“We were with the Prophet ﷺ and the people caught a mastigure. They grilled it and ate from it. Then I caught a mastigure so I grilled it and brought it to the Prophet ﷺ. He took a palm stalk and started counting his finger with it, and said: ‘A nation from among the Children of Israel was turned into beasts of the earth, and I do not know if this is they.’ I said: ‘The people have grilled them and eaten them.’ He did not eat it and he did not forbid it.”  

كُنَّا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَأَصَابَ النَّاسُ ضِبَابًا فَاشْتَوَوْهَا فَأَكَلُوا مِنْهَا فَأَصَبْتُ مِنْهَا ضَبًّا فَشَوَيْتُهُ ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُ بِهِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَأَخَذَ جَرِيدَةً فَجَعَلَ يَعُدُّ بِهَا أَصَابِعَهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ أُمَّةً فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مُسِخَتْ دَوَابَّ فِي الأَرْضِ وَإِنِّي لاَ أَدْرِي لَعَلَّهَا هِيَ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدِ اشْتَوَوْهَا فَأَكَلُوهَا فَلَمْ يَأْكُلْ وَلَمْ يَنْهَ  

“The Prophet ﷺ did not forbid (eating) mastigures, but he found that distasteful. It is the food of most shepherds, and Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has benefited more than one person thereby. If I had some I would eat it.” Another chain reports a similar hadith.  

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ لَمْ يُحَرِّمِ الضَّبَّ وَلَكِنْ قَذِرَهُ وَإِنَّهُ لَطَعَامُ عَامَّةِ الرِّعَاءِ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ ﷻ لَيَنْفَعُ بِهِ غَيْرَ وَاحِدٍ وَلَوْ كَانَ عِنْدِي لأَكَلْتُهُ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَلَمَةَ يَحْيَى بْنُ خَلَفٍ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ نَحْوَهُ  

“A man from among Ahlus-Suffah called the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he had finished the prayer, saying: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Our land is a land infested with mastigures. What do you think of (eating) mastigures?’ He said: ‘I have heard that a nation was transformed.’ He did not tell us to eat them, and he did not forbid that.”  

نَادَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ حِينَ انْصَرَفَ مِنَ الصَّلاَةِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ أَرْضَنَا أَرْضٌ مَضَبَّةٌ فَمَا تَرَى فِي الضِّبَابِ قَالَ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّهُ أُمَّةٌ مُسِخَتْ فَلَمْ يَأْمُرْ بِهِ وَلَمْ يَنْهَ عَنْهُ  

“O Messenger of Allah, it is the flesh of a mastigure.” He took his hand away, and Khalid said to him: “O Messenger of Allah, is a mastigure unlawful?” He said: “No, but it is not found in my land and I find it distasteful.” He said: “Then Khalid bent over the mastigure and ate some of it, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was looking at him.”  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ أُتِيَ بِضَبٍّ مَشْوِيٍّ فَقُرِّبَ إِلَيْهِ فَأَهْوَى بِيَدِهِ لِيَأْكُلَ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ مَنْ حَضَرَهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَحْمُ ضَبٍّ فَرَفَعَ يَدَهُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ خَالِدٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَحَرَامٌ الضَّبُّ قَالَ لاَ وَلَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِأَرْضِي فَأَجِدُنِي أَعَافُهُ قَالَ فَأَهْوَى خَالِدٌ إِلَى الضَّبِّ فَأَكَلَ مِنْهُ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ  

“I do not forbid it,” meaning mastigure.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لاَ أُحَرِّمُ يَعْنِي الضَّبَّ