SACRIFICE SECTION · 15 – Slaughtering Animals with Flint (A Sharp Stone)
Rafi bin Hadiç (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him). And I said, "O Messenger of Allah! Tomorrow we will face the enemy, yet we do not have swords among us. Should we slaughter [an animal] using flint or the edge of a rod?"
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said, “Slaughter with that which causes blood to flow. And hasten in your hand, and mention the name of Allah upon it.” He continued, "You may eat from it as long as [the cutting instrument] is not a nail or a tooth." Then he said, "I will explain the reason for this: The tooth is bone. And the nail is like the knife of the Abyssinians.”
Some people hurried and advanced. They obtained something of the spoils of war.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) was behind the people. The people placed pots on the fire [to cook from the spoils]. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) came across the pots. He gave an order, and the pots were overturned. The spoils were distributed among the companions. One camel was equated to ten sheep. A camel of the tribe escaped. There was no one with them who could chase it on a mount. A man shot an arrow at it. Allah prevented it from escaping. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said, “Indeed, these animals have fright and escape like wild beasts. Whoever of them does that [escapes], you do likewise [shoot it] and kill it.” [548]
EXPLANATION:
*Müden:* Knife.
*Erin:* Means to hasten in cutting.
*Nedde:* It fled, was frightened.
*Evâhid:* There are frights, escapes, and those that have become wild. This hadith is evidence that if a knife is not available, an animal can be slaughtered with something sharp such as stone, wood, reed, or glass.
The meat of an animal slaughtered with teeth and nails separate from the body is permissible. But the meat of an animal slaughtered with teeth and nails while they are still attached to the body is impermissible. This is the view of the Hanafi school.
According to Malik: If the blood vessel of an animal slaughtered with bone is cut, its meat is eaten.
According to Shafi’i: If the bone is a bone from an animal whose meat is eaten, then the meat of the animal slaughtered with it is permissible. If a wild animal that has escaped from the slaughterhouse cannot be caught, and it is killed with a weapon, its meat may be eaten.
Muḥammad ibn Saffān reported, or Saffān ibn Muḥammad reported, saying:
I hunted two rabbits and slaughtered them with flint. I then asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, about those two rabbits. He ordered me to eat their meat.
From the tribe of Banu Harisah, it is related from a man:
He was leading a pregnant female camel on a rocky outcrop of Mount Uhud. The camel began to die. He could not find anything to cut with. He took a pointed stake and thrust it into the beginning of its throat. He released the blood, then came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and informed him about this. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, ordered him to eat its meat.
Adiy ibn Hatem, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
I said to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: "O Messenger of Allah, if one of us shoots at game and hits it, and he has no knife, can he cut it with a flint or a broken piece of wood?" I asked, seeking information.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Say Bismillah [In the name of Allah], and cut it with whatever you wish to cut it with, and draw out its blood.”