and untanned ones alike. For this reason, a group of scholars—including al-Zuhrī and others—held that hides from animals that died without lawful slaughter may be used before tanning. They relied on the unrestricted wording of his statement in the hadith of Maymūnah, and on his words:

“Only eating an animal that has died without lawful slaughter is forbidden.”

This wording establishes the prohibition, yet does not include the hide. Imam Ahmad narrated in al-Musnad that Ibn ‘Abbās said:

“A sheep belonging to Sawdah bint Zam‘ah died. She said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless you and grant you peace, so-and-so has died,’ meaning the sheep. He said, ‘Why did you not take its hide?’ She replied, ‘Should I take the hide of a sheep that has died?’ The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) told her, ‘Allah has only said: “I do not find, in what has been revealed to me, anything forbidden to one who would eat it unless it be carrion, flowing blood, or the flesh of swine.” You do not eat the hide. If you tan it, you can make use of it.’ So she sent for the sheep, removed its hide, tanned it, and made it into a waterskin, which she kept until it wore through.”

This hadith indicates that the prohibition did not include the hide. Tanning was mentioned only as a means of preserving and protecting the hide, not as a condition for its permissibility.

If that is so, the permission granted to Juhaynah would have concerned this, and this would have been what was subsequently abrogated. Allah Most High mentioned the prohibition of animals that died without lawful slaughter in two Meccan surahs, al-An‘ām and al-Nahl, and then in two Medinan surahs, al-Baqarah and al-Mā’idah. Al-Mā’idah was among the last portions of the Quran to be revealed, as stated in the report:

“Al-Mā’idah was the last portion of the Quran to be revealed, so regard as lawful what it declares lawful, and as forbidden what it declares forbidden.”

In it, Allah mentioned prohibitions that He had not mentioned elsewhere, and the Prophet forbade