an evening meal, or gather edible greens from the land, then you may eat it.” (1)
“They ask you what has been made lawful for them. Say, ‘Lawful for you are all wholesome things, as well as what you have trained of hunting animals, training them with what Allah has taught you. So eat of what they catch for you, mention the name of Allah over it, and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is swift in reckoning.’” (4)
His saying, exalted is He: “They ask you what has been made lawful for them,” to the end of the verse. Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: This verse was revealed concerning ‘Adi ibn Hatim and Zayd ibn al-Muhalhil al-Ta’i—who was Zayd al-Khayl, whom the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, named Zayd al-Khayr. They said, “O Messenger of Allah, we are a people who hunt with dogs and hawks; so what of their catch is lawful for us?” Thereupon, this verse was revealed. (2)
It was also said that the reason for its revelation was that, when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded that dogs be killed, they said, “O Messenger of Allah, what may we lawfully use from these creatures that you have commanded be killed?” Thereupon, this verse was revealed. (3) When it was revealed, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, permitted the keeping of dogs that provide benefit and forbade keeping those from which there is no benefit.
Ahmad ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Salihi informed us; Abu al-Husayn ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Bishran informed us; Isma‘il ibn Muhammad al-Saffar informed us; Ahmad ibn Mansur al-Ramadi informed us; ‘Abd al-Razzaq informed us; Ma‘mar informed us, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever keeps a dog, other than a dog for livestock, hunting, or farming, will have a qirat deducted from his reward each day.” (4) The first account is more sound regarding the reason for the revelation of this verse.
“Say, ‘Lawful for you are all wholesome things.’” That is, animals slaughtered in the name of Allah, exalted is He. It was also said: everything that the Arabs consider wholesome
(1) Imam Ahmad narrated it in al-Musnad, 5:218, and al-Darimi in al-Adahi, chapter: Eating carrion in cases of necessity, 2:88. It was also narrated by al-Bayhaqi and al-Tabarani. Its transmitters are trustworthy, but its chain is discontinuous, since Hassan ibn Atiyyah did not hear from Abu Waqid al-Laythi, and there is disagreement as to whether Abu Waqid was a Companion. The compiler also narrated it in Sharh al-Sunnah, 11:347. Ibn Kathir cited it through Imam Ahmad and said, “Its chain is sound according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs.”
The meaning of the phrase “tahtafiu biha baqlan” is explained by Abu Ubayd as deriving from al-hafa, with a hamzah and a shortened final vowel: the root of fresh white papyrus, which is edible. That is, unless you uproot this very plant and eat it. It was also said that the correct wording is “ma lam tahtafuha biha baqlan,” with an unaccented fa and without a hamzah. Everything wholly uprooted is said to have been ihtufiya; similarly, close shaving is called ihfa al-shar. One says, “ihtafa the man,” when he takes something from the surface of the ground with his fingertips. Abu Ubayd said that the hadith means: you are permitted from it, that is, from carrion, only the sabuh, meaning the morning meal, or the ghubuq, meaning the evening meal; you may not combine both meals from carrion. This interpretation was criticized, and others said that its meaning is: if you do not find a morning or evening meal, nor any greens to eat, then carrion becomes permissible for you. See Sharh al-Sunnah, 11:347-348.
(2) Narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim from Said ibn Jubayr. See al-Durr al-Manthur, 3:20; al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, pp. 222-223.
(3) Narrated by al-Hakim from Abu Rafi, 2:311. Al-Hakim authenticated it, and al-Dhahabi concurred. See also al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 221; al-Durr al-Manthur, 3:21.
(4) Narrated by al-Bukhari in al-Harth wa al-Muzaraah, chapter: Keeping a dog for cultivation, 5:5, with the wording: “Whoever keeps a dog, a qirat is deducted from his deeds every day, except a dog for cultivation or livestock.” It was also narrated by Muslim in al-Musaqah, chapter: The command to kill dogs, the abrogation of that command, and the prohibition of keeping them except for hunting, agriculture, livestock, and the like, no. 1575, 3:1203; and by the compiler in Sharh al-Sunnah, 11:209.