Chapter: The Invocation of Allah's Name in Hunting. And His saying, the Exalted: "O you who believe! Allah will surely test you with some of the game that your hands and your bows can reach."

The Shaykh : His statement in the Book of Slaughter and Hunting, regarding the invocation of Allah's name in hunting, makes it clear from the author's practice that the invocation of Allah's name in slaughter is not obligatory. However, the correct view is that it is obligatory, just as it is obligatory in hunting, so it is obligatory in slaughter. "Al-Dhaba'ih" is the plural of "dhabihah," meaning a slaughtered animal. Slaughter is the letting out of blood with a sharp instrument at the place of lawful slaughter, which is the neck, or any part of the body if that place is inaccessible. For example, if a beast falls into a well and we are unable to slaughter it at the place of lawful slaughter, then here we can let out the blood from any part of its body, such as its belly, its thigh, or any place. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding a camel that had gone astray: One of the Companions had caught up with it when it fled, so he cut its hocks to pin it down, and it died, and he said this statement. As for hunting, the term "hunting" is used for the source, which is the act of the hunter, and it is used for the object, which is the hunted animal. As for the invocation, it is saying "Bismillah" (In the name of Allah). And His saying: up to His saying: This verse contains a test for the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) when Allah forbade them hunting while in the state of ihram. He, the Exalted and Glorious, wanted to test them, for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, tests His servant sometimes with good and sometimes with evil. With good, He tests him to see if he will be ungrateful or grateful. With evil, He tests him to see if he will be patient or despair, as He, the Exalted, said: So the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were tested by Allah, Mighty and Majestic, with hunting, with some of it that your hands and your bows can reach. They would catch running game, such as gazelles, with their hands, and they would catch flying game with their spears, meaning without arrows. He said, "Like this, with the spear, and it does not fly away; he catches it." And they were in the state of ihram. Why? This is knowledge that entails a reward or punishment, whereas the eternal knowledge that Allah knew beforehand is knowledge that does not entail a reward or punishment. For this reason, some scholars said regarding such a verse, "So that We may know" or "So that He may know," asking, "How can we say 'He did such a thing so that He may know' when He already knows?" The scholars answered this with three responses. First, they said that the knowledge intended here is the knowledge that entails a reward or punishment, because prior knowledge does not entail a reward or punishment due to the absence of obligation, or rather, due to the absence of the one obligated, for Allah has always been aware of what will happen. They also said that the intended meaning is another response: "So that We may know" refers to the knowledge of manifestation and creation, because the first is the knowledge of decree and the second is the knowledge of manifestation, meaning this thing that Allah knew beforehand becomes apparent in the external world. Do you understand? Good. And others said that the intended knowledge is the knowledge that it was, whereas the prior knowledge is the knowledge that it will be. Thus, Allah's connection to this thing is the connection of a thing to a prior existing matter, and the first is the knowledge that it will be. For example, I know that a visitor will come to me tomorrow; I know that. So when he arrives, the second knowledge is different from the first knowledge, because my second knowledge—may Allah have mercy on you—my second knowledge is the knowledge that he has come, and the first is the knowledge that he will come. In any case, these verses are among the ambiguous ones (mutashabihat). Therefore, the extremists of the Mu'tazilah used them as evidence that Allah does not know the actions of the servants until they occur. The ambiguous verses are those to which the deviated cling, those who have deviation in their hearts, they cling to them. As for the believers, they interpret them according to the clear verses (muhkam) so that all the verses are clear. His saying, the Exalted, here: Or does "in secret" mean he fears Allah while he is hidden from Him, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Or both? Both. The person fears Allah, Mighty and Majestic, while he is hidden from Him by His essence, because he does not see Allah, and he fears Allah while he is hidden from people, because he does not fear people, he only fears Allah. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) feared Allah in secret and never came to these game animals; they never came to them. If you compare this incident with the state of the Children of Israel, you will know the difference between the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Children of Israel. When the Children of Israel were forbidden fish on the day of Saturday, or hunting on the day of Saturday, they devised tricks. Allah tested them, so the fish would come to them on the day of Saturday, and on days other than Saturday, nothing would come to them. So they, may Allah protect us from that, devised tricks, placing nets or traps on Friday, and the fish would come on Saturday and fall into the traps, and when it was Sunday, they would take them. This is undoubtedly a trick that is not permissible, because trickery regarding the forbidden does not increase it except in impurity, for the one who commits the forbidden through a trick has violated the sanctity of the forbidden and played with Allah, Mighty and Majestic. For this reason, Allah said regarding the hypocrites: And He said: And His saying: And as for before that, there is nothing upon him before the prohibition. Many scholars derived from this verse that the laws of the Shari'ah do not become binding before knowledge. They said that if a person grows up in a remote desert far from the city and does not know about the obligations, and he leaves off some of the obligations, then he is not obligated to make them up, whether it is prayer, fasting, zakah, or anything else, because the laws of the Shari'ah do not become binding before knowledge. This is true, this is correct. But there is a fear of something, which is negligence in seeking knowledge. We may hold accountable the person who left off some of the obligations out of ignorance if we know that he was negligent in seeking knowledge. For example, it is said to him, "This is forbidden" or "This is obligatory," and he says, "Be quiet, do not ask the scholars, do not ask about things that if they are made clear to you will be bad for you." Thus, some people advise each other. If it is said to him, "This is forbidden," he says, "My brother, be quiet, leave it alone, as long as no one has come to tell us, as long as no one knocks on our door, be quiet, do not ask about things that if they are made clear to you will be bad for you." They twist the verse, they recite it as a reference for their falsehood. We say that these people are not excused, because they are what? Negligent in seeking knowledge. As for a person who does not know about this and it has not crossed his mind, or he may have built upon a cause that he thinks is a correct cause, but it is not correct, then there is no doubt that he is excused and he is not obligated to make up the obligation. For this reason, the woman who had irregular bleeding and did not become pure asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he did not order her to repeat the prayer. And likewise, 'Ammar ibn Yasir became in a state of major ritual impurity and performed dry ablution, but he built upon a principle, which is analogical reasoning, that he should roll in the dust as a beast rolls, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not order him to make up the prayer. Yes.