And transformation does not purify. If it clings to something and it is a small amount, it is pardoned, because it is impossible to avoid it; thus it is akin to the blood of fleas. If it is a large amount, it is not pardoned.

Section: Ahmad was asked about a baker who baked bread and sold some of it, then looked into the water from which he had kneaded it and found a mouse in it. He said: He should not sell the bread to anyone. If he has already sold it, he should retrieve it. If he does not know the owner, he should give its price in charity. He may feed it to animals whose meat is not eaten, but he should not feed it to those that are eaten, unless it is the case that if he feeds it, it is not slaughtered until three days have passed, in the sense of a jallala (an animal that feeds on filth). It was said to him: Did the Prophet (peace be upon him) not say: "Do not benefit from carrion (16)"? He said: This is not in the same status as the dead animal; he was only confused about it. It was said to him: Then is it like the earnings of a cupper, which is fed to the water-carrying beast and the slave? He said: This is more severe in my view; it should not be fed to the slave, but rather he should feed it to the beasts. It was said to him: What (19) is the proof? He said: 'Abd al-Samad narrated to us, from Sakhr, from Nafi', from Ibn 'Umar, that a people baked bread from the wells of those who were transformed, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Feed it to the water-carrying beasts."

Section: Ahmad said: I do not think one should feed his trained dog or trained bird with carrion, because it trains it to eat carrion. If the dog eats it, I do not see that its owner is at fault (20). Perhaps Ahmad disliked the trained dog eating of what it hunts and kills if it is accustomed to eating carrion. Malik did not dislike feeding one's dog or bird with carrion, because it is not for consumption, provided that it does not drink from his vessel.

Section: Ahmad said: I dislike eating clay, and there is no authentic hadith regarding it, except that it harms the body. It is said that it is harmful, and abandoning it is better than eating it. Ahmad only disliked it because of its harmfulness. If it is of the type used for medical treatment, such as Armenian clay, then it is not disliked. If it is of the kind that has neither harm nor benefit, such as a small amount, it is permissible to eat it, because the basic principle is permissibility, and the rationale for disliking what causes harm (21) is absent here, so it is not disliked.