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الادب المفرد
Adab al-Mufrad
كتاب السرف فى البناءBook of Extravagance in Building
بَابُ إِصْلاحِ الْمَنَازِلِChapter: Repairing Homes
Hadith 446
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عَجْلاَنَ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: كَانَ عُمَرُ يَقُولُ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، أَصْلِحُوا عَلَيْكُمْ مَثَاوِيكُمْ، وَأَخِيفُوا هَذِهِ الْجِنَّانَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُخِيفَكُمْ، فَإِنَّهُ لَنْ يَبْدُوَ لَكُمْ مُسْلِمُوهَا، وَإِنَّا وَاللَّهِ مَا سَالَمْنَاهُنَّ مُنْذُ عَادَيْنَاهُنَّ.
It is narrated from Aslam (may Allah have mercy on him) that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say from the pulpit: O people! Reform your homes and scare away (kill) these small snakes before they frighten you. Among them, those who are harmless or are Muslim (jinn) do not appear before you. By Allah! We have not made any truce with them since their enmity with us began.
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Maulana Usman Muneeb
Benefits and Issues:
➊ Umar radi Allahu anhu instructed the people to keep their homes proper and strong so that they may be protected from harm. If the house is in good condition and there are no holes or the like, then harmful creatures will not be able to enter.
➋ If a snake is seen in the house, instead of being afraid of it, it should be killed so that awe is established over them and they flee. If, out of fear, it is left alone, then they will become dominant. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
((مَنْ تَرَكَ شَیْئًا مِنْهُنَّ خَیْفَةً فَلَیْسَ مِنَّا)) (Sunan Abi Dawud: 5250)
“Whoever leaves any of them out of fear (that it might take revenge), he is not from us.”
➌ The jinn also take on the form of snakes. In the early days of Islam, many jinn became Muslim, so they used to live in Madinah and would sometimes appear in homes in the form of snakes. Therefore, it was commanded that one should say three times: ‘Leave the house,’ and if it appears after that, then it is permissible to kill it. In one narration, there is also the command to give a warning and respite for three days. (Abi Dawud: 5259) Later, unconditional permission to kill was given, as is evident from the statement of Sayyiduna Umar radi Allahu anhu, that those jinn who are Muslim do not appear in your homes in the form of snakes.
➍ Just as with humans, it is in the nature and instinct of the snake that it is not ready to accept defeat, and the urge for revenge is active within it. Therefore, it has been an enemy of man from the very beginning, and there has never been peace between them. Thus, instead of fearing it, one should attack it first.
➊ Umar radi Allahu anhu instructed the people to keep their homes proper and strong so that they may be protected from harm. If the house is in good condition and there are no holes or the like, then harmful creatures will not be able to enter.
➋ If a snake is seen in the house, instead of being afraid of it, it should be killed so that awe is established over them and they flee. If, out of fear, it is left alone, then they will become dominant. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
((مَنْ تَرَكَ شَیْئًا مِنْهُنَّ خَیْفَةً فَلَیْسَ مِنَّا)) (Sunan Abi Dawud: 5250)
“Whoever leaves any of them out of fear (that it might take revenge), he is not from us.”
➌ The jinn also take on the form of snakes. In the early days of Islam, many jinn became Muslim, so they used to live in Madinah and would sometimes appear in homes in the form of snakes. Therefore, it was commanded that one should say three times: ‘Leave the house,’ and if it appears after that, then it is permissible to kill it. In one narration, there is also the command to give a warning and respite for three days. (Abi Dawud: 5259) Later, unconditional permission to kill was given, as is evident from the statement of Sayyiduna Umar radi Allahu anhu, that those jinn who are Muslim do not appear in your homes in the form of snakes.
➍ Just as with humans, it is in the nature and instinct of the snake that it is not ready to accept defeat, and the urge for revenge is active within it. Therefore, it has been an enemy of man from the very beginning, and there has never been peace between them. Thus, instead of fearing it, one should attack it first.
Source: Fadlullah al-Ahad: Urdu Commentary on al-Adab al-Mufrad, Page: 446
