Hadith 487

Sunan Abi Da'ud

Book 43: General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab) Sahih

Chapter 175

Regarding killing snakes

باب فِي قَتْلِ الْحَيَّاتِ

Sahih
Sunan Abi Dawud 5259
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ صَيْفِيٍّ، مَوْلَى ابْنِ أَفْلَحَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو السَّائِبِ، مَوْلَى هِشَامِ بْنِ زُهْرَةَ أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ عَلَى أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ وَأَتَمَّ مِنْهُ قَالَ ‏ ‏ ‏.‏
"‏ فَآذِنُوهُ ثَلاَثَةَ أَيَّامٍ فَإِنْ بَدَا لَكُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَاقْتُلُوهُ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ شَيْطَانٌ ‏"
The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri in a similar manner through a different chain of narrators. This version is more perfect. In this version he said :

give it a warning for three days; if it appears to you after that, then kill it, for it is only a devil.