يَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا أُحِلَّ لَهُمْ قُلْ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتُ وَمَا عَلَّمْتُمْ مِنَ الْجَوَارِحِ مُكَلِّبِينَ تُعَلِّمُونَهُنَّ مِمَّا عَلَّمَكُمُ اللَّهُ فَكُلُوا مِمَّا أَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ ﴿۴﴾

﴾4﴿ Yas'aloonaka maazaaa uhilla lahum; qul uhilla lakumuttaiyibaatu wa maa'allamtum minal jawaarihi mukallibeena tu'allimoonahunnamimmaa 'allamakumul laahu fakuloo mimmaaa amsakna 'alaikum wazkurus mal laahi 'alaih; wattaqul laah; innal laaha saree'ul hisaab

﴾4﴿ They ask you what has been made lawful for them.
Say: Lawful for you are pure things, and (also) what the hunting animals catch for you, which you have trained, teaching them as Allah has taught you.
So eat from what they catch for you, and mention Allah’s name over it, and fear Allah.
Indeed, Allah is swift in taking account.

[4] Since the previous verse mentioned prohibitions, a natural question arises: What is lawful in contrast to these prohibitions? Specifically, people had inquired about hunting. Therefore, this verse and the following one mention what is lawful. (الطَّيِّبَاتُ) – Sam‘ani stated that Tayyibat refers to what the Arabs consider good and flavorful, provided that its prohibition has not been stated in the Quran or Sunnah. (وَمَا عَلَّمْتُمْ) – This phrase is connected to Tayyibat with an omitted word, meaning “the game of what you have trained” (Ṣayd mā ʿallamtum). Alternatively, it can be an independent statement, where “this” is the subject, and “so eat” (fa-kulū) serves as its predicate. For the permissibility of consuming game hunted by trained animals, five conditions must be met:
1. Jawarḥ (Predatory animals) – The hunting animals must be of the type that hunts, such as dogs, falcons, or other predatory animals.
2. Taklīb (Training to hunt) – The animal must be trained for hunting.
3. Ta‘līm (Proper instruction) – It should be disciplined to catch prey without eating it itself.
4. Imsāk (Holding the prey) – The hunting animal should catch and hold the prey for the hunter.
5. Dhikr Ism Allah (Mentioning the name of Allah) – The name of Allah must be pronounced at the time of sending the hunting animal. (الْجَوَارِحِ) – This is the plural of Jariḥah, and Jarḥ means acquiring or earning, as mentioned in Surah Al-An‘am (6:60). In this context, it refers to animals such as dogs, leopards, falcons, and hawks—those that can be trained for hunting. Since Jarḥ also means injury or wounding, Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) considered causing a wound to be a necessary condition for lawful hunting. (مُكَلِّبِينَ) – Taklīb refers to sending and encouraging the animal for hunting. From this, it becomes clear that if, for example, a dog catches prey and kills it without being sent by its owner, the prey is not lawful to eat. (عَلَّمَكُمُ اللَّهُ) – This refers to the conditions set by Allah in the Quran and Sunnah regarding lawful hunting: the hunting animal should go only when sent by its owner, should return upon being called, and should not eat any part of the prey. (فَكُلُوا مِمَّا أَمْسَكْنَ) – Imsak means that the hunting animal does not consume any portion of the prey. Scholars have stipulated that for an animal to be considered properly trained (Mu‘allam), it must demonstrate this behavior three times consistently.