Question:
Is buffalo milk and its meat halal? Please provide any relevant Hadith or verse regarding this.
Answer:
Allah, the Exalted, has countless and innumerable blessings upon His servants. He has created various kinds and types of things for humans from which they benefit, but the authority to declare these things lawful or unlawful is reserved with Him. He has prohibited the use of some things to test humans through them, and He has permitted the use of many things. In the Book and Sunnah, the names of several things have been mentioned along with their permissibility, and the names of several things have been mentioned along with their prohibition. Then rules and regulations have been given to recognize what is lawful and what is unlawful. Things about which He has remained silent are forgiven. Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
ما أحل الله فى كتابه فهو حلال وما حرم فهو حرام وما سكت عنه فهو عفو فاقبلوا من الله عافيته فإن الله لم يكن نسيا ثم تلا هذه الآية:
What Allah has made lawful in His Book is lawful, and what He has made unlawful is unlawful, and what He has remained silent about is forgiven. So seek forgiveness from Allah for it, indeed Allah does not forget. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) recited this verse: “Your Lord is not forgetful.”
The chain of this hadith has been declared sound by Imam Bazzar, Imam Hakim, and Imam Dhahabi.
Allama Hashmi said at one place: “It was narrated by Imam Bazzar and its narrators are trustworthy.” And at another place he said: “It was narrated by Imam Bazzar and Imam Tabarani narrated it in Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabir, its chain is good and the narrators’ trustworthiness has been established.” Allama Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) graded this hadith as Hasan.
Its confirmation is found in another hadith narrated by Salman al-Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him):
سئل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن السمن والجبن والفراء؟ قال الحلال ما أحل الله فى كتابه والحرام ما حرم الله فى كتابه وما سكت عنه فهو مما عفا عنه
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked about ghee, cheese, and clothes made from donkey or fur, and he said: “What Allah has made lawful in His Book is lawful, and what He has made unlawful in His Book is unlawful, and what He has remained silent about is among the forgiven things.”
Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:
كان أهل الجاهلية يأكلون أشياء ويتركون أشياء تقذرا فبعث الله نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم وأنزل كتابه وأحل حلاله وحرم حرامه فما أحل فهو حلال وما حرم فهو حرام وما سكت عنه فهو عفو وتلا: ﴿قُلْ لَا أَجِدُ فِي مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ مُحَرَّمًا عَلَى طَاعِمٍ يَطْعَمُهُ﴾ إلى آخر الآية
The people of ignorance used to eat some things and avoid others out of dislike, so Allah sent His Prophet (peace be upon him) and revealed His Book, declaring what is lawful lawful and what is unlawful unlawful. Therefore, whatever He has made lawful is lawful, whatever He has declared unlawful is unlawful, and whatever He has remained silent about is forgiven. Then the following verse of the Qur’an was recited: “Say, ‘I do not find in that which was revealed to me anything forbidden for one who would eat it,’ ” until the end of the verse.
Abu Tha’laba Al-Khashani (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
إن الله حد حدودا فلا تعتدوها وفرض لكم فرائض فلا تضيعوها وحرم أشياء فلا تنتهكوها وترك أشياء من غير نسيان من ربكم ولكن رحمة منه لكم فاقبلوها ولا تبحثوا فيها
Indeed, Allah has set limits; do not transgress them. He has prescribed duties for you; do not neglect them. Some things are forbidden; do not violate their sanctity. Some things He has left silent about; this silence is not due to forgetfulness from your Lord but is mercy from Him upon you. Accept them and do not dispute about them.
Imam Nawawi graded this hadith as Hasan.
Similarly, Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, Abu Bakr Al-Samani, and Abu Al-Futuh Al-Tani mentioned it in their Al-Mala, and Hafiz Iraqi graded it as Hasan, and Ibn Islah declared it Sahih.
From these hadiths it becomes clear that the prohibition of some things and the permissibility of others has been explicitly stated, and silence has been maintained about some things, which is mercy from Allah upon His servants. This silence is not because Allah has forgotten; Allah is free from forgetfulness and negligence. The things about which He has remained silent are lawful and should be accepted; their use is not subject to blame. Allama Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Dimyati states:
أى لم ينزل حكمها على نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم ”رحمة لكم“ أى لأحلكم يعني أنه لم يحرم تلك الأشياء فيعاتب على فعلها
“The silence about some things means that Allah has not revealed a command regarding them to His Prophet (peace be upon him), and out of mercy upon you, it means He has not made them unlawful so that the doer would be punished.”
