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Hadith 2051
اُردوEn
أَخْبَرَنَا زَكَرِيَّا بْنُ عَدِيٍّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو يَعْنِي: ابْنَ دِينَارٍ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ: "بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي ثَلَاثِ مِئَةٍ، فَأَصَابَنَا جُوعٌ حَتَّى أَتَيْنَا الْبَحْرَ وَقَدْ قَذَفَ دَابَّةً، فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهَا حَتَّى ثَابَتْ أَجْسَامُنَا، فَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ ضِلْعًا مِنْ أَضْلَاعِهَا فَوَضَعَهُ، ثُمَّ حَمَلَ أَطْوَلَ رَجُلٍ فِي الْجَيْشِ عَلَى أَعْظَمِ بَعِيرٍ فِي الْجَيْشِ فَمَرَّ تَحْتَهُ، هَذَا مَعْنَاهُ".
Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent us with an army of three hundred, and hunger overtook us (i.e., our provisions ran out). We reached the sea, and suddenly it threw out a huge creature, which we ate well and our bodies became fat. Sayyiduna Abu Ubaidah (may Allah be pleased with him) (the commander of the army) stood up one of its ribs, and the tallest man of the army was made to sit on the largest camel, and he passed underneath it.
Brief Explanation
(Commentary on Hadith 2050)
Most likely, this was a whale, which sometimes reaches a length of eighty to one hundred feet, and is among the wondrous creatures of Allah’s signs. In Sahih al-Bukhari (5492), it is mentioned that it was an ambergris fish (an amber whale). For eighteen days, only three hundred people subsisted solely on this fish—this was purely a hidden support from Allah. This incident took place in Rajab, 8 AH, which Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned in detail at several places.
The purpose of mentioning this hadith here by Imam al-Darimi rahimahullah is to show that it is permissible to eat fish even if it is dead, provided it did not die from disease and is not decayed or rotten, because such fish are harmful to human health.
In some narrations of Sahih al-Bukhari, it is mentioned that the noble Companions radi Allahu anhum were hesitant about eating this dead fish, and when they returned to Madinah Munawwarah, they mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “If any of it remains, bring it (so that we may eat as well).” With this affirmation and approval, all the members of the army were reassured.
Imam Nawawi rahimahullah said: All dead creatures of the sea are permissible, whether they die naturally or are killed by hunting. There is a difference of opinion regarding the frog. Some scholars have also declared it lawful.
Regarding the other animals of the sea, there are three opinions: First, that all animals of the sea are lawful. Second, that nothing except fish is lawful. Third, that those sea creatures which resemble land animals that are lawful are also lawful in the sea, such as the horse, the sea goat, and the deer; and those land animals that are unlawful, their counterparts in the sea are also unlawful, such as the sea dog and the sea pig (Wahidi, Ibn Majah).
Most likely, this was a whale, which sometimes reaches a length of eighty to one hundred feet, and is among the wondrous creatures of Allah’s signs. In Sahih al-Bukhari (5492), it is mentioned that it was an ambergris fish (an amber whale). For eighteen days, only three hundred people subsisted solely on this fish—this was purely a hidden support from Allah. This incident took place in Rajab, 8 AH, which Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned in detail at several places.
The purpose of mentioning this hadith here by Imam al-Darimi rahimahullah is to show that it is permissible to eat fish even if it is dead, provided it did not die from disease and is not decayed or rotten, because such fish are harmful to human health.
In some narrations of Sahih al-Bukhari, it is mentioned that the noble Companions radi Allahu anhum were hesitant about eating this dead fish, and when they returned to Madinah Munawwarah, they mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “If any of it remains, bring it (so that we may eat as well).” With this affirmation and approval, all the members of the army were reassured.
Imam Nawawi rahimahullah said: All dead creatures of the sea are permissible, whether they die naturally or are killed by hunting. There is a difference of opinion regarding the frog. Some scholars have also declared it lawful.
Regarding the other animals of the sea, there are three opinions: First, that all animals of the sea are lawful. Second, that nothing except fish is lawful. Third, that those sea creatures which resemble land animals that are lawful are also lawful in the sea, such as the horse, the sea goat, and the deer; and those land animals that are unlawful, their counterparts in the sea are also unlawful, such as the sea dog and the sea pig (Wahidi, Ibn Majah).
