Chapter: Prayer in the Skins of Beasts of Prey

• I asked Ahmad ibn Hanbal about praying in the skins of beasts of prey. He said: "I dislike it." I asked: "What about wearing it without praying in it?" He said: "That is easier, and it has been narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade the spreading of the skins of beasts of prey." I said: "What about the sable and the squirrel; are they beasts of prey?" He said: "I do not know; this exists in the lands of the Turks."

• Ahmad was asked—another time—about praying in the skins of foxes. He disliked it. It was asked: "If he prayed in it for a year or two?" He said: "If he was interpreting it [based on a legal opinion], then there is no harm."

• I asked Ishaq ibn Ibrahim about a man who prayed while a fox skin was in his sleeve. He said: "As for me, I dislike it, but I hope his prayer is valid." He mentioned the hadith of Abu al-'Aliyah, that he prayed while wearing a hat made of fox skins on his head, so he placed it in his sleeve.

1204 - Sa'id ibn Mansur narrated to us, saying: Hushaym narrated to us, saying: Yunus informed us, from 'Amr ibn Sa'id, he said: I saw Abu al-'Aliyah with a fox-skin hat on his head. He wanted to pray, so he placed it in his sleeve. It was mentioned to him regarding that, and he said: "I disliked praying in it, and I disliked taking it off so that it would be stolen."

• I asked Ishaq—another time—about the sable, the fennec, and the squirrel; are they beasts of prey? He said: "The sable and the fennec are beasts of prey. As for the squirrel, they have differed regarding it, and most of them hold the view that it is not a beast of prey. They said: It is a small animal similar to a mouse, it stays on trees, eats from that, and does not eat carrion; so from this perspective, it was said: It is not a beast of prey." I said: "What about the hawasil (pelicans)?" He said: "The hawasil are birds, and there is no harm in them."