Those Who Say It Is Permissible to Slaughter with Anything That Causes Blood to Flow Except Nail and Bone

My father, the grandfather of Ubaiyah bin Rafa’ah narrates: I said, O Messenger of Allah! Tomorrow we will encounter the enemy and we do not have any knife or similar tool. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Sacrifice it and quickly drain its life. Whatever causes blood to flow, and Allah's name was mentioned at the time of causing blood to flow, then eat it. Except that you do not use teeth or nails. I will inform you about this: the tooth is a bone and the nail is the knife of the Abyssinians.

Hazrat Abu Idris narrates that some birds were brought to Hazrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), and he slaughtered them with a bamboo sliver.

Hazrat Musayyib bin Rafi was asked about slaughtering with a sharp stone or bamboo peel, so he said that there is no harm in it; eat the animal slaughtered with anything that cuts the veins, except for bone and nail.

Ibrahim and Hazrat Sha'bi say that there is no harm in slaughtering with bamboo bark or with bamboo.

Hazrat Abu Sha’sha’ was asked about the tool used for slaughtering an animal, so he said that it is permissible to slaughter with anything that cuts the veins.

Hasan says: Eat every slaughtered animal that causes blood to flow, except for teeth, nails, and bones.

Hazrat Ja'far bin Maimoon says that every thing which lets blood flow and cuts the veins makes the slaughtered animal lawful. However, the predecessors considered slaughtering with teeth and nails to be disliked, and they called them the knives of the Abyssinians.

Hazrat Zuhri says that it is permissible to slaughter with any sharp-edged iron or sharp-edged stone. Anything that cuts the veins or causes blood to flow—eat the animal slaughtered with anything except the nail and the tooth.

Hazrat Abu Raja says that we were traveling a long distance in a thorny land when one of our companions caught a rabbit. Finding nothing to slaughter it with, he slaughtered it with his fingernail, then roasted it in the hot sand and ate it. I refused to eat that rabbit. Later, I mentioned this to Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them), and he said, "You did well by not eating it, because it was killed by strangulation."

Ibrahim says that slaughter should not be done with teeth, bone, nail, or horn.

Hazrat Adi bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about an animal slaughtered with a sharp stone or the edge of a stick, and he granted permission for it.

It is narrated from Hazrat Rafi' bin Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him) that I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about an animal slaughtered with a sharpened bamboo, so he said: "Other than teeth and nails, anything that cuts the veins is permissible for slaughter."

Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) was asked that if a person does not find a knife and slaughters with the edge of bamboo, what is the ruling on this? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that if it cuts the veins like a knife and the person who is slaughtering has taken the name of Allah, then eat it; and if the veins are not cut and the animal dies, then do not eat it. I asked him about an animal slaughtered with a sharp stone in the case when a knife is not available, so he said that if it cuts the veins, then eat it; and if it cannot cut the veins and the animal dies, then do not eat it.

Hazrat Muhammad bin Saifi narrates that I presented two rabbits to the service of the Prophet (PBUH), which I had slaughtered with a sharp stone. He instructed me to eat those rabbits.

It is narrated similarly through another chain.

Hazrat Ubaid bin Umair says that an animal can be slaughtered with its stone, its iron, its wood, and its bone.

Hazrat Yahya bin Ya'mar says that eat what is slaughtered with something that causes a wound, and do not eat what is slaughtered with something that only causes a slight tear. Eat what is slaughtered with anything that cuts people, whether it is the edge of bamboo or the tip of a stone.

Hazrat Tawus says that slaughter (the animal) with a stone, a bamboo blade, or any sharp-edged tool in such a way that it cuts (the throat).

Ibrahim narrates that a Bedouin came to Hazrat Aswad and asked, "Can I perform slaughter with a sharp stone?" Hazrat Aswad replied, "No." When he left, I asked, "Is it not permissible to slaughter with a sharp stone?" He replied, "This person wanted to brand his camel, and when it died, he would say that he had slaughtered it."

Hazrat Ata says that when you slaughter (an animal) with a piece of wood or a sharp stone and cut the veins, then there is no harm in it.

Hazrat Salamah bin Bishr says that I asked Hazrat Ikrimah whether it is permissible to slaughter with a sharp stone. He replied that if it has a sharp edge and severs the veins, then eat (the meat).

Hazrat Sha'bi says that eat the slaughter (meat) done with a sharp stone.

Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that if you find nothing except a sharp stone, then perform the slaughter with that.

Hazrat Sha'bi says that eat the animal slaughtered with a sharp-edged tool, a pointed stone, a bamboo blade, wood, or anything that cuts the veins and lets the blood flow. However, slaughtering with a tooth, bone, or nail is disliked.

Hazrat Ata bin Yasar narrates that a slave of Banu Haritha was grazing his pregnant she-camel near Mount Uhud. The she-camel suddenly began to die, and he had nothing with which to slaughter her. He picked up a peg used for tying and slaughtered her with it. Then he asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about this matter, and the Prophet (ﷺ) instructed him to eat it.

Hazrat Abu Talha narrates that I was sitting with Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) when a villager came and said that I was grazing my herd of goats when a wolf came and attacked one of the goats. The wolf completely exhausted the goat and tore out its entrails. I broke a stone and made it like a knife, and with it I slaughtered the goat. Its blood also flowed and its veins were cut. Now tell me, what is the ruling regarding this goat? Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said: Whatever part fell to the ground, throw it away, and eat the rest.

Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Make every effort to slaughter with a spear or an arrow.

Hazrat Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that his black slave-girl slaughtered a goat with a sharp stone. This matter was asked about from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he instructed that it was permissible to eat from it.

Hazrat Ibn Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) says that apart from teeth and nails, eat whatever cuts the veins.

Muhammad was asked about an animal slaughtered with a wooden object, so he said: "Eat whatever cuts the veins."

Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) says that slaughtering is cutting the throat and the jugular vein.

Hazrat Dawood bin Abi Asim narrates that a camel became unruly at a water place. People asked Hazrat Saeed bin Musayyib about this, so he replied that there is no place of slaughter except the place of slaughter of Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him).

Hazrat Ata says that there is no slaughter (nahr) except at the place of sacrifice (manhar) and the slaughterhouse (madhbah).

Hazrat Ibn Frafasa says that Hazrat Frafasa was with Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered his announcer to proclaim among the people that slaughtering at the jugular vein and throat is for the one who has the ability to do so. Leave the animal's body until the soul departs.

Hazrat Ibn Abi Najeeh narrates that a man slaughtered a goat from the nape side, so Hazrat Ata declared eating it as disliked (makrooh).