Did the jurists mention the principle "The basic ruling concerning meat is prohibition" in their books, meaning its absolute application to include both meat and animals? And who are the early jurists who adopted it absolutely, and who among them restricted it to include meat but not animals, as mentioned by Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen?

The fundamental principle concerning slaughtered animals and meat is prohibition, unless it is known that they have been slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law. This has been affirmed by scholars such as An-Nawawi, Ar-Rafi'i, Ibn Al-Qayyim, Ibn Rajab, As-Sa'di, and Ibn 'Uthaymeen. They base this on the principle that the default state is prohibition unless there is evidence of permissibility, and that if a permitting cause and a prohibiting cause converge, prohibition is given precedence as a precautionary measure. As for a living animal, the default state is permissibility, except for what has been excluded by a legal text or by harm, such as prohibited animals like swine and those with fangs and claws, or what has been commanded to be killed, or what is considered impure. Thus, the distinction between a living animal and meat or a slaughtered animal is clear: the default state for a living animal is permissibility, and for meat and a slaughtered animal, it is prohibition.