Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 1825
sahih

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Abbas:

From As-Sa'b bin Jath-thama Al-Laithi that the latter presented an onager to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) while he was at Al-Abwa' or at Waddan, and he refused it. On noticing the signs of some unpleasant feeling of disappointment on his (As-Sab's) face, the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, "I have only returned it because I am Muhrim."

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنِ الصَّعْبِ بْنِ جَثَّامَةَ اللَّيْثِيِّ، أَنَّهُ أَهْدَى لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حِمَارًا وَحْشِيًّا، وَهْوَ بِالأَبْوَاءِ أَوْ بِوَدَّانَ فَرَدَّهُ عَلَيْهِ، فَلَمَّا رَأَى مَا فِي وَجْهِهِ قَالَ ‏

‏ إِنَّا لَمْ نَرُدَّهُ عَلَيْكَ إِلاَّ أَنَّا حُرُمٌ ‏

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References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 28, Hadith 5
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 3, Book 29, Hadith 51 (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, al-Sa‘b ibn Jath-thaamah (ra) narrates that the Prophet ﷺrefused some meat of a wild donkey that he had offered him ﷺwhile they were at al-Abwaa’ - or Waddaan - which are two places located between Makkah and about two hundred and fifty kilometres southwest from al-Madeenah. The Prophet ﷺ explained to him as to why he did this by saying: “I have entered the state of ihraam, which serves as one of the many beautiful demonstrations of his noble character because he ﷺ said this when he noticed al-Sa‘b’s face change to one of sadness when he ﷺ rejected al-Sa’b’s offering. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made it clear to him that he did not refuse it for any other reason other than because he was in the state of ihraam and did not eat slaughtered game while in that sacred mode of being. The Prophet’s ﷺrefusal to accept the offering of onager from al-Sa‘b ibn Jaththaamah (ra) does not contradict his acceptance when he (ﷺ)ate from the wild donkey which AbooQataadah (ra) hunted. This is because the difference between these two situations is that AbooQataadah did not hunt the donkey for the Prophet (ﷺ), rather AbooQataadah (ra) hunted it for himself. Then his companions ate with him, and the Prophet ﷺ ate from it. As opposed to al-Sa‘b ibn Jatht-haamah (ra) who hunted the donkey for the Prophet ﷺ. And for that reason, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ refused to accept his offering or eat from it; because the one in state of Ihraam should not hunt while they are in the state of Ihraam, nor eat from game that he hunted, which would be forbidden or permissible for him under normal circumstances. This hadeeth urges the one who refuses to accept a gift and the like to clarify and offer a legitimate excuse to the one presenting the gift as a means to soothe their heart. It illustrates the noble character of our beloved Prophet ﷺ, and his ﷺ beautiful conduct that he exhibited towards his Companions (ras). It shows the permissibility of eating a wild donkey. And lastly, it explains that it is permissible for the pilgrims 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 Ihraam helping him with anything..
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