Fath al-Rabbani

Sayyiduna ‘Adi bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I said, “O Messenger of Allah! We are people who hunt, so give us guidance regarding this.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When any of you throws his arrow at the game, let him say ‘Bismillah’. If the arrow strikes the game and kills it, then eat it. But if the game is wounded and falls into water and dies there, then do not eat it, for it may have died by drowning in the water. And if the arrow strikes the game and you find it after one or two days, and there is no mark on it except your arrow, then if you wish, you may eat it. And when you send your dog after the game, say ‘Bismillah’ at the time of sending it. If the dog kills the game, then eat it. But if the dog eats from the game, then do not eat it, for the dog has caught it for itself, not for the hunter. If you send your dog for hunting and other dogs join it, and you did not say ‘Bismillah’ when sending them, then do not eat it, for you do not know which of them killed the game.

Sayyiduna ‘Adi (may Allah be pleased with him) also narrates that I asked the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about the ruling regarding game that dies due to being struck by the thick middle part of an arrow. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If the arrow strikes the game from the sharp side, then eat it; and if it strikes from the thick side, it is like an animal killed with a stick, and it is not permissible to eat it. I asked about hunting with a dog. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When you send your dog for hunting and you have mentioned the name of Allah over it, if the dog catches the game, then eat it. But if you find another dog along with your dog, and you fear that perhaps the other dog killed it, then do not eat the game, because you recited Bismillah over your dog, but not over the other dog.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna ‘Adi bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I said, “O Messenger of Allah! My father Hatim Tai used to maintain ties of kinship and do good deeds?” But you (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Indeed, your father attained what he intended by his actions.” By this, you (peace and blessings be upon him) meant fame and show. I said, “O Messenger of Allah! I shoot arrows, but sometimes I have only a stone or a stick to slaughter the game.” You (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Recite ‘Bismillah’ and let blood flow from the game (i.e., use an instrument that causes blood to flow).” I said, “There are some foods that I avoid only out of fear of falling into sin?” You (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Do not avoid the food whose avoidance would resemble the ways of Christianity.”