Does the prohibition on killing a hoopoe also prohibit keeping it?
2026-10-13
F196 · Selected fatwas
Shaykh Ibn Bāz
الشيخ عبد العزيز بن عبد الله بن باز
Original Q&A · Complete published question and answer
The complete published question and answer. The conditions of treating the bird well, feeding it and not killing it are retained.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
تقول: لقد سمعت عن الكثير من الناس يقولون: بأن من يمسك بالهدهد محرم، هل هذا صحيح؟
الجواب
الهدهد لا يقتل، الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن قتل الهدهد لا يقتل، لكن إذا أمسكه يكرمه ويطعمه ولا يقتله؛ لا حرج في ذلك، أما يمسكه للقتل ما يجوز، نعم.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
She says: I have heard many people say that catching a hoopoe is forbidden. Is this correct?
Answer
The hoopoe is not to be killed. The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade killing the hoopoe; it is not to be killed. But if someone catches it, treats it well, feeds it and does not kill it, there is no harm in that. Catching it in order to kill it, however, is not permissible. Yes.
Source and editorial notes
Official Ibn Bāz website, fatwa 11796
الموقع الرسمي للشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Official Ibn Bāz website
Complete published Arabic question and answer checked against the official source, including presenter follow-ups where present. Arabic diacritics omitted and honorific glyphs expanded for display. Source footnotes are kept separate.