Al-Kāfi - The Book of Food

Chapter: Comprehensive Chapter on Animals that are not Edible َّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْ٠َّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ الْأَشْعَرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا ( عليه السلا٠) قَالَ الْفِيلُ ٠َلِكاً زَنَّاءً وَ الذِّئْبُ ٠َسْخٌ كَانَ أَعْرَابِيّاً دَيُّوثاً وَ الْأَرْنَبُ ٠ْرَأَةً تَخُونُ زَوْجَهَا وَ لَا تَغْتَسِلُ ٠ِنْ حَيْضِهَا وَ الْوَطْوَاطُ ٠َسْخٌ كَانَ يَسْرِقُ تُ٠ُورَ النَّاسِ وَ الْقِرَدَةُ وَ الْخَنَازِيرُ قَوْ٠ِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اعْتَدَوْا فِي السَّبْتِ وَ الْجِرِّيثُ وَ الضَّبُّ فِرْقَةٌ ٠ِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ لَ٠ِنُوا حَيْثُ نَزَلَتِ الْ٠َائِدَةُ عَلَى عِيسَى ابْنِ ٠) فَتَاهُوا فَوَقَعَتْ فِرْقَةٌ فِي الْبَحْرِ وَ فِرْقَةٌ فِي الْبَرِّ وَ الْفَأْرَةُ فَهِيَ الْفُوَيْسِقَةُ وَ الْعَقْرَبُ كَانَ نَ٠اً وَ الدُّبُّ وَ الزُّنْبُورُ كَانَتْ لَحَّا٠اً يَسْرِقُ فِي الْ٠14.

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn al-Hassan al-Ash‘ariy who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘The Elephant is metamorphosed, he was a king who fornicated. The wolf is metamorphosed. He was an A’rabi and a pimp. The Fox is metamorphosed. She was a woman who cheated her husband and would not take Ghusl (bath) because of her Hayd (menses). The Bat is metamorphosed. He stole people’s dates.

The apes and pigs were from people of banu Israel who transgressed on Sabat. Eel and lizard are from a group of banu Israel who did not believe in the table sent for Jesus, son of Mary Alayhi al-Salam. They strayed, one group fell in the sea and one group remained on land. The Rat is metamorphosed; it is the indecent woman. The scorpion is metamorphosed. It was a taleteller.

The bear is metamorphosed and the wasp was a butcher who stole from the balance.’” جهول - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (22/35))