What are the five harmful creatures that are to be killed in both the sacred and non-sacred areas, is it permissible for a person in the state of ihram to kill them, and why are these five and not others, even though there are creatures more harmful than them?
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The questioner : He says, what are the five harmful creatures that are to be killed in both the sacred and non-sacred areas? Does this mean that if we find them, or some of them, while we are in the state of ihram and within the boundaries of the sacred area, that it is permissible to kill them? And why these five and not others, when there may be animals and beasts that are more dangerous to humans than them, yet they are not mentioned? Or is it that anything similar to them is to be judged by analogy with them?
The Shaykh : The five harmful creatures are the rat, the scorpion, the vicious dog, the crow, and the kite.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : These are the five about which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saidSunan al-Bayhaqi 4:1345 It is prescribed for a person to kill these five harmful creatures whether he is in the state of ihram or not, whether inside the miles of the sacred area or outside the miles of the sacred area, given the harm and damage they cause in some cases. Anything similar to these five, or more severe than them, is to be judged by analogy with them, except for snakes in houses, which are not to be killed until they have been warned three times, because there is a fear that they may be jinn. However, the tailless snake and the one with two spots are to be killed even in houses, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade killing the snakes in houses except the tailless one and the one with two spots. So if you find a snake in your house, you do not kill it until it is tailless or has two spots. The tailless one is the one with a short tail.
The questioner : That is, he warns it before killing it.
The Shaykh : So the tailless one is the one with a short tail.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the one with two spots is the one with two black lines on its back. These two types are to be killed absolutely, and anything other than them is not to be killed, but it is to be warned three times by saying to it, "I warn you not to be in my house," or a word to that effect, indicating that he is warning it and not allowing it to remain in his house. If it remains after this warning, it means that it is not a jinn, or that even if it is a jinn, its sanctity has been annulled, and at that time he kills it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But if it attacks him in this state, he has the right to defend himself against it, even if it is the first time he defends himself against it. If this leads to its death, because its harm is not repelled except by killing it, or its attack is not repelled except by killing it, then he has the right to kill it at that time, because that falls under the category of self-defense.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : The five harmful creatures are the rat, the scorpion, the vicious dog, the crow, and the kite.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : These are the five about which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said
Five, all of them are harmful creatures that are to be killed in both the sacred and non-sacred areas
خمس كلهن فواسق يقتلن في الحل والحرمThe questioner : That is, he warns it before killing it.
The Shaykh : So the tailless one is the one with a short tail.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the one with two spots is the one with two black lines on its back. These two types are to be killed absolutely, and anything other than them is not to be killed, but it is to be warned three times by saying to it, "I warn you not to be in my house," or a word to that effect, indicating that he is warning it and not allowing it to remain in his house. If it remains after this warning, it means that it is not a jinn, or that even if it is a jinn, its sanctity has been annulled, and at that time he kills it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But if it attacks him in this state, he has the right to defend himself against it, even if it is the first time he defends himself against it. If this leads to its death, because its harm is not repelled except by killing it, or its attack is not repelled except by killing it, then he has the right to kill it at that time, because that falls under the category of self-defense.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.