The Book of Greetings — Hadith 5690

Arabic Text

وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا وَهْبُ بْنُ جَرِيرِ بْنِ حَازِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي قَالَ، سَمِعْتُ أَسْمَاءَ بْنَ عُبَيْدٍ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ رَجُلٍ، يُقَالُ لَهُ السَّائِبُ - وَهُوَ عِنْدَنَا أَبُو السَّائِبِ - قَالَ دَخَلْنَا عَلَى أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ فَبَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ جُلُوسٌ إِذْ سَمِعْنَا تَحْتَ، سَرِيرِهِ حَرَكَةً فَنَظَرْنَا فَإِذَا حَيَّةٌ ‏.‏ وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ بِقِصَّتِهِ نَحْوَ حَدِيثِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ صَيْفِيٍّ وَقَالَ فِيهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ إِنَّ لِهَذِهِ الْبُيُوتِ عَوَامِرَ فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ شَيْئًا مِنْهَا فَحَرِّجُوا عَلَيْهَا ثَلاَثًا فَإِنْ ذَهَبَ وَإِلاَّ فَاقْتُلُوهُ فَإِنَّهُ كَافِرٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ لَهُمُ ‏"‏ اذْهَبُوا فَادْفِنُوا صَاحِبَكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

English Translation

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 (ﷺ) 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).