Chapter: The permissibility of eating the Dabb (mastigure)

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was asked about the eating of (the flesh) of the lizard, whereupon he said: I am neither the eater of it nor its prohibitor.

A person asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) about the eating of the lizard, whereupon he said. I neither eat it, nor do I prohibit it.

I neither eat it, nor do I prohibit it.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of 'Ubaidullah with the same chain of transmitters.

" A lizard was brought to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) but he neither ate that nor declared it unlawful." And in the hadith transmitted through Usama (the words are):" The man (inquirer) was standing in the mosque and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was sitting on the pulpit."

It is the flesh of the lizard. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) said: Eat, for it is lawful, but it is not my diet.

Al-Sha'bi (one of the narrators) asked me if I had heard the hadith transmitted on the authority of Hasan from the Prophet (ﷺ). He said: I sat in the company if Ibn 'Umar for two years or a year and a half but I did not hear narrated from Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) but this one (pertaining to the flesh of the lizard) as narrated by Mu'adh.

I and Khalid b. Walid went to the apartment of Maimuna along with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), and there was presented to him a roasted lizard. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) stretched his hand towards It, whereupon some of the women who had been in the house of Maimuna said: Inform Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) what he intends to eat. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) lifted his hand. I said: Messenger of Allah, Is it forbidden? He said: No. It is not found in the land of my people, and I feel that I have no liking for it. Khalid said: I then chewed and ate it, while, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was looking (at me).

Messenger of Allah, it is a lizard. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) withdrew his hand, whereupon Khalid b. Walid said: Messenger of Allah, is a lizard forbidden? There opon he said: No, but it is not found in the land of my people, and I feel that I have no liking for it. Khalid said: I then chewed and ate it, and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was looking at me and he did not forbid (me to eat it).

" Ibn al-Asamm narrated it from Maimuna and he was under her care."

While we were in the house of Maimuna there were brought to Allah's Messenger two roasted lizards. Here no mention is made of al- 'Asamm narrating from Maimuna.

Ibn 'Abbas reported that there had been brought to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) the flesh of a lizard and Khalid b. Walid was also present there. The rest of the hadith is the same.

The sister of my mother Umm Hufaid presented to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) clarified butter (ghee), cheese and some lizards. He ate out of the clarified butter and cheese, but left the lizard finding no liking for it. But it was eaten on the table of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). Had it been forbidden (haram), it could not be eaten on the table of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).

A newly wedded person of Medina invited us to a wedding feast, and he served us thirteen lizards. There were those who ate it and those who abandoned it. I met Ibn 'Abbas the next day, and informed him (about this) in the presence of many persons. Some of them said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had observed: I neither eat it nor forbid (anyone) from eating it, nor declare it to be unlawful. Thereupon Ibn 'Abbas said: Sad it is what you say! Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) has not been sent, but (to declare in clear words) the lawful and the unlawful (things). We were once with Allah's Messenger (may peace be. upon him) as he was with Maimuna, and there were with him al-Fadl b. 'Abbas, Khalid b. Walid and some women (also) when a tray of food containing flesh was presented to him. As Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) was about to eat that, Maimuna said: It is the flesh of the lizard. He withdrew his hand saying: That is the flesh which I never eat; but he said to them (those who were present there): You may eat. Al-Fadl ate out of that, so did Khalid b Walid, and the women. Maimuna (however) said: I do not eat anything but that which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) eats.

I do not know; perhaps it (lizard) might (be one of those natives of) the distant past whose (forms) had beer, distorted.

I asked Jabir about ithe eating) of the lizard, whereupon he said: Don't eat that as he (the Holy Prophet) felt disgust. He (the narrator) said that Umar b. al-Khattab reminded: Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) did not declare it to be unlawful. Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has (made it a source) of benefit for more than one (persons). It is a common diet of the shepherds. Had it been with me, I would have eaten that.

Messenger of Allah, we live in a land abounding in lizards, so what do you command or what verdict you give (about eating of it)? Thereupon he said: It was mentioned to me that a people from among Bani Isra'il were distorted (so there is a likelihood that those people might have been distorted in the shape of lizards). So he neither commanded (us to eat that) nor forbade (us). Abu Sa'id said: After some time Umar said: Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has made it (a source of) benefit for more than one (person), for it is the common diet of shepherds. Had it been with me, I would have eaten that. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) disliked it.

I live in a low land abounding in lizards, and these are the common diet of my family, but he (the Holy Prophet) did not make any reply. We said to him: Repeat it (your problem) and so he repeated it, but he did not make any reply. (It was repeated thrice ) Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) called him out at the third time saying: O man of the desert, verily Allah cursed or showed wrath to a tribe of Bani Isra'il and distorted them to beasts which move on the earth. I do not know, perhaps this (lizard) may be one of them. So I do not eat it, nor do I prohibit the eating of it.