1155 – Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about eating the hedgehog. He replied, “Say: ‘I do not find in what has been revealed to me anything forbidden to one who wishes to eat…’ ”—the verse. A certain shaykh who was present said, “I heard Abū Hurayrah say: It was mentioned in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ and he said, ‘It is a repulsive creature, one of the things that are vile.’” Ibn ʿUmar responded, “If the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that, then it is exactly as he said.” Recorded by Aḥmad and Abū Dāwūd; its chain of transmission is weak.⦗1⦘

Rank of the ḥadith
The ḥadith is weak. Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Bayhaqī all transmitted it through the route of ʿĪsā ibn Numaylah from his father. Al-Bayhaqī said, “This ḥadith is not known except by this isnād, and it is weak.” Al-Khaṭṭābī remarked, “Its chain is not sound.” Ibn Ḥajar stated, “Its isnād is weak.” Al-Albānī commented, “Its flaw lies in ʿĪsā ibn Numaylah and his father; both are unknown.”

Vocabulary
– al-qunfudh (hedgehog): a small mammal covered in sharp spines. When threatened it curls into a ball so that only its needles protrude in every direction, thereby defending itself. It feeds on fruit, plant roots, and insects. Al-Wasīṭ says: “A small spiny mammal whose sharp quills cover it; it curls up until it becomes …”