Hadith 201

Sahih Muslim

Book 39: The Book of Greetings

Chapter 39

The Prohibition Of Killing Ants

باب النَّهْىِ عَنْ قَتْلِ النَّمْلِ، ‏‏

Sahih Muslim 2241b
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمُغِيرَةُ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْحِزَامِيَّ - عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ ‏ ‏.‏
"‏ نَزَلَ نَبِيٌّ مِنَ الأَنْبِيَاءِ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ فَلَدَغَتْهُ نَمْلَةٌ فَأَمَرَ بِجِهَازِهِ فَأُخْرِجَ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِهَا فَأُحْرِقَتْ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ فَهَلاَّ نَمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً ‏"
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

An Apostle from amongst the Apostles of Allah encamped under a tree, and an ant bit him, and he commanded his belongings to be removed from underneath the tree. He then commanded and it was burnt, and Allah revealed to bin):" Why one ant (which had bitten you) was not killed?"