1741 - Issue: He said: "And whoever is in a state of necessity (mudtar) and finds carrion (maytah) and bread whose owner he does not know, he shall eat the carrion."
Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib and Zayd ibn Aslam held this view. Malik said: If they believe him that he is in a state of necessity, he may eat from the crops and fruit, and drink the milk; and if he fears that his hand will be cut off or that he will not be believed, he shall eat the carrion. For the companions of al-Shafi'i, there are two views. One of them is that he eats the food. This is the opinion of 'Abd Allah ibn Dinar; because he is capable of consuming lawful food, it is not permissible for him to eat the carrion, just as if its owner had offered it to him. Our evidence is that the eating of carrion is textually prescribed (mansus), while the property of a human being is a matter of ijtihad; turning to what is textually prescribed is more appropriate. Furthermore, the rights of Allah the Exalted are built upon leniency, while the right of the human being is built upon stinginess and strictness (4), and because the right of the human being requires restitution (gharamah), whereas the right of Allah has no substitute.
Section: If the person in necessity finds someone who will feed and give him to drink, it is not lawful for him to refrain from eating and drinking, nor to turn to eating (5) carrion, unless he fears that he [the owner] might poison him with it, or that the food he is offering him is of a type that would harm him and he fears it would destroy him or make him ill.
Section: If he finds food with its owner, and [the owner] refuses to offer it to him or sell it to him (6), and he [the needy person] has found its price, it is not permissible for him to overpower him for it and take it from him, and he should turn to the carrion, whether he is strong and fears destruction from struggling with him or does not fear it. However, if he offers it to him for its fair market price and he is able to afford the price, it is not lawful for him to eat the carrion, because he is capable of obtaining lawful food. If he offers it for an amount in excess of the fair market price that does not impoverish his wealth,
= It was also extracted by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on Whoever Does Not Milk, from the Book of Jihad. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/38. And Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on the Prohibition of Taking Anything from It Except..., from the Book of Commerce. Sunan Ibn Majah 2/772. And Imam Malik, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Reported Regarding Sheep, from the Book of Seeking Permission. Al-Muwatta 2/971. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 2/6, 57. (1) Dropped from [A], [B], and [M]. (2) In [B] and [M]: "al-musamaha wa huquq" (leniency and the rights). (3) In [B] and [M]: "mabniyah" (built). (4) In [B]: "al-tadyiq" (strictness). (5) Did not appear in: the original [Al-Asl], [A], [B]. (6) Dropped from [M].
