moreover, because hunting is a pastime keenly desired by many, the Law bars the pilgrim from engaging in it and being distracted by it from the worship of Allah during iḥrām.
4 – It is unlawful for a pilgrim to partake of game that a non-pilgrim has hunted on his behalf. The juristic disagreement on this question will be discussed later, God willing.
5 – A muftī should inquire about any factors that might alter the ruling before issuing a fatwā.
6 – The Prophet ﷺ accepted gifts in order to console the giver’s heart.
7 – Returning a gift is permissible when there is a legitimate reason not to accept it, yet good manners require that the reason be explained to the giver so that his heart is reassured and doubts are removed.
8 – Assisting or pointing the way to any forbidden matter is itself impermissible, for the helper shares in the deed. Allah the Exalted says: “Do not cooperate in sin and aggression” (al-Māʾidah 5:2).
9 – The episode of Abū Qatādah during the ʿUmrah of al-Ḥudaybiyah: the Prophet ﷺ set out intending ʿumrah and assumed iḥrām at Dhū’l-Ḥulayfah because he was taking the easier inland route. He dispatched Abū Qatādah with some Companions to serve as a rear guard and to gather intelligence on the enemy, and they took the coastal route whose miqāt is al-Juhfah, roughly half the distance from Dhū’l-Ḥulayfah to Mecca,