Chapter 175: Regarding killing snakes - كتاب الأدب
Narrated Al-Abbas ibn AbdulMuttalib:
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مَرْوَانُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنْ مُوسَى الطَّحَّانِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ سَابِطٍ، عَنِ الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِنَّا نُرِيدُ أَنْ نَكْنِسَ زَمْزَمَ وَإِنَّ فِيهَا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْجِنَّانِ - يَعْنِي الْحَيَّاتِ الصِّغَارَ - فَأَمَرَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِقَتْلِهِنَّ .
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.
Kill snakes, kill those which have two streaks and those with small tails, for they obliterate the eyesight and cause miscarriage.
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.
Chapter 175: Regarding killing snakes - كتاب الأدب
Abu Lubabah said:
حَدَّثَنَا الْقَعْنَبِيُّ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ أَبِي لُبَابَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَهَى عَنْ قَتْلِ الْجِنَّانِ الَّتِي تَكُونُ فِي الْبُيُوتِ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ ذَا الطُّفْيَتَيْنِ وَالأَبْتَرَ فَإِنَّهُمَا يَخْطِفَانِ الْبَصَرَ وَيَطْرَحَانِ مَا فِي بُطُونِ النِّسَاءِ .
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.
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'.
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.
Chapter 175: Regarding killing snakes - كتاب الأدب
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.
Chapter 175: Regarding killing snakes - كتاب الأدب
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 :
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
A woman used to perform circumcision in Medina. The Prophet (ﷺ) said to her: Do not cut severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband.
Abu Dawud said: It has been transmitted by 'Ubaid Allah b. 'Amr from 'Abd al-Malik to the same effect through a different chain.
Abu Dawud said: It is not a strong tradition. It has been transmitted in mursal form (missing the link of the Companions)
Abu Dawud said: Muhammad b. Hasan is obscure, and this tradition is weak.
AbuUsayd heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say when he was coming out of the mosque, and men and women were mingled in the road: Draw back, for you must not walk in the middle of the road; keep to the sides of the road. Then women were keeping so close to the wall that their garments were rubbing against it.
Allah most high says : “The son of Adam injures me by abusing time, whereas I am time. Authority is in my hand. I alternate the night and the day”.
Ibn al-Sarh said: “on the authority of Ibn al-Musayyab instead of Sa’id’.