MUHAMMAD AND THE SNAKES!
remnant
by Silas
A young Muslim man returns home and finds his wife standing near
the door. He assumes immediately she's an adulterer and raises his weapon
to kill her. But she warns him that something dangerous is within their
house. The man rushes in and on the bed is a large snake. The man attacks
the snake and kills it, but during the struggle he is also bitten, both die
quickly.
Snakes kill people, people kill snakes. There is nothing
uncommon about it; its been happening for thousands of years.
So, what is unusual about this instance?
Muhammad had some very unusual things to say about this event.
As you read Muhammad's words try to determine if he relied upon his own
ideas, upon Allah's wisdom, or perhaps another source of information? Think
about his statements, then decide if he was superstitious, irrational, or
telling the truth.
PRESENTATION OF MATERIAL
The following are a collection of Hadith from several Islamic
sources. Each one contains a unique detail that I feel is necessary to
present the overall picture. Try to form a composite in your mind of what
Muhammad intended.
(1) From Muslim's collection of Hadith [1], Book 026, Number 5557:
Abu as-Sa'ib, the freed slaved of Hisham b. Zuhra, said that he
visited Abu Sa'id Khudri in his house, (and he further) said: I found him
saying his prayer, so I sat down waiting for him to finish his prayer when I
heard a stir in the bundles (of wood) lying in a comer of the house. I
looked towards it and found a snake. I jumped up in order to kill it, but he
(Abu Sa'id Khudri) made a gesture that I should sit down. So I sat down and
as he finished (the prayer) he pointed to a room in the house and said: Do
you see this room? I said: Yes. He said: There was a young man amongst us
who had been newly wedded. We went with Allah's Messenger (to participate in
the Battle) of Trench when a young man in the midday used to seek permission
from Allah's Messenger to return to his family. One day he sought permission
from him and Allah's Messenger (after granting him the permission) said to
him: Carry your weapons with you for I fear the tribe of Quraiza (may harm
you). The man carried the weapons and then came back and found his wife
standing between the two doors. He bent towards her smitten by jealousy and
made a dash towards her with a spear in order to stab her. She said: Keep
your spear away and enter the house until you see that which has made me
come out. He entered and found a big snake coiled on the bedding. He darted
with the spear and pierced it and then went out having fixed it 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. We came to Allah's Apostle and made
a mention to him and said: Supplicate to Allah that that (man) may be
brought back to life. Thereupon he said: Ask forgiveness for your companion
and then said: There are in Medina "Jinns" who have accepted Islam, so when
you see any one of them, pronounce a warning to it for three days, and if
they appear before you after that, then kill it for that is a devil.
NOTE: If you don't know what "Jinn" are, see the link below for further
information.
http://answering-islam.org/Index/J/jinn.html
(2) From Muslim's collection of Hadith Book 026, Number 5558:
Asma' b. 'Ubaid reported about a person who was called as-Sa'ib
having said: We visited Abu Sa'id Khudri. When we had been sitting (with
him) we heard a stir under his bed. When we looked we found a big snake, the
rest of the hadith is the same. And in this Allah's Messenger is reported to
have said: Verily in these houses there live aged (snakes), so when you see
one of them, make life hard for it for three days, and if it goes away (well
and good), otherwise kill it for (in that case) it would be a nonbeliever.
And he (the Holy Prophet) said (to his Companions): Go and bury your
companion (who had died by the snake bite).
(3) Sunan of Abu Dawud, Book 41, Number 5236:
Narrated Abu Sa'id al-Khudri:
Muhammad ibn Abu Yahya said that his father told that he and his companion
went to Abu Sa'id al-Khudri to pay a sick visit to him. He said: Then we
came out from him and met a companion of ours who wanted to go to him. We
went ahead and sat in the mosque. He then came back and told us that he
heard Abu Sa'id al-Khudri say: The Apostle of Allah said: Some snakes are
jinn; so when anyone sees one of them in his house, he should give it a
warning three times. [4521]. If it return (after that), he should kill it,
for it is a devil.
Hasan's note 4521 states:
The verb means to make things difficult. It means that one
should tell the snake three times that it will be in difficulties if it
returns. It should not blame one if it is driven away and killed. The
warning should be given for three days. There is a difference of opinion
whether it should be given three times or for three days. What is agreed is
that it should be given three times for three days.
