Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 1823
sahih

Narrated Abu Qatada:

We were in the company of the Prophet (ﷺ) at a place called Al-Qaha (which is at a distance of three stages of journey from Medina). Abu Qatada narrated through another group of narrators: We were in the company of the Prophet (ﷺ) at a place called Al-Qaha and some of us had assumed Ihram while the others had not. I noticed that some of my companions were watching something, so I looked up and saw an onager. (I rode my horse and took the spear and whip) but my whip fell down (and I asked them to pick it up for me) but they said, "We will not help you by any means as we are in a state of Ihram." So, I picked up the whip myself and attacked the onager from behind a hillock and slaughtered it and brought it to my companions. Some of them said, "Eat it." While some others said, "Do not eat it." So, I went to the Prophet (ﷺ) who was ahead of us and asked him about it, He replied, "Eat it as it is Halal (i.e. it is legal to eat it).

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا صَالِحُ بْنُ كَيْسَانَ، عَنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ، نَافِعٍ مَوْلَى أَبِي قَتَادَةَ سَمِعَ أَبَا قَتَادَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ كُنَّا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِالْقَاحَةِ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ عَلَى ثَلاَثٍ ح‏.‏ وَحَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ حَدَّثَنَا صَالِحُ بْنُ كَيْسَانَ عَنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ كُنَّا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِالْقَاحَةِ، وَمِنَّا الْمُحْرِمُ، وَمِنَّا غَيْرُ الْمُحْرِمِ، فَرَأَيْتُ أَصْحَابِي يَتَرَاءَوْنَ شَيْئًا فَنَظَرْتُ، فَإِذَا حِمَارُ وَحْشٍ ـ يَعْنِي وَقَعَ سَوْطُهُ ـ فَقَالُوا لاَ نُعِينُكَ عَلَيْهِ بِشَىْءٍ، إِنَّا مُحْرِمُونَ‏.‏ فَتَنَاوَلْتُهُ فَأَخَذْتُهُ، ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُ الْحِمَارَ مِنْ وَرَاءِ أَكَمَةٍ، فَعَقَرْتُهُ، فَأَتَيْتُ بِهِ أَصْحَابِي، فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ كُلُوا‏.‏ وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لاَ تَأْكُلُوا‏.‏ فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ أَمَامَنَا، فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ ‏

‏ كُلُوهُ حَلاَلٌ ‏

‏‏.‏ قَالَ لَنَا عَمْرٌو اذْهَبُوا إِلَى صَالِحٍ فَسَلُوهُ عَنْ هَذَا وَغَيْرِهِ، وَقَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا هَا هُنَا‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 28, Hadith 3
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 3, Book 29, Hadith 49 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
There are legal rulings and etiquettes that the pilgrim must observe until his acts of worship are completed in the most perfect manner according to the will of Allah, The Mighty and Majestic. One of these legal provisions is the prohibition of hunting wild game while in the sacred state that one enters for the Holy Pilgrimage; as Allah, the Almighty says: {O you who have believed, do not kill game while you are in the state of Ihraam} [Quan 5:95]”. In this hadeeth, AbooQataadah, al-Haarith ibn Rib’ee al-Ansaaree (ra) reports he and other people set out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for the ‘Umrah of al-Hudaybiyyah in the sixth year after Hijrah. However, on their way to Makkah, word had reached the Messenger of Allah ﷺthat an enemy from among the polytheists was intending to attack him. In response, the Prophet ﷺ sent AbooQataadah (ra) with a group of people so that he could gather information concerning this enemy. When they were at al-Qaahah, which is a place close to al-Madeenah, he noticed his companions looking at an onager. AbooQataadah (ra) and some of the other Companions (ras) were not in the state of Ihraam, while some of the others were. AbooQataadah (ra) hurriedly set out to hunt it, then his whip fell out of his grasp; so, he asked them to hand him his whip, but they refused because they were in the state of Ihraam at the time, but they did not offer any suggestion or assistance in killing the game, including any indication or means that would contribute to the act in any way, shape or form. AbooQataadah took the whip himself and came up to the donkey from behind a hillock - which is a mound that rises up from the ground - then attacked and slaughtered it, then carried it to his companions. His companions who were in the state of Ihraam disagreed over this; some of them thought it was permissible to eat from it, while others deemed it impermissible due to the fact they were in a state of ihraam and doubted whether or not they had indirectly partaken in the hunting. Thereupon, AbooQataadah (ra) went out seeking the Prophet ﷺ, since he ﷺ had left before them. He asked him ﷺ about the matter, to which he responded by stating that they could eat from it, because the meat is lawful for them to consume as long as they did not partake in the hunting in any shape or form. This hadeeth shows the permissibility of eating a wild donkey. And it explains that it is permissible for the one in Inhraam to eat from game which has been hunted, when the one who hunts it, is permitted to do so [i.e., not be in a state of ihraam];without the one in the state of Ihraam helping him with anything..
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