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Hadith 4219

حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا ، قَالَ : " نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَوْمَ خَيْبَرَ عَنْ لُحُومِ الْحُمُرِ الْأَهْلِيَّةِ ، وَرَخَّصَ فِي الْخَيْلِ " .
Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah: On the day of Khaibar, Allah's Apostle forbade the eating of donkey meat and allowed the eating of horse meat.
Hadith Reference صحيح البخاري / كتاب المغازي / 4219
Hadith Grading محدثین: أحاديث صحيح البخاريّ كلّها صحيحة
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
Imam Shafi'i rahimahullah has also, based on this hadith, declared the meat of the horse to be lawful (halal).
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 4219
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:

In the narration of Jabir (radi Allahu anhu), the donkeys referred to are domestic and tamed donkeys.
This prohibition is absolute and permanent; however, the wild donkey, which is called "himar wahshi" (onager), is not included in this hadith.
It is extremely agile and swift, and it does not eat filth, therefore its consumption is still permissible, and there is consensus among all scholars regarding its permissibility.

In this hadith, the permissibility of the horse is mentioned; without doubt, the horse is a lawful animal.
Despite this clear text, some jurists have declared it unlawful.
Asma (radi Allahu anha) states that during the blessed era of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), we slaughtered a horse and ate its meat.
(Sharh Sahih Muslim by al-Nawawi: 9/255, 259)
In any case, the horse is lawful; if someone does not wish to eat it, they may abstain, but they should not issue a fatwa declaring it unlawful.
We will explain this matter in detail in the upcoming Book of Foods (Kitab al-At'imah), inshaAllah ta'ala.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 4219
Shaykh Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi
Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: Just as there are emphasized Sunnah (sunna mu’akkadah) or voluntary (nafl) prayers between the call to prayer (adhan) and the commencement (iqamah) in all four prayers except Maghrib, in the same way, there are also two units (rak‘ah) of voluntary prayer before the Maghrib prayer.
Source: Tuhfat al-Muslim: Commentary on Sahih Muslim, Page: 1941
Shaykh Safi ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri
Takhrij:
«أخرجه البخاري، المغازي، باب غزوة خيبر، حديث:4219، ومسلم، الصيد والذبائح، باب إباحة أكل لحم الخيل، حديث:1941.»©Explanation:
➊ From this hadith, it is understood that on the day of Khaybar, the consumption of the meat of domestic donkeys was declared haram (forbidden).
Before this, it was permitted.
Thus, it appears that the rulings were implemented gradually.
➋ The reason for its prohibition, as also mentioned in al-Bukhari, is that it is an impure and filthy animal.
The majority of scholars, including the Companions and the Followers (Tabi‘in), have adopted this view.
➌ It is also understood from this that the meat of horses is halal (permissible).
➍ The use of the words “permission” and “concession” was likely because, due to the scarcity of horses, it was initially considered disliked (makruh tanzihi) as a precaution, and then permission was granted.
Zayd ibn ‘Ali, Imam al-Shafi‘i, and the distinguished students of Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah—Abu Yusuf and Muhammad—as well as Imam Ahmad, Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, and all the scholars among the early and later generations (salaf and khalaf) rahimahumullah, are of the opinion that it is lawful. However, according to Imam Malik and Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahuma Allah, the meat of horses is haram.
But this and other ahadith on the same subject are explicitly contrary to their view.
Source: Bulugh al-Maram: Commentary by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Page: 1136