(4) Sunan of Abu Dawud, Book 41, Number 5240:
Narrated AbdurRahman Ibn Abu Layla:
The Apostle of Allah was asked about the house-snakes. He said: When you
see one of them in your dwelling, say: I adjure you by the covenant which
Noah made with you, and I adjure you by the covenant which Solomon made with
you not to harm us. Then if they come back, kill them.
(5) Sunan of Abu Dawud Book 41, Number 5229:
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud:
The Prophet said: Kill all the snakes, and he who fears their revenge does
not belong to me.
(6) Sahih Muslim, Book 026, Number 5544:
Salim, on the authority of his father. reported Allah's Apostle
as saying: Kill the snakes having stripes over them and short-tailed snakes,
for these two types cause miscarriage (of a pregnant woman) and they affect
the eyesight adversely. So Ibn 'Umar used to kill every snake that he found.
Abu Lubaba b. 'Abd al-Mundhir and Zaid b. Khattab saw him pursuing a snake,
whereupon he said: They were forbidden (to kill) those snakes who live in
houses.
(7) Sunan of Abu Dawud, Number 5232:
Ibn Umar reported the Apostle of Allah as saying: Kill snakes,
kill those which have two streaks and those with small tails, for they
obliterate he eyesight and cause miscarriage. [4519].
Salim said: Abd Allah used to kill every snake which he found.
Abu Lubabah or Zaid b. al-Khattab saw him chasing a snake. He said: He
(the Prophet) prohibited killing house snakes. [4520]
Hasan's note 4519 says,
They were poisonous snakes and caused harm to people. The
people are commanded to kill them.
Hasan's note 4520 says,
The version of al-Bukhari and Muslim has: For they are resident
jinn.
(8) Sahih Muslim, Book 026, Number 5559:
Abu Sa'id Khudri reported Allah's Messenger having said: There is a group of
Jinns in Medina who accepted Islam, so he who would see anything from these
occupants should warn him three times; and if he appears after that, he
should kill him for he is a Satan. [2607]
Siddiqi's note 2607 reads:
It is on the basis of this hadith that some of the scholars are
of the opinion that it is not proper to kill snakes of Medina without
issuing them a grim warning with these words: "adjure you in the name of
that Covenant which Hadrat Sulaiman took from you that you should not harm
us and do not appear again." This is not essential for any other place
besides Medina. The reason for this is that some of the Jinns had embraced
Islam and they lived in the houses and at times assumed the form of big
snakes. (Nawawi, Vol II, p. 234).
SUMMARY
Muhammad had commanded the killing of all snakes, except those
that lived in houses. Additionally, Muhammad believed that some "Jinn" had
received Islam and somehow turned into snakes. These "Muslim" snakes
inhabited homes. If a Muslim snake was found in a home by the human
Muslims, they were to warn the Muslim snakes for three days. The Muslims
were to say, "I adjure you by the covenant which Noah made with you, and I
adjure you by the covenant which Solomon made with you not to harm us." If
the snakes left the home, well and good, but if they remained in the house,
they were to be killed because they are "the devil", i.e. evil, non-Muslim
snakes, perhaps real snakes, perhaps a emissary of Satan.
DISCUSSION
As I read and study the Hadith I am struck over and over again
at Muhammad's extreme superstition. Fear and superstition permeated his
theology. Now, for some strange reason he believed that Jinn had received
Islam and morphed into snakes. You can't blame these Muslim snakes for
wanting to live in homes can you? But, Muhammad didn't want these Muslim
snakes to live in human Muslim homes, so he ordered his followers to warn
and trouble the snakes in order to drive them out.
Aren't people who carry on like this put into mental hospitals?
Let me ask you. If you saw someone carrying on a conversation
with a large, strange snake in his house, that could be poisonous, what
would you think? Or, what would you think if a friend or co-worker told you
about finding a large snake in his home and he was now "warning" it? Try it
for yourself.. Speak to one of your friends at work and tell him, as
seriously as possible, that you're talking with a potentially dangerous
snake, because it could be a Muslim snake, and you're intending to do this
for three days. Watch his reaction!
Let's not forget the story about the poor young Muslim man who
died from the snake bite. Imagine if he had allowed the snake to remain in
his house for 3 days. It could have bitten his wife or other visitors to
the home.
You don't need to be a herpetologist to know that Muhammad has
some serious problems.
Here are some issues to be considered.
1) First of all, not all outdoor snakes are harmful. Many of them
are in fact quite beneficial to humanity. They kill destructive pests like
rodents. What's the point in killing beneficial snakes?
2) Second, what does that say with respect to Islam and the
destruction of a beneficial species of animal?
