Mishkat al-Masabih

Abu Huraira reported God’s messsenger as saying, "When a fly alights in anyone’s vessel he should plunge it all in and then throw it away, for in one of its wings there is a cure and in the other disease." Bukhari transmitted it.

Maimuna said that when a mouse fell into some clarified butter and died God's messenger was asked about it and replied, "Throw it and what is round it away and eat what is left." Bukhari transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar told of hearing the Prophet say, "Kill snakes, kill those which have two streaks and those with small tails, for they obliterate the eyesight and cause miscarriage." ‘Abdallah said that while he was chasing a snake and trying to kill it Abu Lubaba called to him not to kill it, but he replied that God's messenger had given command that snakes should be killed. He then said that he had later prohibited killing house-snakes, for they are resident jinn. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

We went in to visit Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, and while we were sitting we heard a movement under his couch. When we had looked and found a snake in it I jumped up to kill it, but Abu Sa'id who was engaged in prayer made a gesture to me indicating that I should sit down, so I sat down. When he finished he pointed to a room in the house and asked if I saw it, and when I said I did he told me that a servant of theirs who had recently been married had occupied it. They went out with God’s messenger to the Trench, and that young man was asking permission from God’s messenger to leave after staying half the day and would return to his wife. One day when he asked God's messenger’s permission he told him to carry his weapons with him as he feared Quraiza might do him harm. The man took his weapons and returned, and finding his wife standing between the two doors he was smitten with jealousy and made to pierce her with his lance, but she told him to put away his lance and enter the house to see what had made her come out. He entered and found a huge snake coiled on the bedding, so he made for it with the lance and pierced it with it and then went out and fixed it in the ground in the house, but the snake quivered and attacked him, and no one knew which of them died first, the snake or the young man. They went to God's messenger and mentioned that incident to him, asking him to supplicate God to restore him to life for them, but he replied, "Ask forgiveness for your friend." Then he said, "These houses have resident jinn, so when you see one of them give it a warning three times. 1 If it goes away, well and good; otherwise kill it, for it is an infidel.'' He then told them to go and bury their friend. A version reports him as saying, ''In Medina there are jinn who have accepted Islam, so when you see one of them pronounce a warning to it for three days and if it appears to you after that kill it, for it is only a devil." 1. Hiarrijiu ‘alaiha thalithan. The verb means to make things difficult. This phrase is explained as meaning that one should tell the snake three times that it will be in difficulties if it returns, and that it must not blame one if, after this warning, it is driven away and killed. Muslim transmitted it.

Umm Sharik told that God’s messenger ordered geckos to be killed, saying the gecko blew on Abraham.1 1. Al-Qur’an 21:68 speaks of Abraham being put into a fire. In this tradition it is said that the gecko blew on the fire to stir it up. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Sa‘d b. Abu Waqqas told that God’s messenger ordered geckos to be killed, calling them noxious little creatures. Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "If anyone kills a gecko with the first blow a hundred good deeds will be recorded for him, less if he kills it at the second and less still if he kills it at the third." Muslim transmitted it.

He reported God’s messenger as saying that when a prophet was stung by an ant he ordered a colony of ants to be burned, and God most high revealed to him, "Because an ant stung you you have burned a community which glorifies me." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, "When a mouse falls into clarified butter which, is solid throw the mouse and what is around it away; but if it is in a liquid state do not go near it." Ahmad and Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Darimi transmitted it on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas.

Safina told that he and God's messenger ate the flesh of a bustard. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar told that God's messenger prohibited eating the animal which feeds on filth or drinking its milk. Trimidhi transmitted it. In Abu Dawud’s version he said that he forbade riding the animal which feeds on filth.

‘Abd ar-Rahman b. Shibl said the Prophet forbade eating the flesh of lizards. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Jabir said the Prophet forbade eating cats or what is paid for them. 1 1. This might be either what was paid in kind, or what was bought with money paid for them. Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi transmitted it.

He said, referring to the day of Khaibar, that God’s messenger declared domestic asses, the flesh of mules, every beast of prey with a fang and every bird with a talon to be unlawful. Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition.

Khalid b. al-Walld said God’s messenger prohibited eating the flesh of horses, mules and asses. Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

He said that he went with the Prophet to fight at the battle of Khaibar and the Jews came and complained that the people had hastened to take their green dates, 2 so God’s messenger said, ''The property of those who have been given a covenant is not lawful except for the dues which are levied." 2. The reference is to dates which fall from the tree while still green. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar reported God’s messenger as saying, "Two types of animals which have died a natural death and two types of blood have been made allowable to us, the two which die a natural death being the fish and the locust, and the two types of blood being the liver and the spleen." Ahmad, Ibn Majah and Daraqutni transmitted it.

Abuz Zubair quoted Jabir’s authority for the statement that God's messenger said, "What the sea throws up and is left by the tide you may eat, but what dies in the sea and floats you must not eat." Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it, but Muhyi as-Sunna said most people hold that it goes no farther back than Jabir.

Salman said the Prophet was asked about locusts and replied, "They are the most numerous of God’s hosts. I neither eat them nor declare them unlawful." Abu Dawud transmitted it, but Muhyi as-Sunna said it is weak.

