Among the examples by which many people are tested through their incorrect interpretation.
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The Shaykh : A second example. Among the examples by which many people are tested through their incorrect interpretation is a well-known practice in some countries, such as the Arab countries, where they eat dead locusts. Do we find the ruling on dead locusts in the Noble Qur'an? Can we say we find it? We do not find it explicitly mentioned as locusts, but we find it in the general wording, which is His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He: [Al-Ma'idah 5:3] Therefore, dead locusts fall under this verse, and eating them is forbidden. So, do we forbid locusts to those people who are accustomed to eating them because the verse, in its generality and comprehensiveness, includes this type of carrion? The answer is no. Why? Because the one to whom the verse was revealed, [Al-Ma'idah 5:3], said: .
If we were to expand slightly on the same verse regarding carrion, the dead fish is also carrion. For most coastal people, their food is dead fish, because when it is caught, it often comes out dead, or it comes out alive and is left until it dies. If we take the verse without the aid of the authentic Sunnah to understand it, we would also forbid eating dead fish. I mention that there is a difference of opinion among the jurists here. Some held the view that dead fish is permissible absolutely. Why? Because of his saying in the previous hadith, first:Sunan Ibn Majah 3314Sahih (Darussalam)
Therefore, fish is permissible absolutely. But some said that if the fish is floating, it is not eaten. This distinction here—where does it come from? The role of the authentic Sunnah comes in. We said earlier that the Qur'an cannot be understood except by the Sunnah, and the Sunnah contains what is authentic and what is not. And whoever wants to interpret the Qur'an by the Sunnah must be knowledgeable about hadith, in terms of authenticating and weakening narrations.
Some of the early jurists, namely the Hanafis, argued for the distinction between floating fish, which is not permissible, and non-floating fish, which is permissible, using a hadith that distinguishes between fish if it is floating, in which case it is not eaten. But this hadith is not authentic in terms of its chain of narration. So we returned to the previous hadith:Sunan Ibn Majah 3314Sahih (Darussalam), meaning absolutely, whether it is floating or not, because there is no authentic explanation that distinguishes between "if it is floating, it is not eaten" and "otherwise, it is eaten."
Then another hadith comes in this topic, which is in Sahih Muslim:
And among the wonders of this whale is that they set one of its ribs on the ground, and a rider on a camel passed under it, like a very large sea ship. The point is that this hadith also confirms that the carrion of the sea is permissible, while the verse, in its absolute sense, forbids carrion. Therefore, the examples are many, and very many.
Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood
حرمت عليكم الميتة والدمProhibited to you are dead animals
حرمت عليكم الميتةWe have been made lawful two carrion animals and two kinds of blood: the fish and the locust, and the liver and the spleen
أحلت لنا ميتتان ودمان الحوت والجراد والكبد والطحالIf we were to expand slightly on the same verse regarding carrion, the dead fish is also carrion. For most coastal people, their food is dead fish, because when it is caught, it often comes out dead, or it comes out alive and is left until it dies. If we take the verse without the aid of the authentic Sunnah to understand it, we would also forbid eating dead fish. I mention that there is a difference of opinion among the jurists here. Some held the view that dead fish is permissible absolutely. Why? Because of his saying in the previous hadith, first:
Two kinds of dead meat and two kinds of blood have been permitted to us. The two kinds of dead meat are fish and locusts
أحلت لنا ميتتان ودمان الحوت والجرادTherefore, fish is permissible absolutely. But some said that if the fish is floating, it is not eaten. This distinction here—where does it come from? The role of the authentic Sunnah comes in. We said earlier that the Qur'an cannot be understood except by the Sunnah, and the Sunnah contains what is authentic and what is not. And whoever wants to interpret the Qur'an by the Sunnah must be knowledgeable about hadith, in terms of authenticating and weakening narrations.
Some of the early jurists, namely the Hanafis, argued for the distinction between floating fish, which is not permissible, and non-floating fish, which is permissible, using a hadith that distinguishes between fish if it is floating, in which case it is not eaten. But this hadith is not authentic in terms of its chain of narration. So we returned to the previous hadith:
Two kinds of dead meat and two kinds of blood have been permitted to us. The two kinds of dead meat are fish
أحلت لنا ميتتان ودمان الحوتThen another hadith comes in this topic, which is in Sahih Muslim:
That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent out a raid party and appointed Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) as its leader. They went out to the seashore and had provisioned themselves with some dates. They kept eating until their provisions ran out and their hunger increased. They saw something in the distance, so they advanced toward it and found a very large whale that the sea had thrown up. They ate from it and provisioned themselves with it. They came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this to him. So that he might make their eating of it pleasing to them, he said: "If you have any of it with you, feed me some of it."
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم كان قد أرسل سرية أمّر عليها أبا عبيدة بن الجراح رضي الله عنه فخرجوا على ساحل البحر وكانوا قد تزودوا بشيء من التمر فما زالوا يأكلون حتى نفد زادهم وازداد جوعهم فرأوا من بعيد شيئا رابيا هكذا فتقدموا إليه وإذا بحوت كبير جدا قد قذف به البحر فأكلوه منه وتزودوا منه وجاءوا إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وذكروا له ذلك فلكي يطيب لهم أكلهم إياه قال إذا كان عندكم شيء منه فأطعموني إياهAnd among the wonders of this whale is that they set one of its ribs on the ground, and a rider on a camel passed under it, like a very large sea ship. The point is that this hadith also confirms that the carrion of the sea is permissible, while the verse, in its absolute sense, forbids carrion. Therefore, the examples are many, and very many.