صحيح مسلم
Muslim
كتاب السلامThe Book of Greetings
باب قَتْلِ الْحَيَّاتِ وَغَيْرِهَا:Chapter: Killing Snakes Etc.
Hadith 2236
وحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَرْحٍ ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ وَهْبٍ ، أَخْبَرَنِي مَالِكُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ ، عَنْ صَيْفِيٍّ وَهُوَ عِنْدَنَا مَوْلَى ابْنِ أَفْلَح ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو السَّائِبِ مَوْلَى هِشَامِ بْنِ زُهْرَةَ ، أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ عَلَى أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ فِي بَيْتِهِ ، قَالَ : فَوَجَدْتُهُ يُصَلِّي ، فَجَلَسْتُ أَنْتَظِرُهُ حَتَّى يَقْضِيَ صَلَاتَهُ ، فَسَمِعْتُ تَحْرِيكًا فِي عَرَاجِينَ فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْبَيْتِ ، فَالْتَفَتُّ فَإِذَا حَيَّةٌ فَوَثَبْتُ لِأَقْتُلَهَا ، فَأَشَارَ إِلَيَّ أَنِ اجْلِسْ فَجَلَسْتُ فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ أَشَارَ إِلَى بَيْتٍ فِي الدَّارِ ، فَقَالَ : أَتَرَى هَذَا الْبَيْتَ ؟ ، فَقُلْتُ : نَعَمْ ، قَالَ : كَانَ فِيهِ فَتًى مِنَّا حَدِيثُ عَهْدٍ بِعُرْسٍ ، قَالَ : فَخَرَجْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى الْخَنْدَقِ ، فَكَانَ ذَلِكَ الْفَتَى يَسْتَأْذِنُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِأَنْصَافِ النَّهَارِ ، فَيَرْجِعُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ ، فَاسْتَأْذَنَهُ يَوْمًا ، فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " خُذْ عَلَيْكَ سِلَاحَكَ فَإِنِّي أَخْشَى عَلَيْكَ قُرَيْظَةَ " ، فَأَخَذَ الرَّجُلُ سِلَاحَهُ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ ، فَإِذَا امْرَأَتُهُ بَيْنَ الْبَابَيْنِ قَائِمَةً ، فَأَهْوَى إِلَيْهَا الرُّمْحَ لِيَطْعُنَهَا بِهِ ، وَأَصَابَتْهُ غَيْرَةٌ ، فَقَالَتْ لَهُ : اكْفُفْ عَلَيْكَ رُمْحَكَ وَادْخُلِ الْبَيْتَ حَتَّى تَنْظُرَ مَا الَّذِي أَخْرَجَنِي ، فَدَخَلَ فَإِذَا بِحَيَّةٍ عَظِيمَةٍ مُنْطَوِيَةٍ عَلَى الْفِرَاشِ ، فَأَهْوَى إِلَيْهَا بِالرُّمْحِ فَانْتَظَمَهَا بِهِ ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَرَكَزَهُ فِي الدَّارِ ، فَاضْطَرَبَتْ عَلَيْهِ ، فَمَا يُدْرَى أَيُّهُمَا كَانَ أَسْرَعَ مَوْتًا الْحَيَّةُ أَمْ الْفَتَى ، قَالَ : فَجِئْنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَذَكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ لَهُ ، وَقُلْنَا ادْعُ اللَّهَ يُحْيِيهِ لَنَا ، فَقَالَ : " اسْتَغْفِرُوا لِصَاحِبِكُمْ " ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : " إِنَّ بِالْمَدِينَةِ جِنًّا قَدْ أَسْلَمُوا ، فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ مِنْهُمْ شَيْئًا ، فَآذِنُوهُ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ ، فَإِنْ بَدَا لَكُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ ، فَاقْتُلُوهُ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ شَيْطَانٌ " .
Abu as-Sa'ib, the freed slaved of Hisham bin Zuhra, said that he visited Abu Sa'id Khudri in his house, (and he further) said: I found him saying his prayer, so I sat down waiting for him to finish his prayer when I heard a stir in the bundles (of wood) lying in a corner of the house. I looked towards it and found a snake. I jumped up in order to kill it, but he (Abu Sa'id Khudri) made a gesture that I should sit down. So I sat down and as he finished (the prayer) he pointed to a room in the house and said: Do you see this room? I said: Yes. He said: There was a young man amongst us who had been newly wedded. We went with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (to participate in the Battle) of Trench when a young man in the midday used to seek permission from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to return to his family. One day he sought permission from him and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) after granting him the permission said to him: Carry your weapons with you for I fear the tribe of Quraiza may harm you. The man carried the weapons and then came back and found his wife standing between the two doors. He bent towards her smitten by jealousy and made a dash towards her with a spear in order to stab her. She said: Keep your spear away and enter the house until you see that which has made me come out. He entered and found a big snake coiled on the bedding. He darted with the spear and pierced it and then went out having fixed it in the house, but the snake quivered and attacked him and no one knew which of them died first, the snake or the young man. We came to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) and made a mention to him and said: Supplicate to Allah that that (man) may be brought back to life. Thereupon he said: Ask forgiveness for your companion and then said: There are in Madinah jinns who have accepted Islam, so when you see any one of them, pronounce a warning to it for three days, and if they appear before you after that, then kill it for that is a devil.