Regarding “فلا تبحثوا عنها” he writes:
أى لا تفحصوا عن أحوالها ولا تفتشوا على أحكامها بل بالبراءة الأصلية
Meaning, silence has been maintained about these things; do not scrutinize their conditions or investigate their rulings, but apply the principle of innocence.
Dr. Mustafa Al-Ghaba and Dr. Yaqi Al-Din Mustu write:
وسكت عن أشياء أى لم يحكم فيها بوجوب أو حرمة فهي شرعا على الإباحة الأصلية
The things about which Allah has remained silent mean that no ruling of obligation or prohibition has been revealed; they are legally based on the principle of permissibility.
Hafiz Ibn Rajab Al-Dimashqi states:
وأما المسكوت عنه فهو ما لم يذكر حكمه بتحليل ولا إيجاب ولا تحريم فيكون معفوا عنه لا يؤاخذ على فاعله وعلى هذا دلت هذه الأحاديث المذكورة هاهنا كحديث أبى ثعلبة وغيره
“That about which there is silence in the Shariah is something whose permissibility, obligation, or prohibition has not been mentioned; it is forgiven, and the doer is not sinful. The aforementioned hadiths indicate this, such as the hadiths of Abu Tha’laba Al-Khashani and others.”
It is understood that the original ruling regarding things is permissibility unless their prohibition is explicitly stated in the Shariah. However, in acts of worship, the original ruling is prohibition, but the details of that are beyond this scope. The rule derived from these hadiths is also proven by the Qur’anic verse, where Allah says:
﴿هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُم مَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا﴾
“Allah is the One who created for you all that is on earth.”
Allama Al-Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
استدل به على أن الأصل فى الأشياء الإباحة إلا ما ورد الشرع بتحريمه
“This verse is used as evidence that the original ruling regarding things is permissibility unless their prohibition is explicitly stated in the Shariah.”
Therefore, when Allah did not mention the prohibition of buffalo in His Shariah, then who else would declare it unlawful? It is essentially lawful and permissible. Similarly, it should be remembered that the Prophet (peace be upon him) also explained the rule for recognizing the permissibility and prohibition of animals. Abu Tha’laba Al-Khashani (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن أكل كل ذي ناب من السباع
“Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade eating the meat of every predator with fangs.”
This hadith is also found from Jabir, Khalid ibn Al-Walid, Miqdad ibn Al-Aswad, and Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with them) in Musnad Ahmad and others. In these hadiths, the Prophet (peace be upon him) declared “ذي ناب” animals unlawful. Imam Al-Baghawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
أراد بذي الناب ما يعدو بنابه على الناس وأموالهم مثل الذئب والأسد والكلب والفهد والنمر والدب والقرد ونحوها فهي وأمثالها وكذلك كل ذي مخلب من الطير كالعقاب والصقر والبازي ونحوها وسمى مخلب الطائر نابا لأنه يعدو أى يشق ويقطع
“By ‘with fangs’ is meant those animals that attack people and their property with their claws, such as wolves, lions, dogs, hyenas, cheetahs, bears, monkeys, and similar animals are unlawful. Similarly, among birds, those that hunt with claws, such as eagles, hawks, and others like them, are called ‘mukhallib’ because they tear and cut their prey with their feet.”
Buffalo is not among the fanged (clawed) predators; therefore, it is lawful. One evidence for the permissibility of buffalo is that the Muslim scholars have consensus that zakat is obligatory on buffalo just like on cows. Imam Ibn Al-Mundhir (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
وأجمعوا على أن حكم الحواميس حكم البقر
“There is consensus among the scholars that zakat on buffalo is like that on cows.”
Imam Ibn Qudamah Al-Maqdisi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in the commentary of الجواميس كثيرها من البقر:
لا خلاف فى هذا نعلمه وقال ابن المنذر اجمع كل من يحفظ عنه من أهل العلم على هذا وأن الحواميس من أنواع البقر كما أن البخاتي من أنواع الإبل
“There is no disagreement known to us on this issue. Ibn Mundhir said that there is consensus among all scholars that buffalo is among the types of cows, just as the Bakhti camel is among the types of camels.”
The linguists also agree that buffalo is among the types of cows, as follows:
① Allama Ibn Manzur
states:
الجاموس نوع من البقر دخيل وجمعه حواميس فارسي معرب وهو بالعجمية كواميس
② Allama Zubaidi says: الحاموس نوع من البقر
③ Allama Ibn Sīdah
says: الحاموس نوع من البقر
④ In the well-known dictionary
it is: الجاموس حيوان أهلي من فصيلة البقر
⑤ Allama Jafiz states:
والبقر على قسمين إحداهما الحواميس إلا ما كان بقر الوحش
“There are two types of cows; one of them is buffalo, except for the wild cow.”
