We have observed that Nawasib are using a scanned reference from the Shia book ‘Men la Yehdrhu al-Faqih’ v3 p335 to mock the fact that Shias deem it permissible to eat the flesh of a domestic donkey. We therefore deem it appropriate to provide appropriate to provide a robust response that shall clarify the matter and thereafter expose the dirty faces of the Nawasib in the mirror.
It should be pointed out that wherever the prohibition of eating flesh of domestic donkey has appeared, it was solely because back then the domestic donkeys were used as means of transportation. We read in Al-Kafi, volume 6 page 246:
ابن مسلم، وزرارة، عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام أنهما سألاه عنأكل لحوم الحمر الأهلية؟ قال: نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله عنها وعن أكلها يوم خيبروإنما نهى عن أكلها في ذلك الوقت لأنها كانت حمولة الناس وإنما الحرام ما حرم الله عز وجل في القرآن.
Ibn Muslim and Zurara asked Abu Jaffar about eating domestic donkeys? He replied: Allah’s Apostle banned eating it on day of Khaybar temporary only for that period because the people needed them for the purpose of transportation, verily Haram is what has been made Haram by Allah (swt) in Quran.
The reasons for banning the meat of domestic donkeys has also been recorded in Sunni books. W read in Al-Mojam al-Kabir, by Tabarani, Volume 11 page 342:
عن ابن عباس قال إنما حرم رسول الله الحمر الأهلية مخافة قلة الظهر
Ibn Abbas said: ‘Allah’s apostle banned the domestic donkey because they required it for transportation’.
A particular act not been explicitly declared as Haram does not mean that you have to do that act. If there is some way to eat domestic donkey that doesn’t mean that every individual has to consume it, as Nawasib would like their naïve followers to believe. In any case, it is indeed very strange that the Nawasib are mocking Shias for having such texts in their books whereas two prominent figures of the Nawasib also deemed eating domestic donkey as permissible. We read in Musnad Ahmad, Volume 4 page 213 Hadith 17894:
حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي قال ثنا سفيان بن عيينة قال عمرو يعني بن دينار قلت لأبي الشعثاء : انهم يزعمون ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم نهى عن لحوم الحمر قال يا عمرو أبي ذلك البحر وقرأ { قل لا أجد فيما أوحي إلي محرما على طاعم يطعمه } يا عمرو أبي ذلك البحر قد كان يقول ذلك الحكم بن عمرو الغفاري يعني يقول أبي ذلك علينا البحر بن عباس
تعليق شعيب الأرنؤوط : إسناده صحيح على شرط الشيخين
Amr bin Dinar said: I said to Abu al-Shatha “they claim that Allah’s Apostle banned the meat of domestic donkeys”. He replied: “O Amr, the knowledgeable one (Ibn Abbas) rejected this and recited {Say I find not in that which has been inspired to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it} 6:145.
Shoaib Arnaout said: ‘The chain is Sahih according to the Standard of the two Sheikhs’
Though the tradition shall suffice to silence the children of Mu’awiya but let us also bring unambiguous endorsement by Qadhi Shawkani that ibn Abbas deemed it to Halal. Shawkani stated in Nail al-Awtar, Volume 1 page 80:
وقال ابن عباس ليست بحرام
Ibn Abbas said that it’s not Haram.
We read in Bidayat al-Mujtahid by Ibn Rushd, Volume 1 page 387:
فإن جمهور العلماء على تحريم لحوم الحمر الإنسية الا ما روي عن ابن عباس وعائشة انهما كانا يبيحانهما وعن مالك انه كان يكرهها
The majority of scholars deem the meat of domestic donkey to be Haram except ibn Abbas and Ayesha as it has narrated that both of them deemed it Halal and Imam Malik deemed it Makrooh.
We should point out that Malik was not the only one that deemed it Makrooh rather this opinion is also shared by Hanafi clergy also. We read in Nail al-Awtar, Volume 8 page 184:
وصح القول بالكراهة عن الحكم بن عتيبة ومالك وبعض الحنفية
It’s Makrooh (eating donkey) according to Hakam bin Utayba and Malik and some Hanafi scholars.
