In the hadith regarding the killing of harmful creatures, one narration mentions four, while another mentions five. How is this reconciled?
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The questioner : The hadiths that mention the harmful creatures state that there are four. The first hadith is from Aisha, then it is mentioned that there are five. The four and the five were reported consistently, but there was a difference regarding the scorpion and the snake, making it six. So how is this reconciled?
The Shaykh : The snake is perhaps a variation by the narrators. The most authentic wording is:.
The questioner : Other than the snake?
The Shaykh : Other than the snake, but the snake is included by analogy. In fact, it is established that the Companions saw a snake while they were in Mina, so they pursued it, but it entered its burrow and they were unable to catch it.
The Shaykh : The snake is perhaps a variation by the narrators. The most authentic wording is:
Five types of animals, each of which is a harmful creature, are to be killed in the sacred precinct and outside it: the crow, the kite, the scorpion, the rat, and the biting dog.
خمس من الدواب كل منها فاسق يقتلن في الحل والحرم : الغراب والحدأة والعقرب والفأرة والكلب العقورThe questioner : Other than the snake?
The Shaykh : Other than the snake, but the snake is included by analogy. In fact, it is established that the Companions saw a snake while they were in Mina, so they pursued it, but it entered its burrow and they were unable to catch it.