⑥ Allama Damiri says:
البقر الأهلي اسم جنس يقع على الذكر والأنثى
“The domestic cow is a generic name that applies to both male and female.”
Then he further writes:
وهن أجناسه الحواميس وهى أكثرها لبنا أعظمها أجساما
“It has many types, one of which is buffalo; it gives the most milk and has the largest body.”
Then he further writes: “حكمه كالبقر” Its ruling is like that of the cow.
When the scholars of language and hadith have mentioned buffalo as a type and species of cow, they have stated its zakat ruling to be the same as that of the cow. Imam Abu Ubaid Qasim bin Salam
says:
فإذا خالطت البقر حواميس فسواء واحدة وفي ذلك آثار
“When buffalo is mixed with cows, the method of zakat is the same; there are narrations on this.”
Then he brings a report about Caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (may Allah be pleased with him) that he wrote to his governors:
أن توعى صدقة الحواميس كما توعى صدقة البقر
“Just as zakat is taken on cows, zakat should also be collected on buffalo.”
He further writes:
وكذلك يروى عن أشعث عن الحسن
“According to the method of Ash’at, it is also narrated from Hasan Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) in the same way.”
Then he quotes Imam Malik, who said:
الحواميس والبقر سواء
Buffalo and cow are equal (in ruling), just as Bakhti and Arabic camels and sheep and goats are equal.
Akramah bin Khalid says:
استعملت على صدقات عكل فلقيت أشياخا ممن صدق على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وسألتهم والحواميس تعد فى الصدقة كالبقر
“I was appointed to collect zakat from the ‘Aq tribe; I met those elders who used to pay zakat during the time of the Messenger of Allah, and I asked them about buffalo; they replied that buffalo was counted like cows for zakat.”
This narration is clear evidence that during the time of the Messenger, those who collected charity and zakat considered buffalo like cows. Imam Muhammad bin Sirin says:
اشتكى رجل فوصف له لبن الحواميس فبعث إلى عبد الرحمن بن أبى بكرة أن ابعث إلينا بحاموسة فبعث إليه بتسع مائة حاموسة فقال إنما أردت واحدة
A man became ill and was advised to use buffalo milk as treatment. He sent a message to Abdul Rahman bin Abi Bakrah to send buffalo to him, and he sent 900 buffalo, but he said he only intended one.
Abdul Rahman bin Abi Bakrah died in 96 AH. It is evident that buffalo existed during the time of the Companions, its milk was consumed, and zakat was collected on it. The above evidences clarify:
① Buffalo is like a cow, and there is consensus on this.
② There is agreement and consensus on zakat on buffalo.
And when the Muslim Ummah agrees on an issue, it cannot be erroneous.
Zakat is taken only from pure and wholesome wealth. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
أيها الناس إن الله طيب لا يقبل إلا طيبا
“O people! Indeed, Allah is pure and accepts only that which is pure.”
Since zakat on buffalo was practiced during the time of the Companions and collected during the era of the Rightly Guided Caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (may Allah be pleased with him), and this issue is agreed upon, zakat is given only from pure, wholesome, and lawful wealth; unlawful wealth is not accepted by Allah.
It is understood that buffalo is a lawful and wholesome animal, and no Muslim has any doubt or suspicion about its permissibility.
Mufti Muhammad Shafi’ Sahib, in his Tafsir of Surah Al-Ma’idah, writes in the discussion of ﴿أُحِلَّتْ لَكُمْ بَهِيمَةُ الْأَنْعَامِ﴾ about the word “In’am” (cattle): The word “In’am” is the plural of “Naham,” meaning domesticated animals such as camels, cows, buffaloes, goats, etc. Allah has made camels, goats, cows, buffaloes, etc., lawful for you; you can slaughter and eat them according to the Shariah rules.”
From our above discussion, it is clear that buffalo is lawful in many ways; its meat can be eaten, its milk can be drunk, it is not a predator, so there is no aspect of prohibition in it. Its being a type of cow and the consensus on its zakat are established. Any sane person cannot deny its permissibility. It is necessary to ponder over the texts of the Book and Sunnah. However, those who have gone so far in their enmity towards hadith that they intend to belittle the hadith of the Prophet and elevate the opinions of the narrators and convince people that the permissibility of buffalo is not established from the Qur’an and hadith, for them, only a prayer for guidance from Allah is possible. If its permissibility is not established from the Qur’an and hadith, then after Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), what other evidence is there to make it lawful?
﴿وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا﴾
