It is likewise transmitted—through several chains—from Ibn ʿUmar, raised to the Prophet.
It is obvious that the phrase “no sin is upon him” in this ḥadīth merely signifies the permissibility of killing such animals; it does not imply that killing them is recommended, obligatory, or preferable to refraining from it.
B. A second category: the wording serves to remove any sense of hardship from an act that is, in itself, legislated and meritorious—indeed, at times even obligatory. The revelation comes only to dispel the misconception of someone who might imagine blame in performing it. A case in point is what al-Zuhrī narrated from ʿUrwah, who said:
“I asked ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with her—about Allah’s words, ‘Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah; so whoever performs pilgrimage to the House or minor pilgrimage, there is no sin upon him to walk between them’ (Q 2:158). I said, ‘By Allah, there is no sin on anyone who does not walk between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah!’ She replied, ‘What an evil thing you have said, my nephew! Had it been as you interpreted, the verse would have read: “there is no sin upon him not to walk between them.” Rather, it was revealed concerning the Anṣār. Before they embraced Islam they would enter the state of iḥrām for Manāt, the idol they worshipped at al-Mushallal, and whoever assumed iḥrām for it felt uneasy about making saʿī between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah. When they accepted Islam they asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it, saying, “O Messenger of Allah, we used to feel reluctant to make saʿī between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah.” So Allah revealed, “Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah; so whoever performs pilgrimage to the House or minor pilgrimage, there is no sin upon him to walk between them.”’ ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with her—added, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prescribed the saʿī between them, so no one is allowed to abandon it.’”
Reported by al-Bukhārī (1/414) and Aḥmad (6/144, 227).
Once this is understood, the Prophet’s ﷺ statement in the ḥadīth, “and whoever wishes to fast, no sin shall be upon him,” does nothing more than remove the charge of sin from the one who fasts; it contains no indication that breaking the fast is superior to fasting.