حَدَّثَنَا يُونُسُ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ الشَّيْبَانِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ الْأَصَمِّ قَالَ دَعَانَا رَجُلٌ فَأَتَى بِخِوَانٍ عَلَيْهِ ثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ ضَبًّا قَالَ وَذَاكَ عِشَاءً فَآكِلٌ وَتَارِكٌ فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحْنَا غَدَوْنَا عَلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَأَكْثَرَ فِي ذَلِكَ جُلَسَاؤُهُ حَتَّى قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا آكُلُهُ وَلَا أُحَرِّمُهُ قَالَ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ بِئْسَمَا قُلْتُمْ إِنَّمَا بُعِثَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُحِلًّا وَمُحَرِّمًا ثُمَّ قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عِنْدَ مَيْمُونَةَ وَعِنْدَهُ الْفَضْلُ بْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَخَالِدُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ وَامْرَأَةٌ فَأُتِيَ بِخِوَانٍ عَلَيْهِ خُبْزٌ وَلَحْمُ ضَبٍّ قَالَ فَلَمَّا ذَهَبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَتَنَاوَلُ قَالَتْ لَهُ مَيْمُونَةُ إِنَّهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَحْمُ ضَبٍّ فَكَفَّ يَدَهُ وَقَالَ إِنَّهُ لَحْمٌ لَمْ آكُلْهُ وَلَكِنْ كُلُوا قَالَ فَأَكَلَ الْفَضْلُ بْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَخَالِدُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ وَالْمَرْأَةُ قَالَ وَقَالَتْ مَيْمُونَةُ لَا آكُلُ مِنْ طَعَامٍ لَمْ يَأْكُلْ مِنْهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 2684
Yazeed bin al-Asamm said: A man called us and set up a table on which there were thirteen (cooked) lizards. That was in the evening, and some of us ate and some did not. In the morning, we went to Ibn 'Abbas and I asked him, and the people sitting with him talked a great deal about this issue. One of them said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "I do not eat it, but I do not forbid it." And Ibn 'Abbas said: What a bad thing you have said! The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was only sent to teach what is halal and what is haram. Then he said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was with Maimoonah, and al-Fadl bin 'Abbas, Khalid bin al-Waleed and a woman were also there. A platter was brought on which there was some bread and lizard meat. When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) went to take some, Maimoonah said: O Messenger of Allah, it is lizard meat. So he withdrew his hand and said: "It is meat that I have never eaten, but (go ahead and) eat." Al-Fadl bin 'Abbas, Khalid bin al-Waleed and the woman ate. And Maimoonah said: I will not eat food that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) has not eaten.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020