Musnad Ahmad

Abu Sa’ib (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates: Once I came to Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him). I had just sat down with him when I sensed some movement under the bed. I looked and saw a snake there. I immediately stood up. Abu Sa’id (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, “What happened?” I said, “There is a snake here.” He asked, “What do you intend to do now?” I said, “I will kill it.” He pointed towards a room in his house—which was right in front of his own room—and said: “A cousin of mine used to live here. On the day of the Battle of the Trench, he sought permission from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to return to his family, as he had recently gotten married. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) granted him permission and instructed him to take his weapon with him. When he reached his house, he saw his wife standing at the door. He pointed his spear towards his wife, and she said, ‘Do not be hasty in killing me. First see what forced me to come out of the house.’ He entered the house and saw a strange and unusual snake there. He struck it with his spear and dragged it outside with the spear. I do not know which of the two died first—the young man or the snake. His people came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and requested, ‘Pray to Allah to return our companion to us.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said twice, ‘Seek forgiveness for your companion.’ Then he said, ‘A group of jinn have accepted Islam, so if any of you sees a snake, he should warn it three times. If he still deems it appropriate to kill it, then after the third warning, he may kill it.’”