CHAPTER 36 – Someone Forced to Eat Dead Animal
Jabir ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
A man arrived at Hara, a place near Medina, accompanied by his wife and child. Someone said to him, "My camel has strayed; if you find it, catch it." The man found the camel but could not locate its owner. The camel became ill, and the man’s wife said, “Slaughter it.” He hesitated to slaughter someone else's camel. Then the camel died. His wife said, "Let us skin it, render its fat into ghee, and grind its meat into mince so we can eat it." His son said, "I will ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about this.”
He came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked whether he could eat the meat of the dead camel. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, “Do you have the means to satisfy your need so that you do not require it?” He said, "No."
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) then commanded, “Eat it.” It was said that the owner of the camel arrived and the one who had eaten its meat narrated the incident to him. The owner of the camel said, "Why didn't you slaughter it?" He replied, "I feared to slaughter someone else’s camel."
It is narrated from Fudayl ibn ‘Amir, may Allah be pleased with him, that he came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and said: “O Messenger of Allah, what of dead animals is permissible for us?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, asked, "What is your sustenance?" We replied, "We drink a cup of milk in the evening and then sleep." Abu Nuaym said: Ukba explained to me that the word “*iğtibak*” mentioned in the text refers to drinking a cup of milk in the morning, and the word "*istibah*" refers to drinking a cup of milk in the evening. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then said: "By Allah, this (a cup of milk) is sustenance, for it removes hunger," and he permitted them dead animal meat.
Abu Dawud said: *Gabuk* is that which is eaten at the end of the day. *Sabuh* is that which is eaten at the beginning of the day. [448]
COMMENTARY
The flesh of dead animals is definitively forbidden. However, those in a state of dire need are permitted to eat as much as will prevent death. This is according to the Hanafi school of thought. According to the Shafi’i and Maliki schools of thought, it is permissible to eat as much as will provide nourishment. (Bezl-ül-Mechûd, vol. 16, p. 145)