Lexical notes:
• anfajna arnabān – pronounced with a fatḥa on the hamza, a sukūn on the nūn, a fatḥa on the fāʾ, and a sukūn on the jīm – means: “we flushed (stirred up) a hare.”
• Marr al-Ẓahrān – with a fatḥa on the mīm and on the emphatic ẓāʾ – is a location north of Mecca on the road to Medina when travel was by riding animals; it lies about 2 kilometers from Mecca and is now called Wādī Fāṭimah.
• fa-laghibū – al-Zarkashī noted that the ghayn is pronounced with a fatḥa; in a weak dialect it may be read with a kasra, as cited by Ibn Sidah and al-Jawharī. The word means “they became weary.” The verbal noun is lugūb, with a ḍamma on the lām.

Lessons derived from the hadith:

1. The hadith establishes that hare is lawful to eat and counted among the wholesome foods; the ummah is unanimously agreed on its permissibility.
2. The Prophet ﷺ accepted gifts, whether small or large.
3. Exchanging gifts was part of the Prophet’s ﷺ character and practice because it fosters affection and connectedness; this custom should spread among believers, especially relatives and neighbors.

Hadith Three
Asmaʾ bint Abi Bakr, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “During the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ we slaughtered a horse and ate it.”
In another wording: “And we were in Medina.”

Lessons derived from the hadith:

1. The hadith proves the permissibility of eating horse meat, for it was eaten in the Prophet’s ﷺ time and he approved it. The report appears in both Ṣaḥīḥ collections and elsewhere with the wording: “We slaughtered a horse during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and ate it, we and his household.” Mention will follow of those who disagreed with this ruling.
2. Some narrations use the verb dhabḥ (slaughter) and others nahr (piercing sacrifice). Nahr is striking the throat hollow with a blade until the jugular veins are cut, specific to camels; dhabḥ is cutting the jugular veins and is used for animals other than camels. Here, nahr is probably employed figuratively, meaning dhabḥ.
3. Her statement, “and we were in Medina,” counters those who claimed that its permissibility was later abrogated for reasons of jihad owing to the military need for horses.