Abu Dawud

1؎: Ḍabb: The ḍabb is a reptile similar to a lizard, also called "sousmar" (monitor lizard) and "sanda" is also a type of ḍabb, whose oil is extracted and used for arthritis pain or as an ointment. This animal is abundant in the region of Najd; due to its absence in Hijaz, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not eat it, but it was eaten at his table, and thus it is lawful (halal). The animal that the Companions radi Allahu anhum ate at the table of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is called ḍabb in Arabic, and the hadith itself clarifies that it is an animal found in the region of Najd, which is undoubtedly halal. According to the Hanafi school and the Imami sect among the Shia, eating the meat of the ḍabb is forbidden (haram), and among the Zaydi sect it is considered disliked (makruh), but the correct opinion is that it is lawful (halal).

The animal found in the region of Najd differs in many respects from the ḍabb or sanda found in the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh):

- The animal called ḍabb is found in the Arabian desert, whereas the ḍabb or sanda found in India is generally found in agricultural and watery areas.
- The Najdi ḍabb does not drink water and can remain in its burrow for a long time without eating; sometimes, after a long period of patience, it even eats its own young. In contrast, the subcontinental ḍabb is found on the banks of water and drinks plenty of water.
- The Najdi ḍabb is a noble and simple-minded animal, easily hunted, whereas catching the Indian ḍabb is extremely difficult.
- The claws of the Najdi ḍabb are soft like a human palm, whereas the claws and tail of the Indian ḍabb are extremely hard, and its nails are so tough that if it grabs something, it is very difficult to make it let go. In earlier times, it was famous that thieves would tie a rope to its tail and let it climb up the back of a house; the animal would cling firmly to the parapet with its claws, and the thief would climb up using the rope tied to its tail and commit theft. The tail of the Najdi ḍabb does not have such strength.
- The Indian ḍabb sticks out its tongue and hisses like a snake, whereas the Najdi ḍabb does not do this.
- The Indian ḍabb is a foul-smelling animal, and a very unpleasant odor emanates from it, whereas the Najdi ḍabb does not have this characteristic. The reason is that the Indian ḍabb eats filth and insects, whereas the Najdi ḍabb is famous for eating insects, especially locusts, but in the desert, filth is practically non-existent, and if it does exist, it is minimal and rare. It also eats the herbs found in the desert.
- The skin of the Najdi ḍabb was cooked by the Arabs and used as a container for storing ghee, which they called "ḍabbah," whereas such use of the Indian ḍabb's skin has never been heard of, because it is foul-smelling.
- The animal called ḍabb in Najd lives in its self-made, winding, and crooked burrows (holes) in such a way that no animal can reach it. That is why, in the noble hadith, the expression of the Ummah of Muhammad entering the burrow of the ḍabb is found, which indicates the Prophet's sallallahu alayhi wa sallam perfect subtlety and eloquence. The Ummah of Muhammad, following the footsteps of previous nations, will fall into various misguidances and deviations, to the extent that if the previous nations could go to such an extent in their misguidance that it is difficult to reach, the Ummah of Muhammad will also do so. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam expressed this by saying that if the previous nations entered the burrow of a ḍabb in their misguidance, the people of the Ummah of Muhammad will also take such a crooked path. This hadith indicates the complexity of the ḍabb's dwelling, i.e., its burrow, and those familiar with the Najd desert, especially those who hunt the ḍabb, know this well. To extract the ḍabb from its burrow, water is used, and as soon as the water reaches it, it comes out of its burrow, whereas the Indian ḍabb lives in other animals' homes, i.e., various holes, burrows, and old tree hollows.

