What is the ruling on killing locusts? And how do we reconcile the hadith (Do not kill locusts) with the hadith (Two dead things have been made lawful for us)?

The questioner : Is there a contradiction between his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): ; which is in Sahih al-Jami' al-Saghir, and his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): ? And if there is a contradiction between them...

The Shaykh : What is the second hadith?

The questioner : , regarding the mention of locusts, and the first hadith: in Sahih al-Jami' al-Saghir?

The Shaykh : First, it must always be noted that when two hadiths appear to some people to contradict each other, one must look closely at the point of contradiction. Currently, there is no contradiction between the two hadiths, because the first hadith: ; is an explicit prohibition against killing locusts. The second hadith: ; here there is no mention of "kill the locusts" so that one could ask how to reconcile "do not kill" with "kill." So, there is no contradiction. I say this as a first step in refuting the supposed contradiction. does not contradict his saying "It is lawful for you to eat locusts." Perhaps eating locusts is like eating dead fish, without killing them, without hunting them. In that case, there is no contradiction between these two hadiths, because the first explicitly states not to kill locusts, and the second permits eating locusts, but it does not explicitly state his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) "Kill the locusts and eat them." The contradiction is resolved. However, there remains a question, not like the previous one which was about removing the contradiction between the two hadiths, for there is no contradiction. The question that arises, as they say today, is: Is it not permissible to kill locusts? The answer is: As long as the hadith came as "Do not kill," that is the original ruling, and it is explicit in its indication that it is not permissible to kill them. But our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) says: , and there are many things created by Allah, such as ants for example, that it is not permissible to kill because there is no benefit in killing them. But despite that, if the presence of some animals or insects causes harm to Muslims in their persons, their wealth, or their crops, then at that time it is permissible to kill what causes harm in any of those matters we mentioned earlier. So his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): , is the original ruling. But as happens in some years when tons of locusts invade the farms of Muslims and it is feared that these farms will be stripped bare, and Muslims are harmed by that, then it is permissible to kill the locusts in this situation to avert the harm. And this is the reconciliation between "Do not kill" and what necessity requires, which is killing some of the animals for which the prohibition of killing was issued, in order to remove the harm.
The Shaykh: As for the hadith and "It is lawful for you to eat locusts," there is no contradiction between the two matters, for as we mentioned, it is permissible to eat locusts that have died of natural causes, so there is no killing. And despite that, if harm befalls the farms, then at that time killing is permissible to avert the harm. Yes.