Section: Permissible among birds (33) are those we have not mentioned among the prohibited ones, among which is the chicken. Abu Musa said: I saw the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) eating chicken (34). Also the houbara bustard (35), because of what Safinah narrated, saying: I ate meat of a houbara bustard with the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Narrated by Abu Dawud (36). The raven (zag) (37) is also permissible. This is the opinion of al-Hakam, Hammad, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, and al-Shafi‘i in one of his two opinions. The rook (lit. crow of the field) is permissible, which is the large black one that eats crops and flies with the raven; because their pasture is crops and grains, they resemble the partridge. All sparrows are permissible. ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr said that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "There is no human who kills a sparrow or anything above it without a justified right, except that Allah will ask him about it." It was said: O Messenger of Allah, what is its right? He said: "He slaughters it and eats it, and he does not cut off its head and throw it away." Narrated by al-Nasa’i (38). All pigeons are permissible, in all their various types, including the squabs (jawazil) (39), the ring-doves (fawakhit) (40), the spotted pigeons (raqata’) (41), the sandgrouse (qata) (42), the partridges (hajal) (43), and others. Also permissible are the cranes (karaki) (44), geese, and all water birds.
(33) In [A]: "birds". (34) Narrated by al-Bukhari, in: Chapter on the arrival of the Ash‘ariyyin and the people of Yemen, from the Book of Military Expeditions (Maghazi), and in: Chapter on chicken, from the Book of Slaughtering and Hunting. Sahih al-Bukhari 5/219, 7/122. And Muslim, in: Chapter on the recommendation for someone who swears an oath then sees something else as better than it..., from the Book of Oaths. Sahih Muslim 3/1270. And al-Tirmidhi, in: Chapter on what has been reported regarding eating chicken, from the Chapters on Foods. ‘Aridat al-Ahwadhi 8/20, 21, 22. And al-Nasa’i, in: Chapter on the permissibility of chicken meat, from the Book of Hunting and Slaughtering. Al-Mujtaba 7/182. And al-Darimi, in: Chapter on eating chicken, from the Book of Foods. Sunan al-Darimi 2/102, 103, and Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 4/394, 397, 398, 401, 406. (35) Houbara bustard: A long-necked bird of the crane order. (36) In: Chapter on eating the houbara bustard, from the Book of Foods. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/318. It was also narrated by al-Tirmidhi, in: Chapter on what has been reported regarding eating the houbara bustard, from the Chapters on Foods. ‘Aridat al-Ahwadhi 8/23. (37) Raven (zag): A type of crow, small, about the size of a pigeon, black, with grayness on its head and a tilt toward whiteness; it does not eat carrion. (38) In: Chapter on the permissibility of eating sparrows, from the Book of Hunting, and in: Chapter on whoever kills a sparrow, from the Book of Sacrifices. Al-Mujtaba 7/183, 211. It was also narrated by al-Darimi, in: Chapter on whoever kills any animal out of sport, from the Book of Sacrifices. Sunan al-Darimi 2/84. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 2/197, 210. (39) Squab (jawzal): A pigeon chick. (40) Ring-doves (fawakhit): A kind of collared pigeon; when it walks, it widens its gait, spreads its wings and armpits, and sways. (41) Spotted (raqata’): The dappled/variegated among chickens and pigeons. (42) Sandgrouse (qata): A type of dove that prefers the desert and makes its nest in the ground. (43) Partridge (hajal): About the size of a pigeon, with a red beak and legs. (44) Crane (karki): A large bird, long-necked and long-legged, which sometimes dwells near water.
