Reconciling the hadith of 'A'ishah with the hadith of 'Amr ibn Umayyah?
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The questioner : The distinction is made if the meat is tough, in which case it is cut with a knife; but if it is ..., it is better to cut it without a knife, based on the fact that the hadith ... cutting meat with a knife is hasan ... and Ibn Hajar did not say so, but it does not contain what Abu Ma'shar added regarding the explicit prohibition of cutting meat with a knife. The most that is in it is the hadith of Safwan that tearing is better ... This is based on the assumption that the hadith is hasan, but the hadith is not hasan.
The Shaykh : How is it not hasan?
The questioner : Look at what he says, O Shaykh. He says, and 'Abd al-Karim ... ibn Abi al-Mukharaq is weak, but Ibn Abi 'Asim narrated it from another route from Safwan ibn Umayyah, so it is hasan. But it does not contain what Abu Ma'shar added regarding the explicit prohibition of cutting meat with a knife. The most that is in the hadith of Safwan is that tearing is better.
Another questioner : It is, O Shaykh, that tearing is hasan, not that cutting is hasan.
The questioner : Tearing is hasan, not that cutting is hasan. And we made the distinction based on the assumption that the hadith of cutting is hasan.
The Shaykh : In any case, it is in the first hadithSahih Ibn Khuzaymah 3:138 Read it.
The questioner : He says: "It mentions the hadith of 'Amr ibn Umayyah that he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cutting from the shoulder of a sheep. This hadith was previously explained in the book of purification. The meaning of 'cutting' (yaktahizu) is to cut. And the compilers of the three Sunan narrated from the hadith of al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah: I was with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he was cutting for me from the side of the animal until Bilal called for prayer, so he threw down the knife and said, 'May his hands be dust.' Ibn Battal said: This hadith contradicts the hadith of Abu Ma'shar from Hisham ibn 'Urwah from his father from 'A'ishah, which he elevated to the Prophet: 'Do not cut meat with a knife, for that is the practice of the non-Arabs. Tear it, for it is more wholesome and more delicious.' Abu Dawud said: It is a hadith that is not strong. I said to him: There is a corroborating narration from the hadith of Safwan ibn Umayyah, which al-Tirmidhi narrated with the wording: 'Tear the meat by tearing, for it is more wholesome and more delicious.' And he said: 'We do not know it except from the hadith of 'Abd al-Karim.' He ended. And 'Abd al-Karim is Abu Umayyah ibn Abi al-Mukharaq, who is weak. But Ibn Abi 'Asim narrated it from another route from Safwan ibn Umayyah, so it is hasan. But it does not contain what Abu Ma'shar added regarding the explicit prohibition of cutting meat with a knife. The most that is in the hadith of Safwan is that tearing is better. And it occurred in the beginning of the long hadith of intercession mentioned earlier in the tafsir, from the route of Abu Zur'ah from Abu Hurayrah: 'Meat from a leg was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so he tore a piece from it.' The hadith ends. What is in it?
The Shaykh : Yes, what is in it is not cutting with the knife, but that tearing is better. Good, you did well. Yes.
The questioner : Read to me the hadith of Ibn Umayyah ... regarding cutting. And Ibn Hajar mentioned that it is very weak, and said that in its chain is Abu Ma'shar ... and said that the hadith is not authentic.
The Shaykh : Well, good, you did well. So it means the first one, so there is no prohibition in it. But if we know that a person does it out of arrogance and imitation of the non-Arabs, then from this aspect it becomes disliked. Yes, yes, O Sa'id.
The questioner : ... Forbidding what is wrong.
The Shaykh : What is the need for repetition? It is clear. I think we do not repeat it. That is it, it is finished. You made the first question, and two questions are not repeated. Yes.
The Shaykh : How is it not hasan?
The questioner : Look at what he says, O Shaykh. He says, and 'Abd al-Karim ... ibn Abi al-Mukharaq is weak, but Ibn Abi 'Asim narrated it from another route from Safwan ibn Umayyah, so it is hasan. But it does not contain what Abu Ma'shar added regarding the explicit prohibition of cutting meat with a knife. The most that is in the hadith of Safwan is that tearing is better.
Another questioner : It is, O Shaykh, that tearing is hasan, not that cutting is hasan.
The questioner : Tearing is hasan, not that cutting is hasan. And we made the distinction based on the assumption that the hadith of cutting is hasan.
The Shaykh : In any case, it is in the first hadith
Do not do as the non-Arabs do.
لا تفعلوا كما تفعل الأعاجمThe questioner : He says: "It mentions the hadith of 'Amr ibn Umayyah that he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cutting from the shoulder of a sheep. This hadith was previously explained in the book of purification. The meaning of 'cutting' (yaktahizu) is to cut. And the compilers of the three Sunan narrated from the hadith of al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah: I was with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he was cutting for me from the side of the animal until Bilal called for prayer, so he threw down the knife and said, 'May his hands be dust.' Ibn Battal said: This hadith contradicts the hadith of Abu Ma'shar from Hisham ibn 'Urwah from his father from 'A'ishah, which he elevated to the Prophet: 'Do not cut meat with a knife, for that is the practice of the non-Arabs. Tear it, for it is more wholesome and more delicious.' Abu Dawud said: It is a hadith that is not strong. I said to him: There is a corroborating narration from the hadith of Safwan ibn Umayyah, which al-Tirmidhi narrated with the wording: 'Tear the meat by tearing, for it is more wholesome and more delicious.' And he said: 'We do not know it except from the hadith of 'Abd al-Karim.' He ended. And 'Abd al-Karim is Abu Umayyah ibn Abi al-Mukharaq, who is weak. But Ibn Abi 'Asim narrated it from another route from Safwan ibn Umayyah, so it is hasan. But it does not contain what Abu Ma'shar added regarding the explicit prohibition of cutting meat with a knife. The most that is in the hadith of Safwan is that tearing is better. And it occurred in the beginning of the long hadith of intercession mentioned earlier in the tafsir, from the route of Abu Zur'ah from Abu Hurayrah: 'Meat from a leg was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so he tore a piece from it.' The hadith ends. What is in it?
The Shaykh : Yes, what is in it is not cutting with the knife, but that tearing is better. Good, you did well. Yes.
The questioner : Read to me the hadith of Ibn Umayyah ... regarding cutting. And Ibn Hajar mentioned that it is very weak, and said that in its chain is Abu Ma'shar ... and said that the hadith is not authentic.
The Shaykh : Well, good, you did well. So it means the first one, so there is no prohibition in it. But if we know that a person does it out of arrogance and imitation of the non-Arabs, then from this aspect it becomes disliked. Yes, yes, O Sa'id.
The questioner : ... Forbidding what is wrong.
The Shaykh : What is the need for repetition? It is clear. I think we do not repeat it. That is it, it is finished. You made the first question, and two questions are not repeated. Yes.