Cutting grass (ihtishash)

احتشاش

Ihtishash is cutting grass. Outside the sanctuary it is lawful unless the grass is owned, in which case the owner's permission is needed. ¹ Inside the sanctuary the grass that no one owns may not be cut, except idhkhir and its kind; al-Shafi'i, the Hanbalis and one view of Abu Yusuf allow cutting it to feed animals. ¹ On theft of cut grass, the Malikis and Shafi'is cut the hand if it is taken from a store and reaches the threshold, and the Hanafis do not. ¹ A ruler may forbid cutting grass in a place he reserves as a protected pasture. ²