from the Book Ahkām wa Masā’il Kitāb o Sunnat ki Roshni Mein by Shaykh Mubashar Ahmad Rabbānī
Does one receive the reward of a hundred good deeds for killing a lizard? Kindly clarify in light of authentic ḥadīths.
Killing a lizard (al-wazagh) is considered recommended (mustaḥabb) in Islam.
The Sharīʿah has declared it a fawaysiq (small, harmful creature), and encouraged its killing.
The reward varies based on how quickly it is killed:
If killed in the first strike, a person earns one hundred good deeds.
If killed in the second, then less than that,
and in the third, even lesser.
❖ Umm Sharīk رضي الله عنها narrates:
«أن النبي ﷺ أمر بقتل الأوزاغ»
“The Prophet ﷺ commanded the killing of lizards.”
❖ ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها narrated:
«قال النبي ﷺ للوزغ الفويسق»
“The Prophet ﷺ called the lizard a ‘fawaysiq’ (a sinful, wicked creature).”
❖ Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported:
«من قتل وزغًا في أول ضربة كُتبت له مائة حسنة، وفي الثانية دون ذلك، وفي الثالثة دون ذلك»
“Whoever kills a lizard in the first strike, one hundred good deeds will be recorded for him.
In the second strike, less than that.
In the third strike, even less.”
❖ Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها also narrated an incident:
Sāʾibah, a servant of Khāqān ibn Mughīrah, once visited ʿĀ’ishah and noticed a spear in her house.
She asked, “O Mother of the Believers, what do you do with this spear?”
ʿĀ’ishah replied:
“We use it to kill lizards, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us that when Ibrāhīm ʿalayhis-salām was thrown into the fire, every creature on earth tried to extinguish the fire — except the lizard, which was blowing to fan the flames. Hence, the Prophet ﷺ commanded its killing.”
Imām al-Būṣīrī رحمه الله authenticated this narration in Zawāʾid Ibn Mājah.
Some narrations mention 100 good deeds, while others mention 70.
There is no contradiction between them. This could be due to:
① Variation in the reward based on the sincerity (ikhlāṣ) of the person,
② Or, the Prophet ﷺ initially mentioned 70, then later informed of 100,
③ Or simply because 70 is included within 100.
As clarified by Imām Nawawī and Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ in their commentaries, both numbers are valid and supported by authentic chains.
❖ Killing a lizard is rewarded, and the earlier it is killed, the greater the reward.
❖ The lizard is considered a wicked creature (fāsiqah) in Islamic teachings.
❖ The first strike earns up to 100 good deeds as per authentic ḥadīths.
❖ Question:
Does one receive the reward of a hundred good deeds for killing a lizard? Kindly clarify in light of authentic ḥadīths.
✿ Answer:
Killing a lizard (al-wazagh) is considered recommended (mustaḥabb) in Islam.
The Sharīʿah has declared it a fawaysiq (small, harmful creature), and encouraged its killing.
The reward varies based on how quickly it is killed:
If killed in the first strike, a person earns one hundred good deeds.
If killed in the second, then less than that,
and in the third, even lesser.
Evidence from Authentic Ḥadīths:
❖ Umm Sharīk رضي الله عنها narrates:
«أن النبي ﷺ أمر بقتل الأوزاغ»
“The Prophet ﷺ commanded the killing of lizards.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Salām, Bāb Istiḥbāb Qatl al-Wazagh, Ḥadīth: 2237
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb Badʾ al-Khalq, Ḥadīth: 3307
❖ ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها narrated:
«قال النبي ﷺ للوزغ الفويسق»
“The Prophet ﷺ called the lizard a ‘fawaysiq’ (a sinful, wicked creature).”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3306 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2239
❖ Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported:
«من قتل وزغًا في أول ضربة كُتبت له مائة حسنة، وفي الثانية دون ذلك، وفي الثالثة دون ذلك»
“Whoever kills a lizard in the first strike, one hundred good deeds will be recorded for him.
In the second strike, less than that.
In the third strike, even less.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Ḥadīth: 2240/147
❖ Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها also narrated an incident:
Sāʾibah, a servant of Khāqān ibn Mughīrah, once visited ʿĀ’ishah and noticed a spear in her house.
She asked, “O Mother of the Believers, what do you do with this spear?”
ʿĀ’ishah replied:
“We use it to kill lizards, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us that when Ibrāhīm ʿalayhis-salām was thrown into the fire, every creature on earth tried to extinguish the fire — except the lizard, which was blowing to fan the flames. Hence, the Prophet ﷺ commanded its killing.”
Reference: Sunan Ibn Mājah, Bāb Qatl al-Wazagh, Ḥadīth: 3231
Reference: Musnad Aḥmad: 6/83 | Ḥadīths: 24534, 25039
Reference: Fatḥ al-Bārī: 6/354
Imām al-Būṣīrī رحمه الله authenticated this narration in Zawāʾid Ibn Mājah.
❖ Clarification of Reward Discrepancy:
Some narrations mention 100 good deeds, while others mention 70.
There is no contradiction between them. This could be due to:
① Variation in the reward based on the sincerity (ikhlāṣ) of the person,
② Or, the Prophet ﷺ initially mentioned 70, then later informed of 100,
③ Or simply because 70 is included within 100.
As clarified by Imām Nawawī and Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ in their commentaries, both numbers are valid and supported by authentic chains.
✔ Conclusion:
❖ Killing a lizard is rewarded, and the earlier it is killed, the greater the reward.
❖ The lizard is considered a wicked creature (fāsiqah) in Islamic teachings.
❖ The first strike earns up to 100 good deeds as per authentic ḥadīths.
