The Book on Salutations and Greetings (Kitab As-Salam)

Muslim :: Book 26 : Hadith 5545

Ibn 'Umar reported: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) commanding the killing of dogs and the killing of the striped and the short-tailed snakes, for both of them affect the eyesight adversely and cause miscarriage. Zuhri said: We thought of their poison (the pernicious effects of these two). Allah, however, knows best. 'Abdullah b. 'Umar said: I did not spare any snake. I rather killed everyone that I saw. One day as I was pursuing a snake from amongst the snakes of the house, Zaid b. Khattab or Abu Lubaba happened to pass by me and found me pursuing it. He said: 'Abdullah, wait. I said: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) commanded (us) to kill them, whereupon he said that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) forbade the killing of the snakes of the houses. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.