Reports on eating the dabb lizard

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Hasanah (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: I was with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on a journey. We came upon some dabb lizards, and the pots began to boil (with the lizards). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What is this?" We replied: "We came upon some dabb lizards." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Some people of the Children of Israel were transformed, and I fear that this may be them." The narrator said: So we overturned the pots, while we were severely hungry.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both); he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the dabb lizard while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was on the pulpit, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I neither eat the dabb lizard nor declare it unlawful."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: A man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: We live in a land where dabb lizards are plentiful. So what do you command me? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Some people of the Children of Israel were transformed into animals, and I do not know into which animals they were transformed." So he (peace and blessings be upon him) neither commanded him to eat it nor forbade him the dabb lizard.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Thabit bin Wadi'ah (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: A dabb lizard was brought to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A nation was transformed." And Allah knows best.

Al-Aswad narrates from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that a dabb lizard was given as a gift to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not eat from it. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), should I not feed it to the beggars? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not feed the beggars what you do not eat yourself."

It is narrated from Sayyidah Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); she said: A dabb lizard was given to us as a gift, and I prepared it. Then two men of her people came to Sayyidah Maymunah, and Sayyidah Maymunah presented it to them as a gift. Meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came in while these two were eating (it). He (peace and blessings be upon him) placed his blessed hand on it, then lifted it and said: "What is this?" She said: A dabb lizard that was given to me as a gift, and I prepared it. So he put it down. Thereupon the two men went to put down what was in their hands, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them both: "Eat, for you two are people of Najd; you eat it. But we are people of Madinah; we find it repugnant."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: A Bedouin came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering a sermon. He interrupted his sermon and asked: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What do you (peace and blessings be upon him) say about the dabb lizard? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A group of the Children of Israel was transformed, and I do not know into which animal it was transformed."

It is narrated from Yazid bin al-Asamm; he said: We were invited to a wedding feast in Madinah, and thirteen dabb lizards were served to us. Some people ate them and some did not. The next day I met Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and told him about this. Many people were around Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), and some of them said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I neither eat it nor forbid it; I neither declare it lawful nor declare it unlawful." At this Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: You have spoken badly. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent precisely as one who declares things lawful and unlawful. Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was with Sayyidah Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her), and with him (peace and blessings be upon him) were Sayyiduna al-Fadl bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), Sayyiduna Khalid bin al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) and another woman. A dining spread with meat on it was brought towards him (peace and blessings be upon him). When he (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to eat (from it), Sayyidah Maymunah said to him (peace and blessings be upon him): This is the meat of a dabb lizard. At this he (peace and blessings be upon him) withheld his hand and said: "This is meat that I have never eaten." And he said to the people: "Eat." So Sayyiduna al-Fadl bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), Sayyiduna Khalid bin al-Walid and that woman ate (from it). And Sayyidah Maymunah said: I will eat only that which he (peace and blessings be upon him) eats.

It is narrated from al-Zibriqan; he said: A roasted dabb lizard was given as a gift to Shaqiq bin Salamah, and I also ate from it.

It is narrated from Ibrahim; he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out on a journey, and during it the Companions were struck by severe hunger. A man came to him (peace and blessings be upon him) with many dabb lizards, and he gave those lizards to him (peace and blessings be upon him) as a gift. He (peace and blessings be upon him) looked at them and said: "A section of the Children of Israel was transformed into animals of the earth." So he (peace and blessings be upon him) neither ate them himself nor did he (peace and blessings be upon him) forbid them.

It is narrated from Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Layla that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) noticed the smell of a dabb lizard, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted the people to eat it.

It is narrated from Ziyad bin Ilaqah that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) saw a man with a fine physique. He asked him, or the man told him, and said: This physique is because of the dabb lizard. At this Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I would like there to be two dabb lizards in every dabb lizard's hole.

Hisham narrates from his father; he said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the dabb lizard, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I neither eat it nor declare it unlawful."

It is narrated from Abu Nadrah; he said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Allah Almighty gives benefit through the dabb lizard. It is the food of common shepherds, and if it were available to me I too would eat it.

It is narrated from Sa'd bin Ma'bad; he said: In a year of famine Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) saw a fat man of the tribe of Muharib and asked: What is your food? He said: Dabb lizards. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: It would be dear to me if there were two dabb lizards in every dabb lizard's hole.

It is narrated from Sa'id bin al-Musayyib that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A dabb lizard is dearer to me than a chicken.

It is narrated from al-Sha'bi; he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the dabb lizard, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is lawful; there is no harm in it. But I find it repugnant."

Abu al-Minhal narrates from his uncle; he said: I asked Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) about the dabb lizard, and he replied: I neither eat it nor forbid it.

It is narrated from Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Layla that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) noticed the smell of a dabb lizard, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I," or he said: "We belong to a people who do not eat it." And he (peace and blessings be upon him) granted the people permission for it.

It is narrated from Abd al-A'la; he said: I asked Ibn al-Hanafiyyah about the dabb lizard, and he said: If you like it, then eat it.

Al-Harith narrates about Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he used to dislike the dabb lizard.

It is narrated from Ismah bin Rib'i; he said: We came to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). We were some plump people whose condition was very good. He said: Sayyiduna Umar asked: What is your food? We said: Lizard (dabb). The narrator said: At this Sayyiduna Umar said: Does it suffice you? We said: Yes! At this he said: I would love that with every lizard there were another like it.