The Case of the Tails of Sheep Cut off into two and the Animal Hunted

“Once a man asked abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), when I was with him (the Imam), about the tails of sheep being cut off. He (the Imam) said, ’It is not unlawful if it serves your interest. 5 He (the Imam) then said, ’It is in the book of Ali (a.s.), that whatever is cut off from sheep, is dead and must not be used to benefit thereby.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ’If the tails of sheep are cut off when the sheep is alive, the tail is dead like being slaughtered improperly.’”

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), saying, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, people who live in the mountains cut off the tails of their sheep because they become very large.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not lawful (inedible).’ I then asked, saying, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, can it be used in lamps for lighting during the night? He (the Imam) said, ‘You must take notice that it can come in contact with your hand and clothes and it is unlawful.’”

“About the case of a man who hunts a prey and cuts it into two pieces, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘He can use both of them for food but if he cuts a part only he then must not eat what is cut off but he can eat the rest.’”