Narrated Ali bin Abi Talib – may God be pleased with him – he said: “A mule was given to the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, and he rode it. Ali said: If we made donkeys mate with horses, would we have something like this? The Messenger of God – may God’s prayers and peace be upon him – said: Only those who do not know do that.” Narrated by Abu Dawood.
In an-Nasa’i narration, the Messenger of God – may God’s prayers and peace be upon him – said: “He said: A donkey does not mate with a horse.” Al-Nasa’i narrated it in his Sunan, Ahmad in “Al-Musnad” and Al-Nawawi in “Al-Majmoo’.” Al-Albani said: Its chain of transmission is authentic.
In the explanation of the hadith, it was stated that the horse is an animal of great importance, especially in wars and conquests in the cause of God. Therefore, the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, honored her by not mating with donkeys; So that they remain purebred horses, and their offspring is pure.
And the mule in the hadith is an animal between a donkey and a horse
And Imam Ali’s saying: “If we make donkeys mate with horses,” he means that donkeys mate with the foal in order to procreate, and he said: “So we had the like of this,” meaning that the mules were produced for us.
The response of the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, was that only those who do not know the rulings of Sharia, or who do not know what is the first and most appropriate, or who do not know the importance and value of horses, do that, so they strive to produce mules, and thus the number of horses decreases, which is reflected in the jihad for the sake of Allah.
And the scholars said in this hadith that God has blessed us with mules, as he entrusted him with horses and donkeys, in the Almighty’s saying:
They said that it is permissible to take and ride mules, as the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, was riding a mule on the day of Hunayn. Rather, the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, forbade Banu Hashim because of their lack of horses.
Ibn Abbas – may God be pleased with him – said: “…and he (peace and blessings of God be upon him) did not single us out for anything, except with three qualities: He commanded us to perform ablution perfectly, not to eat charity, and not to pair a donkey with a dowry.” An authentic hadith narrated by Abu Dawood, An-Nasa’i and Ahmad in his Musnad.