It seems that whilst Ibn Abbas very rightly referred to Muawiya as donkey due to the fact that these followers of Muawiya have crossed all the limits of idiocy as they have deemed it Haram to eat domestic donkey and mock the Shias for believing it Halal and yet they themselves deem eating wild donkey as Halal. We read in al-Fiqh ala al-Madahib al-Arba by Jaziri, Volume 2 page 7:
ويحرم من البهائم اكل الحمر الأهلية بخلاف حمر الوحش فإنها حلال
The domestic donkey is Haram unlike the wild donkey which is Halal.
It is ironic that the Nawasib are mocking Shias for believing that eating domestic donkeys is Halal, a viewed shared by Ibn Abbas and Ayesha, yet what these Nawasib don’t tell their naive followers is the fact that it is permissible, in their school, to eat animals like dogs, cats, snakes etc. We read in Bidayat al-Mujtahid by Ibn Rushd, volume 1 page 378:
وقال الشافعي يؤكل الضبع والثعلب
Imam Shafiyee said that it’s permissible to eat Hyena and Fox.
Imam Ibn Qudama stated in Al-Mughni, Volume 11 page 64:
وقال مالك الحية حلال
Imam Malik said that snake is Halal.
While on page 67 we read:
وقال الشافعي ابن عرس مباح
Imam Shafiyee said that weasel is lawful.
We read in Nail al-Awtar by Shawkani Volume 8 page 286:
وللشافعية وجه في حل الهر الوحشي
Shafiyee scholars consider the wild cat to be Halal.
Imam Nawawi stated in Al-Majmo, Volume 9 page 8:
السنور الأهلي حرام عندنا وبه قال جمهور العلماء وأباحه الليث بن ربيعة وقال مالك يكره
The domestic cat is Haram according to us but it is considered lawful by Laith bin Rabeea whereas Imam Malik said that its Makrooh.
We read in Al-Mosoa al-Fiqhya by Kuwaiti government, Volume 37 page 129:
وللمالكية في اكل لحم الكلب قولان الحرمة والكراهة
The Maliki scholars have two opinions regarding eating dog’s meat, one opinion is that it is Haram whilst the other is that it is Makrooh.
Imam Nawawi stated in Al-Majmo, Volume 9 page 17:
في أنواع اختلف السلف فيها منها القرد وهو حرام عندنا وبه قال عطاء وعكرمة ومجاهد ومكحول والحسن وابن خبيب المالكي ، وقال مالك وجمهور أصحابه ليس بحرام
The previous scholars disagreed about some kinds such as monkey, according to us, Atta, Ikrima, Mujahid, Makhool, Hassan and ibn Khubaib it is Haram whereas according to Malik and the majority of his students it is not Haram.
Ibn Rushd states in Bidayat al-Mujtahid, Volume 1 page 379:
وأما الجنس الرابع وهو الذي تستخبثه النفوس كالحشرات والضفادع والسرطانات والسلحفاة وما في معناها فإن الشافعي حرمها وأباحها الغير
The fourth type is what the people disgust from such as insects, frogs, crabs, turtles etc. Imam Shafiyee considered them Haram but others considered then lawful.
And last but certainly not the least, we read in Tafseer Qurtubi, Volume 7 page 116:
وَلِهَذَا قُلْنَا: إِنَّ لُحُومَ السِّبَاعِ وَسَائِرِ الْحَيَوَانِ مَا سِوَى الْإِنْسَانِ وَالْخِنْزِيرِ مُبَاحٌ.
Therefore we say the flesh of beasts and all type of animals but human and pig are lawful.
We would urge the Nawasib to take a good long look at the abovementioned opinions of your scholars. With food costs increasing at a phenomenal rate we would encourage the Nawasib to partake in the savory delights of cat tikka, roast monkey, smoked snake, weasel stew and dog burgers and bless their scholars for ensuring that their stomachs are never bereft of meat.
The moral of the story is that before mocking the Shia on a matter, take a good long look at your books lest your mockery blows up in your faces, as has been the case here.