When did dead animals (mayta) become prohibited (haram) for muslims?

Question

I have gone through the verses in the Quran where dead animals (mayta) is mentioned to be prohibited for a Muslim to eat (except situations where it really is necessary). What I can recall for now is that I've read the verses: 2:173, 5:3, 6:145 , 16:115

Is it possible to draw a conclusion of when (mayta) first was prohibited in the Quran?
If possible, which verse would that be? In my (small) analyze I've done, I would guess it was in 16:115 or 2:173 (maybe in surat Ana'am too), but God knows best. Also I don't neglect the logical possibility that it was prohibited before it even was revealed in the Quran.

Are there records of hadiths where it says that dead animals (mayta) is prohibited to eat, before the prohibition was revealed in the Quran?
If records like that doesn't exist, it wouldn't mean it never was prohibited before, because truly we don't have all "hadiths" ever existed, so we can't know for sure.

Answer 1

The prohibition on eating dead animal meat is referenced to four surah's in Quran, which you also mentioned in the Question. They are

1. Al Baqarah (2:173)
2. Al Maidah (5:4)
3. Al An'aam (6:145)
4. Al Nahl (16 :115)

can be confirmed here

Now the question should be, which surah was descended first. As you can see here,

The list shows only Surah Al-An'aam and Al-Nahl were descended in Makkah. Now we have to find out, which surah descended first between these two?

You can see here, In the revelation order, that surah Al-An'aam was descended first in Makkah. Now about the time and the Prophet location, It can be seen here, The whole situation of Prophet is defined.

The finding of exact date and time for the descendance of this Surah is little vague, but It could be found with the clue, that is provided here,, that Prophet was going on a she-camel when this Surah was descended. If researched more finely, that on which day and time, Prophet was going where, The exact time and date of Prohibition of Dead Animal meat could be find out.

That will require more digging, I will update my answer, as soon as I find it. Hope it Helps.

Answer 2

I would like to add some of my further research which aims to answer the question: "Is it possible to draw a conclusion of when (mayta) first was prohibited in the Quran?".

As @Seeker said in his answer, I came to the conclusion that the first prohibition in the Quran of dead meat (mayta) was in either of the verses:

• Al-An'aam (6:145)
• An-Nahl (16:115)

In my research I found out that it seems that Surat An-Ana'am was revealed in the end of the Meccan period, probably the last year before the Hijra while Surat An-Nahl says to be revealed some months before the Hijra. This should then give that al-An'aam was revealed before. See "Muhammad Asad The Message of the Quran":

WITH the possible exception of two or three verses, the whole of this surah was revealed in one piece, towards the close of the Mecca period - almost certainly in the last year before the Prophet's exodus to Medina.

Muhammad Asad The Message of the Quran, Al-An'am (Cattle)

ACCORDING to almost all the authorities (including the Itqan), this Surah was revealed a few months before the Prophet's emigration to Medina. Although some commentators maintain that the last three verses belong to the Medina period, there is no evidence for this more or less speculative view.

Muhammad Asad The Message of the Quran, An-Nahl (The Bee)

The verse in Surat al-Ana'am helps us to understand that it was revealed before An-Nahl:

وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا كُلَّ ذِي ظُفُرٍ ۖ وَمِنَ الْبَقَرِ وَالْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ شُحُومَهُمَا إِلَّا مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُورُهُمَا أَوِ الْحَوَايَا أَوْ مَا اخْتَلَطَ بِعَظْمٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَاهُم بِبَغْيِهِمْ ۖ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ

And to those who are Jews We prohibited every animal of uncloven hoof; and of the cattle and the sheep We prohibited to them their fat, except what adheres to their backs or the entrails or what is joined with bone. [By] that We repaid them for their injustice. And indeed, We are truthful.

Surat Al-Ana'am, verse 146

We notice that this is one verse after the mentioned 6:145.

While in Surat An-Nahl it says:

وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا مَا قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَمَا ظَلَمْنَاهُمْ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

And to those who are Jews We have prohibited that which We related to you before. And We did not wrong them [thereby], but they were wronging themselves.

The key here is "which We related to you before", i.e at least in Surat Al-An'aam.

Conclusion

The first verse in the Quran which talks about mayta being prohibited should be in Surat Al-An'aam verse 145, this according to above comments.

This said, I still do not know when exactly mayta (dead meat) was prohibited the first time, because in the same Surat, some verses earlier it is said that the Muslims already has got a good explanation of what was forbidden to eat and what not:

وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلَّا تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُم مَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ

And why should you not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned while He has explained in detail to you what He has forbidden you, excepting that to which you are compelled

Surat Al-Ana'am, verse 119

This would then indicate that the Prophet (saw) had instructed the believers (by wahy which wasn't revelead in the Quran) of what to eat (and not to eat) before any verse was revealed.