What is the ruling on slaughtering the jerboa and the monitor lizard, and are they lawful or forbidden? Please inform us; may Allah reward you.

The questioner : In his last question, he says: What is the ruling on slaughtering the jerboa and the monitor lizard, and are they lawful or forbidden? Please inform us; may Allah reward you?

The Shaykh : Yes. The jerboa and the monitor lizard are lawful. Know that the original ruling for everything on the earth, whether plants, trees, or animals, is that they are lawful.

The questioner : Very well.

The Shaykh : Based on the saying of the Exalted: If the Sunnah specifies the lawfulness of a particular item, that serves as further confirmation. The jerboa is lawful because it is game that requires expiation if a person kills it in the Sacred Precinct or kills it while in the state of ihram. Likewise, the monitor lizard is lawful; it is established that it was served on the table of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), though he did not eat from it. When asked about this, he said: "Because it is not found in the land of my people, so I find it repulsive". Since they are lawful, it is obligatory to slaughter them according to the method prescribed, based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):