General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)

كتاب الأدب

Chapter 176: Regarding killing snakes

Narrated Al-Abbas ibn AbdulMuttalib

Al-Abbas said to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): We wish to sweep out Zamzam, but in it there are some of these Jinnan, meaning small snakes; so the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ordered that they should be killed.

Ibn ‘Umar reported the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) as saying

Salim said: ‘Abd Allah(b. ‘Umar) used to kill every snake which he found. Abu Lubabah or Zaid b. al-Khattab saw him chasing a snake. He said: He(the Prophet) prohibited house-snakes.

Abu Lubabah said

The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) prohibited killing the jinnan(small snakes) that are in the house, except the one which have two streaks and the one with small tail, for they obliterate the eyesight and cause miscarriage.

Nafi said

After that, that is, after Abu Lubabah had mentioned him this tradition, Ibn ‘Umar found a snake in his house; he commanded regarding it and it was driven away to al-Baqi'.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Nafi through a different chain of transmitters. In this version Nafi said

After that I saw it again in his house.

Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri

Muhammad ibn AbuYahya said that his father told that he and his companion went to AbuSa'id al-Khudri to pay a sick visit to him. He said: Then we came out from him and met a companion of ours who wanted to go to him. We went ahead and sat in the mosque. He then came back and told us that he heard AbuSa'id al-Khudri say: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Some snakes are jinn; so when anyone sees one of them in his house, he should give it a warning three times. If it return (after that), he should kill it, for it is a devil.

Abu al-Sa’ib said I went to visit Abu Sa’ld al-Khudri, and while I was sitting I heard a movement under under his couch. When I looked and found a snake there, I got up. Abu Sa’ld said

what is with you? I said : Here is a snake. He said : what do you want ? I said : I shall kill it. He then pointed to a room in his house in front of his room and said : My cousin (son of my uncle) was in this room. He asked his permission to go to his wife on the occasion of the battle of Troops (Ahzab), as he was recently married. The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) gave him permission and ordered him to take his weapon with him. He came to his house and found his wife standing at the door of the house. When he pointed to her with the lance, she said; do not make haste till you see what has brought me out. He entered the house and found an ugly snake there. He pierced in the lance while it was quivering. He said : I do not know which of them died first, the man or the snake. His people then came to the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) and said: supplicate Allah to restore our companion to life for us. He said : Ask forgiveness for your Companion. Then he said : In Medina a group of Jinn have embraced Islam, so when you see one of them, pronounce a waring to it three times and if it appears to you after that, kill it after three days.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Ibn 'Ajilan through a different chain of narrators briefly. This version has

He should give it a warning three times. If it appears to him after that, he should kill it, for it is a devil.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri in a similar manner through a different chain of narrators. This version is more perfect. In this version he said

give it a warning for three days; if it appears to you after that, then kill it, for it is only a devil.

Narrated AbdurRahman Ibn AbuLayla

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked about the house-snakes. He said: When you see one of them in your dwelling, say: I adjure you by the covenant which Noah made with you, and I adjure you by the covenant which Solomon made with you not to harm us. Then if they come back, kill them.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

Kill all the snakes except the little white one which looks like a silver wand.

Abu Dawud said: A man said to me: A white snake does not wind in its movement. If it is correct, that is a sign in it, if Allah wills.

Chapter 177: Regarding killing geckos

‘Amir b. Sa’d, quoting his father, said

The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) ordered a gecko to be killed, and calling it a noxious little creature.

Narrated AbuHurayrah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone kills a gecko with the first blow, such and such number of good deeds will be recorded for him, if he kills it with the second blow, such and such number of good deeds will be recorded for him less than the former; and if he kills it with the third blow, such and such number of good deeds will be recorded for him, less than the former.

Narrated AbuHurayrah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: For the first blow seventy good deeds will be recorded.

Chapter 178: Regarding killing ants

Abu hurairah reported the prophet (peace be upon him) as saying

A prophet got down beneath a tree and he was stung by an ant. He ordered regarding the baggage and it was removed from beneath it. He then ordered regarding it and it was burnt. Allah then revealed to him : why not (just) one ant?

Abu Hurairah reported Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying

An ant stung a prophet. He ordered a colony of ants to be burned. Allah revealed to him : because an ant stung you, you have perished a community which glorifies Me.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited to kill four creatures: ants, bees, hoopoes, and sparrow-hawks.

‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd Allah quoted his father as saying

When we were on a journey with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he had gone to releive himself, we saw a Hummarah with two young ones. We took the young ones. The Hummarah came and began to spread out its wings. Then the prophet (May peace be upon him) came and said : who has pained this young by the loss of her young? Give her young ones back to her. We also saw an ant-hill which we had burned. He asked? Who has burned this? We replied : we have. He said: it is not fitting that anyone but the lord of the fire should punish with fire.

Chapter 179: Regarding killing frogs

Narrated AbdurRahman ibn Uthman

When a physician consulted the Prophet (ﷺ) about putting frogs in medicine, he forbade him to kill them.

Chapter 180: Regarding throwing stones

‘Abd b. Mughaffal said

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibited throwing pebbles (in sport) saying : game is not caught by such means. Neither is an enemy injured, but it may sometimes put out an eye or break a tooth.