Is the game permissible if the trained animal eats from the catch?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Hunting and Slaughter
Primary text
The fifth condition requires that the predatory animal must not eat from the catch; otherwise, the game is not permissible, according to the sounder of two narrations from Imam Ahmad, supported by a majority of early scholars. This is based definitively on the Hadith of 'Adi ibn Hatim, where the Prophet peace be upon him said, "...unless the dog eats, then do not eat, for I fear it only caught it for itself." This established condition of refraining from eating applies to all subsequent hunts by that animal, just as the conditions of being sent and being trained apply universally.
Supporting text
The second narration permits the game even if the animal eats from it, citing the generality of Quran 5:4 ("so eat of what they have held for you") and the Hadith of Abu Tha'labah. This view argues that eating might be due to extreme hunger or anger toward the game, and since the animal met the initial conditions of being sent and trained, its catch remains permissible, similar to how the initial conditions apply to subsequent hunts. Abu Hanifah disagrees, holding that eating invalidates its status as a trained animal, requiring new training.