What is meant by al-mujaththamah (the animal that is used as a target)?

Praise be to Allah.

It is narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) forbade al-mujaththamah (the animal that is used as a target). That is in the hadeeth which was narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1393) from Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) forbade eating al-mujaththamah, which is the animal that has been shot to death with arrows. It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’ (6857). 

What is meant by al-mujaththamah has been explained by the narrator of the hadeeth who said: it is the animal that has been shot to death with arrows. 

In other words, it is the animal that has been held or tied and shot with arrows until it died. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) forbade eating it because it is maytah (dead meat), and has not been slaughtered in accordance with sharee’ah.