Āl-e-Deoband, Crow Meat, and Jurisprudential Differences

Written by: Muhammad Zubair Sadiqabadi

Āl-e-Deoband and the Crow​

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (رضي الله عنهما):


"أن رسول الله صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم قال: ((خمس من الدواب من قتلهن وهو محرم فلا جناح عليه : العقرب والفأرة والكلب العقور والغراب والحدأة.))"


Undoubtedly, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:


There are five harmful creatures which may be killed even in the state of Ihram, and there is no sin upon doing so:

① The scorpion
② The mouse
③ The biting dog
④ The crow
⑤ The kite (bird of prey)


Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 1/246, Sahih Muslim 1/381

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (رضي الله عنهما) further said:


"مــن يــأكـل الـغـراب؟ وقد سماه رسول الله صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم فاسقا، والله ! ما هو من الطيبات."


Who would eat a crow?
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has declared it a fāsiq (corrupt creature). By Allah! It is not from the pure (halal) animals.


Reference: al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi 9/317, Ibn Majah: 3248


It is narrated from Umm al-Mu’minīn Sayyidah A’ishah (رضي الله عنها):


"عن النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم قال: ((خمس فواسق يقتلن في الحرام الفأرة والعقرب والحدأة والغراب والكلب العقور.))"


The Prophet ﷺ said:


There are five wicked animals that may be killed even during the state of Ihram: the mouse, the scorpion, the kite, the crow, and the biting dog.


Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 246, 467; Sahih Muslim: 381; Tafhim al-Bukhari 1/838

Sayyidah A’ishah Siddiqa (رضي الله عنها) stated:


"أني لا عـجـب مــن يــأكـل الغراب؟ و قد أذن رسول الله في قتله للمحرم وسماه فاسقا و الله ! ما لهو من الطيبات."

I am astonished at the person who eats crow,
while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ allowed it to be killed even in the state of Ihram and declared it a fāsiq. By Allah! It is not among the pure (halal) creatures.


Reference: al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi 9/317

Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq’s grandson, Imam Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abi Bakr (رحمه الله), said:


"من يأكله بعد قول رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : فاسقا"


Who would eat the crow after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ described it as fāsiq?


Reference: Ibn Majah, p. 241, Hadith 3249

However...​

Despite these narrations, the so-called “Imam Rabbani” of Āl-e-Deoband, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Deobandi, wrote the following in response to a question:


Eating Crow is Halal


Question:
In a place where the known crow (zāgh maʿrūfah) is commonly considered haram and those who eat it are criticized, would a person who eats it there receive any reward, or neither reward nor punishment?


Answer:
He will be rewarded.


Reference: Fatawa Rashidiyyah, p. 637, Maktabah Rahmaniyyah, Ghazni Street, Urdu Bazar, Lahore; Taalifaat-e-Rashidiyyah, p. 489

Note of Caution:​

Among the general public of Silanwali (District Sargodha), it is widely circulated that the Deobandis of Silanwali once cooked and ate a pot of crow meat.


A humble request to Āl-e-Deoband:
Please clarify the correct reality of this story!