Another Chapter; Signs of Edible and Inedible Birds

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about edible birds and beasts (animals). He (the Imam) said, The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, prohibited using for food of every bird that has claws and beast that has canine teeth.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘O Sama‘ah, all beasts are inedible; even if it is a beast that does not have canine teeth. The Messenger of Allah has mentioned canine teeth for explanation. Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, and His Messenger prohibited all metamorphosed animals. From the birds on land you can use for food that which has craw, and from the sea birds that which has gizzard like the gizzard of pigeons; not stomach like the stomach of human beings. Every bird which flies straight and has claws is not edible, and so also are the straight fliers like falcons and hawks and al- Hida’ah (a bird that hunts rats) and similar birds that flap their wings in flight and have craws or gizzard which defines every edible bird that cannot be distinguished from its flight and the unknown ones.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, about what is edible of birds. He (the Imam) said, ‘None of them is edible unless it has a craw.”’

“I swear by Allah that I have never seen anyone like abu Ja‘far, Alayhi al-Salam. I once, said to him (the Imam), ‘I pray to Allah to keep you well, what is edible of birds?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You can use for food all that flap their wings in flight, and do not eat what keeps its wings straight in flight.’ I then asked about eggs. He (the Imam) said, ‘All eggs with ends of similar shapes are not edible and those that have their ends of different shapes are edible.’ I then asked about the birds of water. He (the Imam) said, ‘All that have gizzards are edible and that which have no gizzard are not edible.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘Of birds you can eat that which has gizzard and no claws.’ I then asked about birds in water and he (the Imam) said a similar thing.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘Of birds you can eat whatever has gizzard or spur of the rooster or craws.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, about birds that I find in wilderness and about which is edible. He (the Imam) said, ‘All birds that flap their wings in flight are edible and all birds that keep their wings straight in flight are not edible.’ ‘What happens if they are brought to me already slaughtered?’ He (the Imam) said, ’Eat whatever has craws.’”