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وحدثني مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا وَهْبُ بْنُ جَرِيرِ بْنِ حَازِمٍ ، حدثنا أبى ، قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ أَسْمَاءَ بْنَ عُبَيْدٍ يُحَدِّثُ ، عَنْ رَجُلٍ يُقَالُ لَهُ السَّائِبُ وَهُوَ عِنْدَنَا أَبُو السَّائِبِ ، قال : دَخَلْنَا عَلَى أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ ، فَبَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ جُلُوسٌ إِذْ سَمِعْنَا تَحْتَ سَرِيرِهِ حَرَكَةً ، فَنَظَرْنَا فَإِذَا حَيَّةٌ ، وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ بِقِصَّتِهِ نَحْوَ ، حَدِيثِ مَالِكٍ ، عَنْ صَيْفِيٍّ ، وَقَالَ فِيهِ : فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " إِنَّ لِهَذِهِ الْبُيُوتِ عَوَامِرَ ، فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ شَيْئًا مِنْهَا ، فَحَرِّجُوا عَلَيْهَا ثَلَاثًا فَإِنْ ذَهَبَ ، وَإِلَّا فَاقْتُلُوهُ فَإِنَّهُ كَافِرٌ " ، وَقَالَ لَهُمْ : " اذْهَبُوا فَادْفِنُوا صَاحِبَكُمْ " .
Asma' bin 'Ubaid reported about a person who was called as-Sa'ib having said: We visited Abu Sa'id Khudri. When we had been sitting (with him) we heard a stir under his bed. When we looked we found a big snake, the rest of the hadith is the same. And in this Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) is reported to have said: Verily in these houses there live aged (snakes), so when you see one of them, make life hard for it for three days, and if it goes away (well and good), otherwise kill it for (in that case) it would be a nonbeliever. And he (the Holy Prophet) said (to his Companions): Go and bury your companion (who had died by the snake bite).
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وحَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَي بْنُ سَعِيدٍ ، عَنْ ابْنِ عَجْلَانَ ، حَدَّثَنِي صَيْفِيٌّ ، عَنْ أَبِي السَّائِبِ ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ ، قال : سَمِعْتُهُ قَالَ : قال رسول اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ " إِنَّ بِالْمَدِينَةِ نَفَرًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ قَدْ أَسْلَمُوا ، فَمَنْ رَأَى شَيْئًا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْعَوَامِرِ ، فَلْيُؤْذِنْهُ ثَلَاثًا ، فَإِنْ بَدَا لَهُ بَعْدُ ، فَلْيَقْتُلْهُ فَإِنَّهُ شَيْطَانٌ " .
Abu Sa'id Khudri reported Allah's Messenger having said: There is a group of jinns in Madinah who accepted Islam, so he who would see anything from these occupants should warn him three times; and if he appears after that, he should kill him for he is a satan.
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Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi
Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: From this hadith, it is understood that in Madinah Munawwarah, some jinn had become Muslim and had taken up residence in the houses of Madinah, and they would sometimes appear in the form of snakes. Therefore, the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) could not discern whether it was a jinn, so the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade them from killing household snakes and instructed that they should be told: "Within two or three days, leave this place and do not be a cause of harm or distress for us. If after that they appear again, then kill them." For this reason, some of the Imams are of the opinion that this warning and admonition pertains only to Madinah Munawwarah. However, in other ahadith, the prohibition of killing household snakes is mentioned without restriction, so this ruling applies to all household snakes, regardless of the region. Some scholars have narrated this method: "I remind you of the covenant that Sulayman bin Dawud (alayhimas salam) took from you, that you will not harm us and will not appear before us." And Imam Malik (rahimahullah) says: It is sufficient to say, "I constrain you by Allah and by the Day of Judgment, do not appear before us and do not harm us."
Source: Tuhfat al-Muslim: Commentary on Sahih Muslim, Page: 5839
