What is the interpretation of Allah's saying: "And to those who are Jews, We prohibited every animal with undivided hoofs"? And are camels and ostriches forbidden to them? And why is the rabbit forbidden to Jews?
The exegetes differed regarding the meaning of "every animal with an undivided hoof" (kulla dhi zhufurin) into three opinions, as mentioned by Ibn al-Jawzi: 1. That which does not have cloven hooves/split toes, such as camels, ostriches, geese, and ducks. This is the view of Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, and Qatadah. 2. Camels only. This is the view of Ibn Zayd. 3. Every animal with a hoof and every bird with a talon. This is the view of Ibn Qutaybah.
Accordingly, the rabbit is among the animals with undivided hooves/toes, as its toes are not cloven, and therefore it was forbidden to the Jews. Two opinions have been reported from Sa'id bin Jubayr concerning "dhi al-zhufur": the first is that it refers to that which does not have cloven hooves/split toes, and the second is that it refers to everything with separated toes.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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