Bone (adhm): purity, use and retaliation

العَظْم

In the lexicon, adhm is the bone that has flesh on it, plural 'idham and 'izam ¹. Most jurists hold that a human bone is pure, whether living or dead, of a Muslim or not; that a fish bone stays pure after death; and that the bone of a lawfully slaughtered edible animal is pure and may be used ¹. The bone of carrion, or of a non-edible animal, is impure according to the Malikis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis and Ishaq, and cannot be purified; the Hanafis hold it pure, and 'Umar disliked oiling in ivory ^{1 2}. On cleansing after excretion with a bone, the Shafi'is and Hanbalis forbid it; the Hanafis dislike it as forbidden but accept that it suffices; the Malikis forbid a carrion bone and allow a pure bone with disapproval ^{2 3}. Most jurists allow retaliation for a bone only at a joint, since equality cannot be achieved elsewhere ³.