What is the difference between ḍabb and waral? In the Arabian desert, there is an animal similar to the ḍabb but larger, found in sand and desert, called "waral." In Taj al-‘Arus it is stated: Waral is a reptile like the ḍabb, created in the form of the ḍabb, except that it is larger, found in sand and desert, a large lizard-shaped animal with a long tail and a small head. Azhari says: "Waral is a well-built animal with a long tail, as if its tail is like that of a snake; sometimes its tail is more than two cubits long, and the ḍabb's tail is knotted and at most one span long. The Arabs consider the waral filthy and detest it, so they do not eat it. As for the ḍabb, the Arabs are eager and fond of hunting and eating it. The ḍabb's tail is rough, hard, and knotted, its color is greenish-yellow, and the ḍabb itself is dusky blackish, and when it becomes fat, its chest turns yellow. It eats only locusts, small insects, and green grass, and does not eat poisonous creatures like snakes, etc. The waral eats scorpions, snakes, chameleons, and monitor lizards. The meat of the waral is very hot, an antidote, and greatly increases body mass, which is why women use it, and its dung (used as kohl) sharpens eyesight, and massaging with its fat increases the size of the male organ (see: Taj al-‘Arus: entry waral, and Lisan al-‘Arab). Due to the above differences, there is a clear distinction between the Najdi ḍabb and waral and the animal found in India called ḍabb or sanda. Nevertheless, eating the Najdi ḍabb is, according to the Prophetic hadiths and the custom of the Muslims of that region, lawful, and there is no objection or dislike in it. As for the issue of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the Indian ḍabb, it should be decided in light of the above differences. If the Indian ḍabb eats filth and, due to this, its meat or body emits a foul odor, this is something for the scholars to consider. When the meat of cows, goats, and chickens is affected by eating filth, their consumption is prohibited; this is called "jallalah" in technical terms. Thus, any animal that eats filth, whether ḍabb or otherwise, will also be unlawful. However, the ḍabb found in the deserts of the subcontinent will have the same ruling as the Najdi ḍabb.

Regarding ḍabb and waral, I asked my friend Dr. Muhammad Ahmad al-Manea, Professor at King Saud University, Riyadh, who teaches in the College of Agriculture and Food and is familiar with the animals of the Najd desert, and he wrote the following summary:

The animal called Najdi ḍabb is eaten, and waral is not eaten. The ḍabb is easily hunted, while hunting the waral is difficult. The ḍabb eats grass, and the waral eats meat. The ḍabb is not a predatory animal, whereas the waral is predatory. The ḍabb has only one color, and the waral is striped. The ḍabb's skin is rough, and the waral's skin is soft. The ḍabb's head is broad, and the waral's head is tail-like. The ḍabb's neck is short, and the waral's neck is long. The ḍabb's tail is short, and the waral's tail is long. The ḍabb is rough and spiny, and the waral is soft. The ḍabb defends itself with its tail, and the waral also defends itself with its tail and hunts with it. The ḍabb does not eat meat at all, and the waral eats ḍabb and chameleons. The ḍabb is a fast animal, and the waral is even faster. The ḍabb does not have the quality of attacking, whereas the waral does; it bites with its teeth and attacks with its tail and hands. The ḍabb, when necessary, defends itself by biting, scratching with its hands, or striking with its tail, and the waral does the same. The ḍabb does not have canine teeth, and the waral does. The ḍabb is halal, and the waral is haram. It is also said about the waral that it is a poisonous animal.

The purpose of this detailed explanation regarding the Arabian ḍabb, waral, and the Indian ḍabb or sanda is only to clarify the correct situation regarding this animal. In the Hanafi school, the sacrifice of a buffalo is permissible, and according to other jurists as well, its sacrifice is permissible on the basis that it is a type of cow, whereas it is well-known and observed that a cow does not go into water, while the buffalo is an animal that loves water and mud, and when it enters a pond, it is difficult to get it out. If the jurists have permitted the sacrifice of a buffalo by analogy with the cow, then, similarly, without considering some differences between the two types of ḍabb, the animals of this genus should be considered lawful. The scholars should consider this issue in the light of the Shari‘ah texts, moving away from narrow legalism, and should properly understand the perspective of the practitioners of hadith. There are many types of ḍabb, and it is possible that many things are common among them, such as its usefulness for sexual potency, the medicinal benefits of its fat, etc.

Hakim Muzaffar Husain Awan writes about the ḍabb: It is a wild animal like a mongoose, with a hard and short tail, and its size is equal to that of a cat. Its grip with its claws is so strong that it clings to a wall. Its color is yellowish-black, temperament hot and dry in the third degree... Shoes are made from its skin. (Kitab al-Mufradat: 427). It is clear that this is the description of the animal found in the subcontinent.

One type of ḍabb is the sanda, about which Hakim Muzaffar Husain Awan writes: It is a well-known animal, resembling a chameleon or squirrel but larger than them. Its fat and oil are used as medicine. Its temperament is hot and moist in the first degree. Its actions and uses are as a tonic, absorber of moisture, enhancer of the male organ, and aphrodisiac. (Kitab al-Mufradat: page 275)