Muwatta
Malik
موطأ مالك
54
General Subjects
كتاب الاستئذان
Chapter 12: Killing Snakes and what is Said about them
Muwatta Malik 1924
Malik related to me from Safiyy, the mawla of Ibn Aflah that Abu's-Saib, the mawla of Hisham ibn Zuhra said, "I went to Abu Said al-Khudri and found him praying. I sat to wait for him until he finished the prayer. I heard a movement under a bed in his room, and it was a snake. I stood up to kill it, and Abu Said gestured to me to sit. When he was finished he pointed to a room in the house and said, 'Do you see this room?' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'There was a young boy in it who had just got married. He went out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to al-Khandaq, (the ditch which the muslims dug in the 5th year of the Hijra to defend Madina against the Quraysh and their allies). When he was there, the youth came and asked his permission, saying, "Messenger of Allah. Give me permission to return to my family." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave him permission and said, "Take your weapons with you, for I fear the Banu Quraydha tribe. They may harm you." The youth went to his family and found his wife standing between the two doors. He lifted his spear to stab her as jealousy had been aroused in him. She said, "Don't be hasty until you go in and see what is in your house." He entered and found a snake coiled up on his bed. He transfixed it with his spear and then went out with it and pitched it into the house. The snake stirred on the end of the spear and the youth fell dead. No one knew which of them died first, the snake or the youth. That was mentioned to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he said, "There are jinn in Madina who have become muslim. When you see one of them, call out to it for three days. If it appears after that, then kill it, for it is a shaytan." "'
وَحَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنْ صَيْفِيٍّ، مَوْلَى ابْنِ أَفْلَحَ عَنْ أَبِي السَّائِبِ، مَوْلَى هِشَامِ بْنِ زُهْرَةَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ فَوَجَدْتُهُ يُصَلِّي فَجَلَسْتُ أَنْتَظِرُهُ حَتَّى قَضَى صَلاَتَهُ فَسَمِعْتُ تَحْرِيكًا تَحْتَ سَرِيرٍ فِي بَيْتِهِ فَإِذَا حَيَّةٌ فَقُمْتُ لأَقْتُلَهَا فَأَشَارَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ أَنِ اجْلِسْ فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ أَشَارَ إِلَى بَيْتٍ فِي الدَّارِ فَقَالَ أَتَرَى هَذَا الْبَيْتَ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ . قَالَ إِنَّهُ قَدْ كَانَ فِيهِ فَتًى حَدِيثُ عَهْدٍ بِعُرْسٍ فَخَرَجَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلَى الْخَنْدَقِ فَبَيْنَا هُوَ بِهِ إِذْ أَتَاهُ الْفَتَى يَسْتَأْذِنُهُ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ائْذَنْ لِي أُحْدِثُ بِأَهْلِي عَهْدًا فَأَذِنَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَقَالَ " خُذْ عَلَيْكَ سِلاَحَكَ فَإِنِّي أَخْشَى عَلَيْكَ بَنِي قُرَيْظَةَ " فَانْطَلَقَ الْفَتَى إِلَى أَهْلِهِ فَوَجَدَ امْرَأَتَهُ قَائِمَةً بَيْنَ الْبَابَيْنِ فَأَهْوَى إِلَيْهَا بِالرُّمْحِ لِيَطْعُنَهَا وَأَدْرَكَتْهُ غَيْرَةٌ فَقَالَتْ لاَ تَعْجَلْ حَتَّى تَدْخُلَ وَتَنْظُرَ مَا فِي بَيْتِكَ . فَدَخَلَ فَإِذَا هُوَ بِحَيَّةٍ مُنْطَوِيَةٍ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ فَرَكَزَ فِيهَا رُمْحَهُ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ بِهَا فَنَصَبَهُ فِي الدَّارِ فَاضْطَرَبَتِ الْحَيَّةُ فِي رَأْسِ الرُّمْحِ وَخَرَّ الْفَتَى مَيِّتًا فَمَا يُدْرَى أَيُّهُمَا كَانَ أَسْرَعَ مَوْتًا الْفَتَى أَمِ الْحَيَّةُ فَذُكِرَ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " إِنَّ بِالْمَدِينَةِ جِنًّا قَدْ أَسْلَمُوا فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ مِنْهُمْ شَيْئًا فَآذِنُوهُ ثَلاَثَةَ أَيَّامٍ فَإِنْ بَدَا لَكُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَاقْتُلُوهُ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ شَيْطَانٌ " .