Sunan Abi Dawud 2564
سنن أبي داود#2564Sahihحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُرَّ عَلَيْهِ بِحِمَارٍ قَدْ وُسِمَ فِي وَجْهِهِ فَقَالَ " أَمَا بَلَغَكُمْ أَنِّي قَدْ لَعَنْتُ مَنْ وَسَمَ الْبَهِيمَةَ فِي وَجْهِهَا أَوْ ضَرَبَهَا فِي وَجْهِهَا " . فَنَهَى عَنْ ذَلِكَ .
Jabir reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying when an ass which had been branded on its face passed him. Did it not reach you that I cursed him who branded the animals on their faces or struck them on their faces. So he prohibited it
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
In-book reference: 15:88