Today is 5th of Rajab 1447AH (26 December 2025) and a Day of Jumu’ah (Friday)
“The Book of Sacrificial Slaughter and Hunting (Kitabu al-Dhaba’ih wa al-Sayd)
Narrated Abu Musa:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘The example of a good pious companion and an evil one is that of a person carrying musk and another blowing a pair of bellows. The one who is carrying musk will either give you some perfume as a present, or you will buy some from him, or you will get a good smell from him, but the one who is blowing a pair of bellows will either burn your clothes or you will get a bad smell from him.”
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ بُرَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي بُرْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ مَثَلُ الْجَلِيسِ الصَّالِحِ وَالسَّوْءِ كَحَامِلِ الْمِسْكِ وَنَافِخِ الْكِيرِ، فَحَامِلُ الْمِسْكِ إِمَّا أَنْ يُحْذِيَكَ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ تَبْتَاعَ مِنْهُ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ تَجِدَ مِنْهُ رِيحًا طَيِّبَةً، وَنَافِخُ الْكِيرِ إِمَّا أَنْ يُحْرِقَ ثِيَابَكَ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ تَجِدَ رِيحًا خَبِيثَةً .
Sahih al-Bukhari 5534
NOTE 📝
1. In his commentary of this hadith, Shaykh Ibn Salih Al-Uthaymeen explained that Al-Bukhari’s intent is to clarify that musk is pure and lawful collecting this hadith in this book. He stated that it is explained that musk comes from a type of gazelle: after the animal runs, blood collects near its navel, is tightly bound, dries, and later separates. When opened, this substance is found to be musk; one of the finest and most fragrant perfumes. This transformation from blood into a pleasant scent illustrates how musk differs in reality and ruling from ordinary blood, despite its origin. – Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, Ibn Salih Al-Uthaymeen
2. The Shaykh also stated that to emphasize this meaning, he cited the famous verse of al-Mutanabbī, noting that musk is originally part of the gazelle’s blood, yet it is incomparable to blood in its final state. On this basis, scholars made an exception to the general rule derived from the hadith, “Whatever is cut from a living animal is like its dead body,” stating that musk and its pouch are excluded. Due to its transformation and distinct nature, musk remains pure and permissible despite its origin. – Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, Ibn Salih Al-Uthaymeen
3. This hadith teach that Islamic rulings are based on the true nature and final state of things, not merely their origin. Although musk originates from blood, it undergoes transformation (istihaalah) into a pure, fragrant substance, which makes it lawful and pure by consensus of the scholars. This establishes an important principle: transformation can change legal rulings, and not everything that comes from something impure remains impure.
Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful.