3) Third, isn't it quite bizarre for people to be talking with
snakes? Muhammad was a superstitious man, in the Quran he has Solomon
talking with ants. But here, the stakes are a bit higher - i.e. they are
Muslim snakes. I'd hate to see a Muslim try talking with poisonous snake.
Definitely not a good idea. It might make for a good comedy, or "world's
most dangerous stunts" type show, but certainly not a good idea for a real
life situation.
4) Snakes have poor ability to hear. If Muhammad were really led by
God wouldn't he have used a more reliable form of communication with the
snakes? After all, the motive was to communicate effectively with the
snakes and warn them or drive them away.
5) Should we assume that snakes, at least the snakes in question,
understood Arabic? Especially the Arabic dialect of the home in which he
chose to live?
6) Normally snakes don't "live" in homes. If Jinn has morphed into
snakes, would they would live as snakes? Snakes avoid contact with humans.
7) Do you really think that by speaking to a snake and referencing
Solomon and Noah, that that would prohibit the snake from biting you or
anyone else? Are the Muslims willing to give it a try? I'm sure there are
many cobras in India that are available for the job.
GENERAL INFO ON SNAKES
From the World Book Encyclopedia entry on Snakes, pages 524 - 536, (1993
edition).
Throughout history, snakes have been the subjects of many myths
and superstitions. The fear of snakes results from a lack of knowledge
about the animals. Most snakes are harmless to people. In addition, snakes
are helpful in controlling rats and other rodents.
The main value of snakes is that they form part of the environment and help
preserve the balance of nature. . Snake venom has several uses in medicine
and biological research. . Certain pain-killing drugs are prepared from
neurotoxins in venom. Researches use the powerful enzymes in venom to break
down complex proteins for biochemical studies.
Of course there are many in depth books and articles about
snakes. If you want to learn more about them do some research.
Unfortunately for Muhammad, he only had his myths and superstitions to go
on. As a result, he ordered the killing of many beneficial creatures.
Here is some additional information from a article found on the
web.
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/995_snakes.html
About 8,000 people a year receive venomous bites in the United
States; nine to 15 victims die. Some experts say that because victims can't
always positively identify a snake, they should seek prompt care for any
bite, though they may think the snake is nonpoisonous. Even a bite from a
so-called "harmless" snake can cause an infection or allergic reaction in
some people.
Though poisonous snakes can be dangerous, snake venom may have a
positive side. Clinical trials are presently under way to test the
therapeutic value of a venom-derived product called ancrod in treating
stroke. Earlier proposals, using snake venom to treat neuromuscular
disorders such as multiple sclerosis, never reached the clinical trial
stage.
ADVICE FOR THE MUSLIMS
If you come across a snake in your house, be careful. It may be
poisonous. Do not follow Muhammad's advice and "warn" it for 3 days. If
need be, call the fire department, or, animal society representative (the
names of such agencies vary from State to State), or even the police
department. If you follow Muhammad's advice you, or your children, or
friends, could be bitten by the snake. If the snake is poisonous the bite
could prove fatal especially to small children.
CONCLUSION
Muhammad's irrational statements on Jinn and snakes stemmed from
his lack of knowledge and superstition. Where he got the idea of Jinn
turning into snakes is beyond me. But we see that his commands to kill all
snakes is detrimental to the environment. Further, his command to warn
dangerous snakes is potentially harmful to people that follow and obey him.
My question to the Muslims is this: why put your trust in the
teachings of this man? Are you going to entrust your eternity to someone
who taught that people should dialog with snakes?
PRAYER FOR SALVATION
This prayer is written for anyone. This includes Muslims who
are seeking the truth and who want to know God in a personal way.
"Lord Jesus, I believe in You. I believe that You are the Son
of God and the Lord. I believe that You died for my sins and were raised
from the dead. I confess that I am a sinner and I ask You to come into my
heart, cleanse me from my sins, and forgive me for my sins. I turn to
follow and obey You - I put my faith in you. I now receive You as Messiah
and Lord and totally commit my life to You."
Amen.
REFERENCES
1.. Muslim, A., "Sahih Muslim", translated by A. Sidiqqi, International
Islamic Publishing House, Riyadh, KSA.
2.. Abu Dawud, Suliman, "Sunan", al-Madina, New Delhi, 1985, translated by
A. Hasan
snakes.htm
Rev A: 10/30/02
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Further reading:
a.. Chapter XI: Tree, Stone and Serpent Worship in Samuel Zwemer's The
Influence of Animism on Islam
a.. Muhammad and the Animals