sheep meat; pray in sheep pens, but do not pray in places where camels rest.” This has also been transmitted through several routes. Hadith experts agree that these reports are more authentic and less subject to conflicting evidence than the hadiths concerning touching the penis or those concerning loud laughter.

Some have said that this was abrogated by Jābir’s statement: “The later of the Prophet’s two practices, peace and blessings be upon him, was to forgo ablution after eating food touched by fire.” No distinction was made between camel meat and sheep meat, since both are alike in being exposed to fire. Yet when he distinguished between them, commanding ablution after eating one and making it optional after eating the other, the invalidity of this explanation became clear.

If exposure to fire is not the operative cause, then abrogating ablution on that account does not entail abrogating it on another ground. Rather, it should be said that ablution was initially performed after eating camel meat, just as it was performed after eating sheep meat and other foods. This general requirement, common to them all, was then abrogated. As for the ruling specific to camel meat, even if it had preceded that abrogation, it would not have been abrogated. How, then, could it be considered abrogated when that chronology is not even known? This is further supported by:

The second argument

The hadith dates from after the abrogation of ablution following the consumption of food touched by fire. In it, he made clear that ablution is not obligatory after eating sheep meat, while commanding ablution after eating camel meat. It is therefore evident that this command came after the abrogation.