Zaid b. Khalid said that God’s messenger prohibited reviling a cock, saying that it is making the caH to prayer. It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

He reported God’s messenger as saying, "Do not revile a cock, for it wakens people for prayer." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

'Abd ar-Rahman b. Abu Laila. said that Abu Laila reported God’s messenger as saying, "When a snake appears in a dwelling say to it, ‘We ask you by the covenant made with Noah and the covenant made with Solomon son of David not to harm us.’ Then if it comes back, kill it." Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘Ikrima told on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, saying he was sure that he traced it back to the Prophet, that he used to order snakes to be killed and say, "He who leaves them alone fearing that one will come to take revenge does not belong to us." It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "We have not made peace with them 1 since we fought with them, so he who leaves any of them alone through fear does not belong to us." 1. i.e. snakes. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn Mas'ud reported God's messenger as saying, "Kill all the snakes, and he who fears their revenge does not belong to me." Abu Dawud and Nasa'i transmitted it.

Al-'Abbas said, "Messenger of God, we wish to sweep out Zamzam, but in it there are some of these jinnan," meaning small snakes; so God’s messenger ordered that they should be killed. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn Mas'ud reported God’s messenger as saying, "Kill all the snakes except the little white one which looks like a silver wand." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, "When a fly alights in the vessel of any of you plunge it in, for in one of its wings there is disease and in the other a cure; it puts forward the one containing the disease, so dip it all in." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported the Prophet as saying, "When a fly alights on food plunge it in, for one of its wings contains poison and the other a cure, and it puts the poison first and the cure second." It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

ants, bees, hoopoes and sparrow-hawks. Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas said that the people of pre-Islamic times used to eat some things and leave others alone, considering them unclean. Then God sent His Prophet and sent down His Book, marking some things lawful and others unlawful; so what He made lawful is lawful, what He made unlawful is unlawful, and what He said nothing about is allowable. And he recited, ''Say, I do not find in what is revealed to me anything forbidden to him who eats it, except carrion or blood..." 1 1. Qur'an, vi, 145. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Zahir al-Aslami said he was kindling fire under pots which contained asses' flesh when God's messenger's crier made an announcement to the effect that God's messenger prohibited asses' flesh to the people. Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Tha'laba al-Khushani traced to the Prophet the saying that the jinn are of three classes, one which have wings and fly in the air, one which consists of snakes and dogs, and one which stay in places and travel about. It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

Salman b. ‘Amir ad Dabbl told that he heard God's messenger say, “Along with a boy there is an ‘aqiqa, so shed blood on his behalf and remove injury from him.”* *This is variously explained as shaving the hair of the infant, or removing the impurities with which it is defiled at birth, or even circumcision. Bukhari transmitted it.

‘A’isha told that boys used to be brought to God’s messenger, and he would invoke blessings on them and soften some dates and rub their palates with them. Muslim transmitted it.

Asma’ daughter of Abu Bakr said she conceived ‘Abdallah b. azZubair in Mecca and gave birth to him in Quba’, then took him to God’s messenger and placed him in his lap. He called for a date, chewed it and spat in his mouth, after which he rubbed his palate and then made supplication for him and invoked a blessing on him. He was the first child to be born in the Islamic period. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Umm Kurz told that she heard God’s messenger say, “Let the birds stay in their roosts.”* She told that she also heard him say, “Two sheep are to be sacrificed for a boy and one for a girl, but it does you no harm whether they are male or female.” *Either that they are not to be molested, or that they are not to be disturbed for the purpose of taking omens. Abu Dawud transmitted it. Tirmidhi and Nasa’i transmit it from “two sheep” to the end, Tirmidhi saying this is a sahih tradition.

Al-Hasan quoted Samura who reported God’s messenger as saying, "A boy is in pledge for his ‘aqiqa. Sacrifice is made for him on the seventh day, he is given a name and his head is shaved.” Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it, but the last two have “a pledge” for “in pledge.” A version by Ahmad and Abu Dawud has “is smeared with blood” 1 in place of “is given a name.” Abu Dawud says th at “is given a name” is sounder.

Muhammad b. ‘All b. Husain quoted ‘Ali b. Abu Talib as saying that God’s messenger sacrificed a sheep on the seventh day for al-Hasan and said, “Shave his head, Fatima, and give the weight of his hair in silver as sadaqa.” So they weighed it and it amounted to a dirham or part of a dirham. Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan gharib tradition, but its isnad is not fully connected because Muhammad b. ‘Ali b. Husain was not born in the time of ‘Ali b. Abu Talib.

Ibn ‘Abbas told that God’s messenger sacrificed a ram on the seventh day for both al-Hasan and al-Husain. Abu Dawud transmitted it. Nasa’i says two rams each.

'Amr b. Shu'aib, on his father's authority, said his grandfather told that God’s messenger was asked about the ‘aqiqa and replied, “God does not like the breaking of ties (‘uquq),” as though he disliked the name. And he said, “If anyone has a child born to him and wishes to offer a sacrifice on its behalf, he may offer two sheep for a boy and one for a girl. Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

Abu Rafi' told th at he saw God's messenger uttering the call to prayer in the ear of al-Hasan b. ‘Ali when Fatima gave birth to him. Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan sahih tradition.

When a boy was born to one of us in the pre-Islamic period he sacrificed a sheep and smeared his head with its blood; but when Islam came we sacrificed a sheep on the seventh day, shaved his head and smeared it with saffron. Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Razin added, “and gave him his name.”