Table Of Contents
Understanding the Islamic Approach to Harmful Insects
Protecting one’s house against vermin should be done first of all by taking appropriate measures, such as using powders that kill them or repel them, and closing some windows firmly, and keeping away everything that could attract them to the house, and other things that people do to protect their homes.
Importance of Taking Precautions before Seeking Divine Help
Islam is not based on miracles and extraordinary feats, rather it enjoins us to take appropriate measures and work hard in doing so, whilst also putting our trust in Allah. The Muslim should not be fatalistic and fail to take the measures that Allah has prescribed for this universe, and every time he is faced with a situation or worried about something, look for Du`as or dhikrs that he thinks will meet his needs, without taking the prescribed measures that will lead him to his goal.
Prophetic Du`as for Protection from Vermin and Insects
With regard to protecting one’s home against vermin, there are some Du`as that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has taught us, such as the following:
- It was narrated that Khawlah bint Hakim As-Sulamiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “Whoever stops at a place and says: A`udhu bi kalimat Allah At-Tammah min Sharri ma Khalaq (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of that which He has created), nothing will harm him until he moves on from that place.” (Narrated by Muslim, 2708)
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim (17/31):
It was said: What it means is words in which there is no shortcoming or fault, or it was said: beneficial and healing (words), and it was said that what is meant by words here is the Quran. (End quote)
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that he said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, I was stung by a scorpion last night. He said: “If you had said, when evening came, A`udhu bi kalimat Allah At-Tammah min Sharri ma Khalaq (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of that which He has created), it would not have harmed you.” (Narrated by Muslim, 2709)
Al-Manawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Fayd Al-Qadir (1/446):
If one says that with strong certainty and full submission to what the Lawgiver said, “nothing will harm him” of vermin and other creatures, “until he moves on from that place”.
Al-Qurtubi said: An authentic report and true words. From the time I heard it I have acted upon it, and nothing harmed me. I forgot to say it one night and a scorpion stung me. (End quote)
- It was narrated that Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to seek protection for Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn and say: “Your father (i.e., Ibraheem) used to seek protection by means of them (these words) for Isma`il and Is-Haq: A’oodhu bi kalimat-Allah il-tammah min kulli shaytanin wa hammah wa min kulli `aynin lammah (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from every devil and poisonous reptile, and from every envious evil eye).” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 3371)
Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Fat-h Al-Bari (6/410).
Hammah (sing. Hawam) refers to poisonous creatures. (End quote)
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim (14/170):
Many or most said that it is permissible to recite authentic Ruqyahs when one fears attack from obnoxious or poisonous animals. The evidence for that appears in several Hadiths, including the Hadith of `Aishah in Sahih Al-Bukhari: When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went to bed, he would spit onto his hand and recite Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad and Al-Mu`widhatayn, then he would wipe his face and whatever he would reach of his body with it. And Allah knows best. (End quote)
- It was narrated that `Abdullah ibn `Umar said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was travelling and night came, he would say: “O earth, my Lord and your Lord is Allah. I seek refuge with Allah from your evil and the evil of that which is in you, and the evil of that which has been created in you, and from the evil of that which walks upon you. I seek refuge with Allah from lions and black ones, from snakes and scorpions, from the inhabitants of the land, and from fathers and sons.” (Narrated from Abu Dawud (2306), but he did not comment on its soundness. Also narrated by An-Nasa’i in As-Sunan Al-Kubra (6/144) with two chains of narration, from Safwan ibn `Amr and from Shurayh ibn `Ubayd from Al-Zubayr ibn Al-Walid from Ibn `Umar.
I say: This chain of narration may be regarded as sound because its men are trustworthy apart from Az-Zubayr ibn Al-Walid, who is one of the Tabi`in but it was not narrated that he is trustworthy, except that Ibn Hibban mentioned him in Ath-Thiqat (4/261). Al-Bukhari said nothing about him in Al-Tarikh Al-Kabir (3/410), but Adh-Dhahabi said in Al-Kashif (1/402): He is trustworthy.
It was classed as authentic by Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak (1/615) and by Ibn Khuzaymah (4/152). It was classed as sound by Al-Hafith Ibn Hajar as it says in Al-Futuhat Ar-Rabaniyyah (5/164). But Al-Albani classed it as weak in As-Silsilah Ad-Da`ifah (4837).
It says in `Awn Al-Ma`bud (7/189): Al-Aswad (translated above as “black ones”) means large snakes. “From the inhabitants of the land” – it was said that this refers to humans, as they usually live in the land, or it was said that it means jinn. “From fathers and sons” – Al-Khattabi said: it may be that what is meant by “father” is Iblis and what is meant by “sons” is the devils. (End quote)
But we should point out that the Du`as that we have quoted here are for protection against the evil of these vermin and animals; they will not necessarily repel these vermin – they may be present around a person or in his house, but they will not harm him.
We ask Allah the Almighty to protect us and you from all evils.
For more details, please refer to the following answers: (12715, 82932, 126587, 77208, 3476, 4845)
And Allah knows best.
