Is hunting at night permissible?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Hunting and Slaughter
Primary text
Hunting at night is permissible. Ahmad holds no issue with it. This position is also supported by Yazid ibn Harun and Yahya ibn Ma'in, who stated they knew of no one who disliked it. Regarding the Prophet's saying, "Leave the birds in their nests," Ahmad explained this was in the context of divination (*tifa'ul*), where the companion would agitate the birds to take an omen from their flight direction. The Prophet prohibited this specific act.
Supporting text
There is a narration from Ibn Abbas stating the Prophet said, "Do not raid the birds in their nests, for the night is their safety." Ahmad rejected this narration, citing flaws in its chain of transmission through Furat ibn al-Sa'ib and Hafs ibn Umar.