Clarifying Hadith Reports

On one occasion, the Prophet instructed that the meat of sacrifice should not be kept for more than three days. On the basis of the apparent wording, some Companions understood this command to be permanent. Aisha alSiddiqah explained the wisdom behind the instruction and clarified that it was a temporary ruling. A man asked her: “Did the Messenger of God prohibit eating the meat of sacrifice after three days?” Aisha replied: “No. At that time, only a few people were able to offer sacrifice. Therefore, the Prophet gave this instruction so that those who had offered sacrifice would feed those who had not.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 24707) This correction by Aisha al-Siddiqah further shows that it is permissible to preserve sacrificial meat for a long period by modern methods. In relation to the present age, this clarification is extremely important. Had Aisha al-Siddiqah’s explanation not been available, the wisdom behind the hadith would have remained unclear, and people might have considered the preservation and later use of sacrificial meat to be contrary to Islamic teaching. It appears that the narrator, in his simplicity, did not fully understand the Prophet’s words. The Prophet had referred to a belief held by the people of the pre-Islamic age, but the narrator mistakenly attributed that belief to the Prophet himself. Aisha al-Siddiqah, however, possessed exceptional intelligence and, through her long