What is the general ruling regarding creatures not explicitly forbidden?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Hunting and Slaughter
Primary text
All creatures other than those previously mentioned are permissible (mubah). This ruling is based on the comprehensive texts indicating permissibility. This includes the livestock (bahimat al-an'am), which are camels, cattle, and sheep, as evidenced by the Divine statement: {Permitted to you are the cattle} (Quran 5:1). Other permissible game includes gazelles (zibaa') and wild asses (humur al-wahsh). The Prophet, peace be upon him, commanded Abu Qatada and his companions to eat the wild donkey they hunted. All types of wild cattle, such as camels, deer (tital), wild goats (wa'l), oryx (maha), and other game, are permissible, and a sacrifice is due for them if one hunts them while in the state of Ihram. The ostrich (na'am) is also permissible, and the Companions ruled that an ostrich constitutes a Hady (sacrificial animal).
Supporting text
A view is narrated from Talha ibn Musarraf suggesting that if a wild donkey becomes tame and grazes on cultivated fodder, it assumes the status of a domestic animal. However, Imam Ahmad rejected this narration, stating that the ruling does not change; tame gazelles do not become forbidden, and wild domestic animals do not become permissible, as their original nature remains unchanged. Furthermore, 'Ata stated that even if the wild donkey breeds in houses, it does not lose the designation of 'wild game'.