Book of Foods

The basic ruling with respect to food, drink, and clothing is that they are permissible. Nothing from these categories is deemed unlawful except what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, for they fall under the general heading of customary matters whose default is permissibility. Those items that are prohibited are few and well-defined, which shows that everything left unmentioned remains upon its original ruling—exemption (ʿafw).

First ḥadith

Al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say—and in one wording he (al-Nuʿmān) pointed with his two fingers toward his ears to emphasise that he had heard it from him—

“The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear, and between the two are doubtful matters that many people do not know.

Whoever keeps away from the doubtful protects his religion and his honour, but whoever falls into the doubtful will end up in the unlawful, like a shepherd who grazes around a protected pasture—he is on the verge of entering it.

Indeed, every king has a private preserve, and the preserve of Allah is His prohibitions.

Truly, in the body there is a morsel of flesh; if it is sound the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt—verily, it is the heart.”

Unfamiliar terms

mushtabihāt: doubtful matters.

istabraʾa: he attained freedom from legal blame and safeguarded his reputation from people’s censure.

ḥimā: a protected pasture; the verbal noun is used to denote the protected area itself.

yūshik: he is close to, he will soon.

yartaʿ: literally, livestock grazing freely, eating and drinking as they wish in fertile pasture; used metaphorically for someone who moves from the doubtful toward the unlawful.

muḍgha: a piece of flesh the size that can be chewed; maḍgh means “to chew.”

Overall meaning

Al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr, may Allah be pleased with him, heard the Prophet ﷺ say, and he confirmed his hearing by pointing to his ears: “Indeed …”