Killing a Lizard - A Good Deed?

[Haya]

[8:26PM, 7/11/2016] Inquirer: Is killing a lizard a good deed?

 

[8:59PM, 7/11/2016] Mufti Ismail Moosa: Nope, just permissible.

 

[9:06PM, 7/11/2016] Inquirer: Jazakallah, but here's a confusion as the following fatwa says otherwise, what would you say about that Sir?

 

"Q: I have heard that if one kills a lizard one will get reward. Is this true?

 

A:Yes this is true. In fact it comes in the hadith that if you kill it with one strike you will get the most reward, with two strikes you will get a lesser reward and with three strikes you will get an even lesser reward."

 

islamqa.org

 

 

[9:09PM, 7/11/2016] Mufti Ismail Moosa: The Hadith uses the word Wazagh. It's not the normal lizard.

 

[9:11PM, 7/11/2016] Inquirer: Jazakallahu khairan. Could you be more specific what kind of lizard?

 

[9:17PM, 7/11/2016] Mufti Ismail Moosa: It's hard to explain over WhatsApp. You will check it in Middle Eastern countries. It drinks milk directly from the udders of camels.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Haya

[Haya]

Question

 

Assalaamu alaykum. In Sahih Muslim there is a Hadith in which we are told to kill lizards (gecko). what kind of lizard is this. are we allowed to kill only this kind of lizard or any lizard.

 

Shukran

 

Answer

 

This Hadith appears in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim

 

(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 1831, Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 5803)

 

The Arabic word used in the Hadith is وزغ (wazagh). The Muhaddithun have offered various different descriptions of this creature. Among them are:

 

1) ‘A harmful reptile’.

 

2) ‘A reptile that has legs which runs around at the roots of grass’.

 

3) ‘A reptile that drinks milk from the udders of a camel’.

 

4) ‘A reptile that lives on walls and roofs, has a voice and cries out or screeches out’.

 

(Sharhun Nawawi ‘ala Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 5803, Umdatul Qari, Hadith: 1831, ‘Awnul M’abud, Hadith: 5253, Majma’u Biharil Anwar, vol. 5 pg. 48)

 

Gauging from the above explanations it seems as though this type of lizard is bigger than the usual household lizard.

 

For a ruling on the permissibility of killing other types of lizards kindly refer to your local Mufti or Darul Ifta.

 

 

And Allah Ta’ala knows best

 

http://hadithanswers.com/hadith-on-killing-lizards/

[ummtaalib]

Should lizards be killed on sight?

 

Question

1Should lizzards be killed on seeing them and if yes why?

 

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

 

There are numerous ahaadeeth regarding killing lizards and rewards for the one who does so. Consider the following hadith:

 

عَنْ أَبِي، هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ مَنْ قَتَلَ وَزَغَةً فِي أَوَّلِ ضَرْبَةٍ فَلَهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا حَسَنَةً وَمَنْ قَتَلَهَا فِي الضَّرْبَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ فَلَهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا حَسَنَةً لِدُونِ الأُولَى وَإِنْ قَتَلَهَا فِي الضَّرْبَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ فَلَهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا حَسَنَةً لِدُونِ الثَّانِيَةِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

 

Abu Hurairah reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who killed a gecko with the first stroke for him is such and such a reward, and he who killed it with a second stroke for him is such and such reward less than the first one, and he who killed it with the third stroke for him is such and such a reward less than the second one.[1]

 

The reason for this can be know from the following hadith:

 

عَنْ أُمِّ شَرِيكٍ ـ رضى الله عنها أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَمَرَ بِقَتْلِ الْوَزَغِ وَقَالَ ‏ “‏ كَانَ يَنْفُخُ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ‏”‏‏.‏

 

Narrated Um Sharik: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) ordered that the salamander should be killed and said, “It (i.e. the gecko) blew (the fire) on Ibraheem, alayhi al-salaam.”[2] 

 

The word used in the hadith for this particular animal is وزغة. Multiple translations have been given for this word. Some dictionaries translate it as gecko[3] while others use the word lizard.[4]

 

However, both of these animals are very similar and it is very likely that the word encompasses both these meanings and that the one word could include both these animals.

 

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Muhammad Haris Siddiqui

Student Darul Iftaa
Melbourne, Australia

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

 

 

 

 

 

[1]  وَحَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، أَخْبَرَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ سُهَيْلٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي، هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ مَنْ قَتَلَ وَزَغَةً فِي أَوَّلِ ضَرْبَةٍ فَلَهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا حَسَنَةً وَمَنْ قَتَلَهَا فِي الضَّرْبَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ فَلَهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا حَسَنَةً لِدُونِ الأُولَى وَإِنْ قَتَلَهَا فِي الضَّرْبَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ فَلَهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا حَسَنَةً لِدُونِ الثَّانِيَةِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ (مسلم)

 

[2]  حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُوسَى، أَوِ ابْنُ سَلاَمٍ عَنْهُ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ أُمِّ شَرِيكٍ ـ رضى الله عنها أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَمَرَ بِقَتْلِ الْوَزَغِ وَقَالَ ‏ “‏ كَانَ يَنْفُخُ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ‏”‏‏.‏ (بخاري)

[3] Hava pg.859

 

[4] Ibid

Steingass pg.1211

Source