Is it permissible for a farmer to burn the land after the season ends in order to get rid of harmful weeds, along with the animals in them?
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The questioner : Some farmers have a sprayer. When they finish planting, they burn it, and the planting area is large, and there are animals in it?
The Shaykh : Why did he burn it?
The questioner : He burns it to get rid of some of the trees.
The Shaykh : And some of the weeds and plants.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : There is nothing wrong with this. That is, some farmers, when the season ends, burn the land along with the trees and plants in it. They say: in order to get rid of harmful weeds. And there is nothing wrong with this. It is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) burned the palm trees of Banu Nadir, even though palm trees are not free from bird chicks or others. Did this man burn them to kill the insects in them? No, he burned them to get rid of what harmed him from the weeds and plants, and this is what he intended, so there is nothing wrong with it.
And you must know the difference between the intended and the incidental. For example, in fighting: it is not permissible for us to kill the young, nor to kill women, nor to kill the elderly. But if we are forced to bombard this village with cannons, it will kill the women, children, and elderly, but this will be incidental.
The Shaykh : Why did he burn it?
The questioner : He burns it to get rid of some of the trees.
The Shaykh : And some of the weeds and plants.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : There is nothing wrong with this. That is, some farmers, when the season ends, burn the land along with the trees and plants in it. They say: in order to get rid of harmful weeds. And there is nothing wrong with this. It is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) burned the palm trees of Banu Nadir, even though palm trees are not free from bird chicks or others. Did this man burn them to kill the insects in them? No, he burned them to get rid of what harmed him from the weeds and plants, and this is what he intended, so there is nothing wrong with it.
And you must know the difference between the intended and the incidental. For example, in fighting: it is not permissible for us to kill the young, nor to kill women, nor to kill the elderly. But if we are forced to bombard this village with cannons, it will kill the women, children, and elderly, but this will be incidental.