The Brave Girl (Hadith No. 1996)

Bismillah.

Hadith no. 1995 (below) is a repeat. Read it here.

Volume 3, Book 38, Number 499 :
Narrated by Abu Said Al-Khudri and Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhumaa)
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) employed someone as a governor at Khaibar. When the man came to Medina, he brought with him dates called Janib. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) asked him, “Are all the dates of Khaibar of this kind?” The man replied, “(No), we exchange two Sa’s of bad dates for one Sa of this kind of dates (i.e. Janib), or exchange three Sa’s for two.” On that, the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Don’t do so, as it is a kind of usury (Riba) but sell the dates of inferior quality for money, and then buy Janib with the money”. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said the same thing about dates sold by weight.

Today’s Hadith:

Volume 3, Book 38, Number 500 :
Narrated by Ibn Ka’b bin Malik from his father (radiallaahu `anhu)
We had some sheep which used to graze at Sal’ (a mountain in Madinah). One of our slave-girls saw a sheep dying and she broke a stone and slaughtered the sheep with it. My father said to the people, “Don’t eat it till I ask the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) about it (or till I send somebody to ask the Prophet).” So, he asked or sent somebody to ask the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam), and the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) permitted him to eat it. ‘Ubaidullah (a sub-narrator) said, “I admire that girl, for though she was a slave-girl, she dared to slaughter the sheep. “

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al‑Maitah (the dead animals — cattle — beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which Allaah’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering (that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah, or has been slaughtered for idols) and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns — and that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal — unless you are able to slaughter it (before its death).”

[al-Maa’idah 5:3] 

Ibn Katheer said:  

The phrase “unless you are able to slaughter it” refers to that which you are able to reach and slaughter in the proper manner when there is still evidently life in it. That refers to the phrase, “that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns — and that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal”. 

Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 2/11, 12

This shows that as long as one is able to slaughter the animal before it dies, it is permissible to eat from it. More on the etiquette of slaughtering animals here.

As for the brave girl who slaughtered the dying sheep, I admire her too! In fact, I admire all the women, including my mom, who are able to slaughter their sacrificial animals on Eid or otherwise. It takes guts to do it! Some women can’t even watch an animal being slaughtered let alone doing it themselves. SubhanAllah! May Allah give us (the scared lot) more courage. :)

Commenting on this hadeeth, Ibn Hijr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

“This shows that it is permitted to eat meat slaughtered by a woman, whether she is free or a slave, old or young, Muslim or of the People of the Book (i.e., Jewish or Christian), in a state of purity or otherwise, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told them to eat the meat she had slaughtered and did not ask for further details.”

This hadeeth also answers the question about whether any of the Sahaabiyaat (female Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) slaughtered animals.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

“It is permitted to eat from an animal which a man or a woman slaughters Islamically before it dies, or from meat slaughtered by a woman, even if she is menstruating, because her menstruation is not in her hand. It is permissible to eat meat from an animal which a woman slaughters Islamically before it dies, by the consensus of the Muslims.” (Al-Fataawa, 35/234).

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