On Cheese and Those Who Eat It

Hazrat Abu Hamza narrates that I heard Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) being asked about cheese. He replied: Put a knife in it, take the name of Allah, and eat.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Hayyan Azdi, he says that I asked Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) about cheese, so he replied: Among the items coming from Iraq, there is nothing more beloved to us than this.

It is narrated from Hazrat Qarta. He says that Hazrat Umar said: "You should eat cheese, for it is curd and milk."

Hazrat Tamlik narrates: She says that I asked Hazrat Umm Salamah. So she said: Put your knife in it, take the name of Allah the Exalted, and eat.

People narrate from Ibn al-Hanafiyyah that you should eat cheese from the side.

Hazrat Rabee'ah narrates from her maternal aunt that she said: Cheese came to us from Iraq, so I sent it to Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). She said: You eat it yourself and also feed it to me.

It is narrated from Ibrahim, he says that Hazrat Umar wrote in a letter: Take the name of Allah over cheese and eat it. Ibrahim says that when we traveled towards these mountains, whatever we saw among the products of the non-Arabs, we disliked it—except that we would ask about it.

26004 - Ibrahim said: When we traveled to these mountains, we saw from the actions of the non-Arabs what we saw, and we disliked it, except that we should ask about it.

It is narrated from Hazrat Qais bin Sakan, he says that Hazrat Abdullah said: Eat only that cheese which is prepared by a Muslim or the People of the Book.

It is narrated from Hazrat Suwaid... he was a servant of Hazrat Salman and used to praise him well... He says that when we conquered Mada'in, people went out in search of the enemy... During this time, we found a basket. Seeing it, Hazrat Salman said that if there is food in it, we will eat it, if it is wealth, we will return it to them. When we opened it, there were some special kinds of breads, cheese, and a knife in it. These things were seen by the Arabs for the first time. Hazrat Salman told the people how these are made, then he cut it with the knife and said, "Eat in the name of Allah."

It is narrated from Hasan and Hazrat Ibn Sirin, both of whom say that there is no harm in the cheese made by the People of the Book.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abdul Malik, he says that I asked Hazrat Saeed bin Jubair about cheese? So he replied: Whatever is prepared by Muslims and the People of the Book (is lawful).

It is narrated from Hazrat Abdul Malik, he says that I heard Hazrat Saeed bin Jubair say: You should only eat cheese that is prepared by a Muslim, Jew, or Christian. As for the Magians, their slaughtered animals are not lawful for us, so how can their cheese be lawful for us?

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Wa'il and Ibrahim, both of whom say that when the Muslims arrived, they found among the foods of the Magians their breads and their cheese mixed together. All of them ate it, and they did not inquire about it. When cheese was mentioned in the presence of Hazrat Umar, he said: Take the name of Allah over it and eat it.

26011 - (He said) (1): Cheese was described to Umar, so he said: Mention the name of Allah over it and eat it (2).

It is narrated from Ibrahim, he says that when we came to the mountainous region and saw their (the mountains') products, we disliked them.

It is narrated from Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he says that when you do not know who has prepared the cheese, then take the name of Allah over it and eat it.

It is narrated from Hazrat Amr bin Shurahbeel, he says: We mentioned cheese in the presence of Hazrat Umar and said to him, "It is prepared in such a way that parts of a dead animal are mixed in it." So Hazrat Umar said, "Take the name of Allah over it and eat it."

It is narrated about Hazrat Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was asked about cheese, so he said: There is no harm in it. Place a knife on it, mention the name of Allah over it, and eat it.

Hazrat Amr bin Uthman narrates about Hazrat Musa bin Talha, he says that I heard Musa saying that Hazrat Talha would place a knife (on cheese), recite the name of Allah, and cut and eat the cheese.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Razin that he said: There is no harm in cheese.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Bakr bin Abdur Rahman bin Harith, he says that people used to take cheese as provision for their journeys.

It is narrated from Hazrat Sha'bi, he says that on the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk, cheese was brought to the service of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and it was said to him: "This is the food prepared by the Magians." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Take the name of Allah over it and eat it."

Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates about Hazrat Salim that he used to eat Kufi cheese.

Hazrat Naushjan Abu Mughira narrates, he says that I asked Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) about cheese. He replied: No fruit comes to us from the land of Iraq that we like more than this.

It is narrated from Hazrat Saeed bin Ubaidah. He says that a man asked Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) about cheese. So Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) asked him, "What is cheese?" He said, "It is made from milk." Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said to him, "Eat cheese and drink (from it) as well." The man said, "It also contains carrion." Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said to him, "Do not eat carrion."