Written by: Muhammad Zubair Sadiqabadi
Āl-e-Deoband and the Crow
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (رضي الله عنهما):
“أن رسول الله صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم قال: ((خمس من الدواب من قتلهن وهو محرم فلا جناح عليه : العقرب والفأرة والكلب العقور والغراب والحدأة.))”
Undoubtedly, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
There are five harmful creatures which may be killed even in the state of Ihram, and there is no sin upon doing so:
① The scorpion
② The mouse
③ The biting dog
④ The crow
⑤ The kite (bird of prey)
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 1/246, Sahih Muslim 1/381
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (رضي الله عنهما) further said:
“مــن يــأكـل الـغـراب؟ وقد سماه رسول الله صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم فاسقا، والله ! ما هو من الطيبات.”
Who would eat a crow?
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has declared it a fāsiq (corrupt creature). By Allah! It is not from the pure (halal) animals.
Reference: al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi 9/317, Ibn Majah: 3248
It is narrated from Umm al-Mu’minīn Sayyidah A’ishah (رضي الله عنها):
“عن النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم قال: ((خمس فواسق يقتلن في الحرام الفأرة والعقرب والحدأة والغراب والكلب العقور.))”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
There are five wicked animals that may be killed even during the state of Ihram: the mouse, the scorpion, the kite, the crow, and the biting dog.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 246, 467; Sahih Muslim: 381; Tafhim al-Bukhari 1/838
Sayyidah A’ishah Siddiqa (رضي الله عنها) stated:
“أني لا عـجـب مــن يــأكـل الغراب؟ و قد أذن رسول الله في قتله للمحرم وسماه فاسقا و الله ! ما لهو من الطيبات.”
I am astonished at the person who eats crow,
while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ allowed it to be killed even in the state of Ihram and declared it a fāsiq. By Allah! It is not among the pure (halal) creatures.
Reference: al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi 9/317
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq’s grandson, Imam Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abi Bakr (رحمه الله), said:
“من يأكله بعد قول رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : فاسقا”
Who would eat the crow after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ described it as fāsiq?
Reference: Ibn Majah, p. 241, Hadith 3249
However…
Despite these narrations, the so-called “Imam Rabbani” of Āl-e-Deoband, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Deobandi, wrote the following in response to a question:
Eating Crow is Halal
Question:
In a place where the known crow (zāgh maʿrūfah) is commonly considered haram and those who eat it are criticized, would a person who eats it there receive any reward, or neither reward nor punishment?
Answer:
He will be rewarded.
Reference: Fatawa Rashidiyyah, p. 637, Maktabah Rahmaniyyah, Ghazni Street, Urdu Bazar, Lahore; Taalifaat-e-Rashidiyyah, p. 489
Note of Caution:
Among the general public of Silanwali (District Sargodha), it is widely circulated that the Deobandis of Silanwali once cooked and ate a pot of crow meat.
A humble request to Āl-e-Deoband:
Please clarify the correct reality of this story!
