2391 — “He forbade the eating of tethered animals used as targets for arrows.”

Al-Tirmidhi (1473) narrated it through Abu Ayyub al-Ifriqi, from Safwan ibn Sulaym, from Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, from Abu al-Darda’, in a report traced back to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Al-Tirmidhi said: “A singular hadith.” Ibn Abi Hatim said in al-‘Ilal (2/20), quoting his father: “Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib’s narration from Abu al-Darda’ is not established.”

I say: All its narrators are trustworthy and are narrators of the two Shaykhs, apart from Abu Ayyub al-Ifriqi, whose name was ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Ali ibn al-Azraq. Al-Hafiz said: “Truthful, but errs.” I say: His hadith can therefore be graded good; indeed, it is good, for I have found another route for it. Imam Ahmad (6/445) said: ‘Ali ibn ‘Asim narrated to us: Suhayl ibn Abi Salih narrated to us, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Yazid al-Sa‘di, who said:

“Some people of my tribe asked me to inquire of Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib about a spearhead which they sharpen and set upright in the ground, and by morning it has killed a hyena. Would you consider that a valid slaughtering of it? I sat with Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, and there was beside him an elderly man from Syria, white-haired and white-bearded. So I asked him about it. He said to me, ‘Do you eat hyena?’ I replied, ‘I have never eaten it, but some people of my tribe do.’ He said, ‘Eating it is not lawful.’ Then the old man said, ‘O ‘Abd Allah, shall I not tell you a hadith that I heard from Abu al-Darda’, who related it from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him?’ I said, ‘Certainly.’ He said, ‘I heard Abu al-Darda’ say: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade the eating of every creature that snatches or seizes prey, and every fanged beast of prey.”’ Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib then said, ‘He has spoken the truth.’”