39/37. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 2233h — House Snakes and Named Exceptions
Killing Snakes Etc.
Hadith About House Snakes and the Exceptions to Kill
Sahih Muslim : 2233h
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 2233h
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ، - يَعْنِي الثَّقَفِيَّ - قَالَ سَمِعْتُ يَحْيَى، بْنَ سَعِيدٍ يَقُولُ أَخْبَرَنِي نَافِعٌ، أَنَّ أَبَا لُبَابَةَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْمُنْذِرِ الأَنْصَارِيَّ، - وَكَانَ مَسْكَنُهُ بِقُبَاءٍ فَانْتَقَلَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ - فَبَيْنَمَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ جَالِسًا مَعَهُ يَفْتَحُ خَوْخَةً لَهُ إِذَا هُمْ بِحَيَّةٍ مِنْ عَوَامِرِ الْبُيُوتِ فَأَرَادُوا قَتْلَهَا فَقَالَ أَبُو لُبَابَةَ إِنَّهُ قَدْ نُهِيَ عَنْهُنَّ - يُرِيدُ عَوَامِرَ الْبُيُوتِ - وَأُمِرَ بِقَتْلِ الأَبْتَرِ وَذِي الطُّفْيَتَيْنِ وَقِيلَ هُمَا اللَّذَانِ يَلْتَمِعَانِ الْبَصَرَ وَيَطْرَحَانِ أَوْلاَدَ النِّسَاءِ .
Nafi Narrated from:
Abu Lubaba b. 'Abd al-Mundhir al-Ansari (first) lived in Quba. He then shifted to Medina and as he was in the company of 'Abdullah b. 'Umar opening a window for him, he suddenly saw a snake in the house. They (the inmates of the house) attempted to kill that. Thereupon Abu Lubaba said: They had been forbidden to make an attempt to kill house snakes and they had been commanded to kill the snakes having small tails, small snakes and those having streaks over them, and it was said: Both of them affect the eyes and cause miscarriage to women.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2233hIn-book reference : Book 39, Hadith 183USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 26, Hadith 5550
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 2233h
Core Topic: House Snakes. This Hadith is a strong match for “hadith about house snakes and exceptions.” It says Abu Lubaba saw a snake in the house while with Ibn Umar, and people wanted to kill it. Abu Lubaba said they had been forbidden from killing house snakes. Then the report mentions the command to kill the short-tailed snake and the one with streaks. The reason stated is that both affect the eyes and cause miscarriage. This Hadith brings both sides together in one place. It teaches care: do not treat all snakes the same in this text. The house snakes are protected from immediate killing, while the named harmful types are treated differently.
What we learn from this hadith
- House snakes are mentioned as snakes they were forbidden to kill.
- The short-tailed and streaked snakes are named as exceptions.
- The harm mentioned in the text relates to eyesight and miscarriage.
- The Hadith teaches careful distinction between different cases.
