Explanation of the Book of Foods-07a
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reciter: Yahya ibn Sulayman al-Ja'fi narrated to us, saying: Ibn Wahb narrated to me, saying: 'Amr informed us that Abu al-Nadr narrated to him from Nafi', the freed slave of Abu Qatadah, and from Abu Salih, the freed slave of al-Ta'immah, that he heard Abu Qatadah say:
The Shaykh : (may Allah be pleased with the Companions). Look at the scrupulousness first: when he asked them if it was a wild donkey, they said, "We do not know." Okay, they said, "We do not know." This is one point. Second, when he said it was a wild donkey, they said, "It is what you saw," and they did not say, "It is a wild donkey; it is what you saw." Correct. But we remain with their saying, "We do not know." If we take it at face value, it indicates that they truly did not know; they saw a shape and did not know what it was. And if they did know what it was, there remains a difficulty for us: how did they say, "We do not know," when they did know? So we say: if it is true or if it is established that they knew, then their saying, "We do not know," is a matter of figurative interpretation (ta'wil). Perhaps they interpreted something and said, for example, "We do not know whether it is permissible for us to inform you or not," or something similar to what they intended. But we have only the apparent meaning, so we say that they did not know about it, and there is no harm in that. In it is also evidence that it is not permissible for one in a state of ihram to point out game or to assist in it, and that is so because pointing it out and assisting is a type of participation in its killing. And Allah the Exalted says:[Al-Ma'idah 5:95]. In it is also, from the scrupulousness of the Companions in this hadith, that after he killed it and asked them to carry it, they did not carry it until he went and carried it to them. In it is also that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to attribute things to Allah the Exalted in order to make people connected to Allah, where he said: . And thus it is recommended (mustahabb) for a person to raise people on their connection to Allah the Exalted constantly, such that they attribute all things to Allah, so that people are connected to their Lord, contrary to what people do who do not know their Lord and do not appreciate Him as He deserves, attributing things to their causes and forgetting Allah the Exalted. For example, they say, "By means of atmospheric pressure, great rains will occur," or something similar, and they attribute it to atmospheric pressures and winds and the like. And this undoubtedly has an effect and is a cause, but it is recommended (mustahabb) that people be raised to be connected to Allah the Exalted. Yes, okay, 'Abdullah.
The questioner : Methods of teaching... he is deterred when he is rebuked, then I said: he stops when he is called. Is there a contradiction between the two expressions?
The Shaykh : Yes, because he may be deterred in the enemy, so if I say that he stops when he is called, the difficulty is resolved. Yes, yes.
I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) between Makkah and Madinah, and they were in a state of ihram, while I was a man in a state of ihlal on a horse, and I was a hunter on the mountains. So while I was in that state, I saw the people looking intently at something, so I went to look, and it was a wild donkey. I said to them, "What is this?" They said, "We do not know." I said, "It is a wild donkey." They said, "It is what you saw." I had forgotten my whip, so I said to them, "Hand me my whip." They said, "We will not assist you with it." So I dismounted and took it, then I struck in its direction, and it was not but that until I killed it. I came to them and said, "Stand up and carry it." They said, "We will not touch it." So I carried it until I brought it to them. Some of them refused to eat it, and some of them ate it. I said, "I will stop the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for you." So I caught up with him and told him the story. He said to me: "Is there anything of it left with you?" I said, "Yes." He said: "Eat it, for it is food that Allah has fed you."
كنت مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فيما بين مكة والمدينة وهم محرمون وأنا رجل حل على فرس وكنت رقاءً على الجبال فبينا أنا على ذلك إذ رأيت الناس متشوفين لشيء فذهبت أنظر فإذا هو حمار وحش فقلت لهم ما هذا قالوا لا ندري قلت هو حمار وحشي فقالوا هو ما رأيت وكنت نسيت سوطي فقلت لهم ناولوني سوطي فقالوا لا نعينك عليه فنزلت فأخذته ثم ضربت في أثره فلم يكن إلا ذاك حتى عقرته فأتيت إليهم فقلت لهم قوموا فاحتملوا قالوا لا نمسه فحملته حتى جئتهم به فأبى بعضهم وأكل بعضهم فقلت أنا أستوقف لكم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فأدركته فحدثته الحديث فقال لي : أبقي معكم شيء منه قلت نعم فقال : كلوا فهو طعم أطعمكموه اللهThe Shaykh : (may Allah be pleased with the Companions). Look at the scrupulousness first: when he asked them if it was a wild donkey, they said, "We do not know." Okay, they said, "We do not know." This is one point. Second, when he said it was a wild donkey, they said, "It is what you saw," and they did not say, "It is a wild donkey; it is what you saw." Correct. But we remain with their saying, "We do not know." If we take it at face value, it indicates that they truly did not know; they saw a shape and did not know what it was. And if they did know what it was, there remains a difficulty for us: how did they say, "We do not know," when they did know? So we say: if it is true or if it is established that they knew, then their saying, "We do not know," is a matter of figurative interpretation (ta'wil). Perhaps they interpreted something and said, for example, "We do not know whether it is permissible for us to inform you or not," or something similar to what they intended. But we have only the apparent meaning, so we say that they did not know about it, and there is no harm in that. In it is also evidence that it is not permissible for one in a state of ihram to point out game or to assist in it, and that is so because pointing it out and assisting is a type of participation in its killing. And Allah the Exalted says:
O you who have believed, do not kill game while you are in the state of ihram.
يا أيها الذين آمنوا لا تقتلوا الصيد وأنتم حرمfood that Allah has fed you
طعم أطعمكموه اللهThe questioner : Methods of teaching... he is deterred when he is rebuked, then I said: he stops when he is called. Is there a contradiction between the two expressions?
The Shaykh : Yes, because he may be deterred in the enemy, so if I say that he stops when he is called, the difficulty is resolved. Yes, yes.