Question 1249: What narrations have been received regarding eating the bone marrow of cows and sheep, and their bones, and the meat on the bones?

4.4k 30 Jun 2021
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✅ Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنْ أَبِی حَمْزَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَلِیَّ بْنَ الْحُسَیْنِ یَقُولُ لَا تَنْهَکُوا الْعِظَامَ فَإِنَّ لِلْجِنِّ فِیهَا نَصِیباً فَإِنْ فَعَلْتُمْ ذَهَبَ مِنَ الْبَیْتِ مَا هُوَ خَیْرٌ مِنْ ذَلِکَ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 322

Abu Hamza said: 'I heard Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) say: 'Do not be excessive in eating (the meat on) the bones, for indeed the jinn have a share in it. If you do so, something better than it will leave the house!'

2 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِی جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْعَظْمِ أَنْهَکُهُ قَالَ نَعَمْ.

📚 Al-Mahasin, p. 472

Muhammad ibn Muslim said: 'I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about a bone, should I be excessive in tearing its meat off?' The Imam said: 'Yes!'

3 مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِیٍّ الشَّلْمَغَانِیُّ فِی کِتَابِ الْأَوْصِیَاءِ عَنْ حَمْزَةَ بْنِ نُصَیْرٍ خَادِمِ أَبِی الْحَسَنِ علیه السلام عَنْ أَبِیهِ قَالَ: لَمَّا وُلِدَ السَّیِّدُ علیه السلام یَعْنِی الْمَهْدِیَّ تَبَاشَرَ الدَّارُ بِذَلِکَ فَلَمَّا نَشَأَ خَرَجَ إِلَیَّ الْأَمْرُ أَنْ أَبْتَاعَ کُلَّ یَوْمٍ مَعَ اللَّحْمِ قَصَبَ مُخٍّ وَ قِیلَ إِنَّ هَذَا لِمَوْلَانَا الصَّغِیرِ علیه السلام

📚 Ghaybah of Shaykh al-Tusi, p. 158

Shalmaghani narrated in the book Al-Awsia from Hamza, the servant of Imam Hadi (peace be upon him), from his father, who said: 'When the Master (peace be upon him), i.e., Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him), was born, the household gave each other glad tidings. So when he grew up, an order came to me to buy bone marrow along with meat every day, and it was said that this is for our little master!'

4 قَالَ أَبَانٌ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ یُکْرَهُ مِنَ الذَّبِیحَةِ عَشَرَةُ أَشْیَاءَ مِنْهَا الطِّحَالُ وَ الْأُنْثَیَانِ وَ النُّخَاعُ وَ الدَّمُ وَ الْجِلْدُ وَ الْعَظْمُ وَ الْقَرْنُ وَ الظِّلْفُ وَ الْغُدَدُ وَ الْمَذَاکِیرُ

📚 Ilal al-Shara'i, Vol. 2, p. 562

In a hadith, Aban ibn Uthman said: 'Then Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Ten things from a sacrifice are disliked, among which are the spleen, the testicles, the spinal cord, blood, skin, bone, horn, hoof, glands, and the male organ!'

✅ Based on the above narrations and others, eating the bones of a ritually slaughtered animal is discouraged.

However, regarding the meat attached to the bones, it is recommended not to be excessive in tearing and eating it and not to take the meat completely from the root, because the jinn have a share and portion in it, and if the bones are completely cleaned of meat, something better than it will leave the house. Of course, according to narration 2, a dispensation for completely cleaning the bone has also been received, and therefore it is not considered a forbidden act.

✅ But regarding bone marrow in narration 3, by the order of Imam Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him), bone marrow was bought for Imam Zaman (peace be upon him), and in addition to the fact that no prohibition on bone marrow has been received in Shia narrations, the permissibility of eating bone marrow becomes clear. The narration that has been mentioned in the book 'Tibb al-Nabi' by the Sunni Abu al-Abbas Mustaghfiri, p. 23, that the worst of people are those who eat bone marrow, which has also found its way into some Shia books, is not acceptable because of its Sunni origin and its knowledge is returned to the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), in addition to the fact that it has no supporting evidence in Shia narrations, and narration 3 is also in conflict with it.

✅ It should be noted that what has been narrated in some books that the meaning of 'nahk al-'azm' which is forbidden in narration 1 is eating bone marrow, is not an accurate and linguistically consistent meaning and is an inferred meaning and is not trustworthy. And 'nahk al-'izam' means to completely clean the bone of meat and to take the meat of the bone from the root and to be excessive in eating and tearing the meat of the bone.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