Azami 7335

Ibn Abu Asim narrated it in Al-Ahad wal-Mathani (1440), from Abdul-Wahhab bin Najda Hawti, who said, Ismail bin Ayyash narrated to us, Damdam bin Zura narrated to me, from Shurayh bin Ubayd, from Abu Zuhayr Numayri, who said, then he mentioned it. Its isnad is hasan because of Ismail bin Ayyash Himsi, for his hadith is hasan when he narrates from the people of his own town, and this is such a case, since his teacher Damdam bin Zura Hadrami is from Homs, and his hadith is hasan.His saying, "Do not kill them," means for purposes other than eating.As for what is reported from Salman Farsi, who said, "The Prophet ﷺ was asked about locusts, and he said, 'They are the most numerous of Allah's armies, I do not eat them nor do I forbid them,'" this narration is defective. Abu Dawud narrated it (3813) from Muhammad bin Farj Baghdadi, who said, Ibn Zubarqan narrated to us, who said, Sulayman Taymi narrated to us, from Abu Uthman Nahdi, from Salman, then he mentioned it.Its narrators are trustworthy except for Ibn Zubarqan, who is Muhammad bin Zubarqan Abu Hammam Ahwazi, about whom there is disagreement, though his hadith is hasan when he does not contradict others. Here, however, he has contradicted the trustworthy narrators, for the trustworthy narrators narrated it from Sulayman Taymi as a mursal report, meaning they did not mention Salman.Abu Dawud pointed to this defect when he said following the hadith, "Mutamir narrated it, from his father, from Abu Uthman, from the Prophet ﷺ, without mentioning Salman." End of quote.I say, the narration of Mutamir bin Sulayman Taymi was recorded by Abdul-Razzaq (8757), from him, from his father, from Abu Uthman Nahdi, who said, "The Prophet ﷺ was asked about locusts, and he said, 'They are an army among Allah's armies, no army is greater than it, I do not eat them nor do I forbid them,' and he used to say, 'Whatever has not been forbidden is permissible.'" He was also corroborated by Yazid bin Harun, as recorded by Ibn Abu Shayba (5/145, Hawt edition), and by Muhammad bin Abdullah Ansari, as recorded by Bayhaqi (9/257), both of them narrating it from Taymi in mursal form.Abu Dawud also narrated it (3814), and Ibn Majah (3219), via Zakariya bin Yahya bin Umara, from Abu Awwam Jazzaz, from Abu Uthman Nahdi, from Salman, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked and said the same thing. Abu Dawud said following it, "Hammad bin Salama narrated it, from Abu Awwam, from Abu Uthman, from the Prophet ﷺ, without mentioning Salman." End of quote. The narration of Hammad bin Salama is more likely correct, because he is more reliable.Abu Hatim was asked about this connected narration of Abu Awwam and said, "This is a mistake, the correct version is mursal, without Salman mentioned in it." End of quote. Al-Ilal (1495).In summary, the hadith is daif because it is mursal, and even if it were sahih, it would contain no proof of prohibition but rather proof of permissibility. Hence Bayhaqi said following the hadith, "If this is sahih, it indicates permissibility, for since he did not forbid it, he has permitted it, and he only refrained from eating it out of distaste." End of quote.The jurisprudence of the hadith. The saying of Ibn Abu Awfa, "We used to eat locusts," apparently indicates the permissibility of eating locusts unconditionally. There is no disagreement over the permissibility of eating locusts in general, but there is disagreement over whether it requires some cause of death or not. The majority of jurists hold that this is not required, so it is permissible to eat it even if it died on its own. The Malikis stipulated that locusts must be ritually slaughtered or die by some cause, such as having its head, leg, or wings cut off if it dies from that, or being roasted or placed in hot water.The majority of jurists held to the apparent meaning of the hadith of Ibn Abu Awfa, and to the saying of the Prophet ﷺ, "Two dead things have been made lawful for us, fish and locusts," as will come in the chapter on what has been said regarding the eating of sea game.