It is hard to tell whether the prophet Muhammad was ophidiophobic or ophiophobic (fearful of snakes) or misoöphidic or misoöphic (hater of snakes), the latter not to be confused with misosophic (hater of wisdom). It may be that in Muhammad's case there is perhaps a greater relationship between his misoöphism (hatred of snakes) and his misosophism (hatred of knowledge) than just the sigma (Greek s) that separates the two words. At least that is what the wicked kafir would say, and for that they ought to be put to death, just like Muslim snakes.
Muslim snakes?
Yes, you read right. Muslims snakes. (There are also abortion-causing and blindness-causing snakes in the wisdom of Islam, as one will learn below.)
What is weirder than the notion of Muslim snakes, when one thinks of it--and for that reason, one ought not to think of it, for Allah (not man) knows best--is this: A kafir or mushrik, that is to say a Jew, a Christian, or an Infidel of any kind, is to be treated the same as a Muslim snake. They may both profitably be put to death. What is weirder is that the snake is to be given three days' warning, and Jew or Christian need be given none.
What?
To understand Muhammad's sssssssssublime sssssserptentine teaching one has to plunge into the ahadith, especially those ahadith so highly regarded by the Muslims as normative, the Sahih Bukhari and the Sahih Muslim, but another fertile source that composite of ahadith called Abu Dawud.
To fathom the wisdom of Muhammad, let us start with this pretty serpentine story. It is found in Sahih Muslim, 26.5557.
This hadith is very, very rich, and there is much wisdom which could be distilled from it. But let us focus on what it tells us about snakes, particularly, Muhammad's teaching about them. In the city of Medina, at least, there were "jinns" or spirits who accepted Islam, and these turned into snakes, poisonous snakes that is, and sometimes occupied houses in Medina. (It is unclear whether this doctrine applies to snakes elsewhere, e.g., in Mecca, or to the snakes in Tehran or in Washington, D.C.) In any event, these Muslim jinns-become-poisonous-snakes would sometimes occupy the houses of the human Muslims, and there they presented a threat, as they did the young Muslim warrior who distrusted his wife.
Accordingly, the Muslim jinns-become-poisonous-snakes were to be given three days' warning to leave the household, and if they did not, they could be killed because the Muslim-jinns-become-poisonous-snakes were then also devils. (Again, it is unclear whether this teaching would apply to the snakes in Mecca, Tehran, or Washington, D.C.)
Now, with this background, we may turn to another hadith, again from the Sahih Mulsim, 26.5558:
This hadith seems to be a version of the other hadith. An additional enlightenment is that jinns-become-poisonous-snakes become devils after three days and jinns-become-poisonous-snakes become unbelievers after three days are equivalent, which suggests that unbelievers and devils are equivalent in Muhammad's eyes (or his brain).
WARNING: DO NOT LOOK AT THIS SNAKE
IT WILL CAUSE BLINDNESS AND SPONTANEOUS ABORTION!
There is a similar report given in Abu Dawud, another anthology of ahadith (41.5236):
Muhammad displays a little more animosity against snakes in the following hadith (Abu Dawud, 41.5229):
It is not clear whether the hadith above refers to all snakes, to Muslim jinn-become-poisonous-snakes-who-ignore-Noahide-and/or-Solomonic-treaties-by-staying-in-Muslim-homes-in-Medina-after-three-days'-warning, or other kind of snakes.
There is a little more confusion in that all of a sudden the broad command is limited by other ahadith. For example, Sahih Muslim 26.5544 says the following:
This is buttressed by the fact that the jinn-become-poisonous-snakes-who-ignore-Noahide-and/or-Solomonic-treaties-by-staying-in-Muslim-homes-in-Medina-after-three-days'-warning are fatal, whereas the striped and short-tailed snakes cause only miscarriages and poor eyesight. This interpretation is supported by the hadith in Abu Dawud 5232:
One of Muhammad's wives, 'Aisha, was apparently taught this. In Sahih Bukhari (4.54.528), we learn the following:
And this is corroborated by a certain Abu Mulaika in Sahih Bukhari 4.54.529:
Muslim snakes?
Yes, you read right. Muslims snakes. (There are also abortion-causing and blindness-causing snakes in the wisdom of Islam, as one will learn below.)
What is weirder than the notion of Muslim snakes, when one thinks of it--and for that reason, one ought not to think of it, for Allah (not man) knows best--is this: A kafir or mushrik, that is to say a Jew, a Christian, or an Infidel of any kind, is to be treated the same as a Muslim snake. They may both profitably be put to death. What is weirder is that the snake is to be given three days' warning, and Jew or Christian need be given none.
What?
To understand Muhammad's sssssssssublime sssssserptentine teaching one has to plunge into the ahadith, especially those ahadith so highly regarded by the Muslims as normative, the Sahih Bukhari and the Sahih Muslim, but another fertile source that composite of ahadith called Abu Dawud.
To fathom the wisdom of Muhammad, let us start with this pretty serpentine story. It is found in Sahih Muslim, 26.5557.
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.
This hadith is very, very rich, and there is much wisdom which could be distilled from it. But let us focus on what it tells us about snakes, particularly, Muhammad's teaching about them. In the city of Medina, at least, there were "jinns" or spirits who accepted Islam, and these turned into snakes, poisonous snakes that is, and sometimes occupied houses in Medina. (It is unclear whether this doctrine applies to snakes elsewhere, e.g., in Mecca, or to the snakes in Tehran or in Washington, D.C.) In any event, these Muslim jinns-become-poisonous-snakes would sometimes occupy the houses of the human Muslims, and there they presented a threat, as they did the young Muslim warrior who distrusted his wife.
Accordingly, the Muslim jinns-become-poisonous-snakes were to be given three days' warning to leave the household, and if they did not, they could be killed because the Muslim-jinns-become-poisonous-snakes were then also devils. (Again, it is unclear whether this teaching would apply to the snakes in Mecca, Tehran, or Washington, D.C.)
Now, with this background, we may turn to another hadith, again from the Sahih Mulsim, 26.5558:
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 [as the one above, i.e., 26.5557]. 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).
This hadith seems to be a version of the other hadith. An additional enlightenment is that jinns-become-poisonous-snakes become devils after three days and jinns-become-poisonous-snakes become unbelievers after three days are equivalent, which suggests that unbelievers and devils are equivalent in Muhammad's eyes (or his brain).
WARNING: DO NOT LOOK AT THIS SNAKEIT WILL CAUSE BLINDNESS AND SPONTANEOUS ABORTION!
There is a similar report given in Abu Dawud, another anthology of ahadith (41.5236):
Narrated Abu Sa'id al-Khudri:The form of imprecation against the snake is (thankfully) given us in another hadith (Abu Dawud, 41.5240).
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. If it return (after that), he should kill it, for it is a devil.
Narrated AbdurRahman Ibn Abu Layla:From this we learn that the snakes made covenants with Noah and Solomon, and so, quite plainly, armed with this historical knowledge, we would be wise to invoke the Noahide and Solomonic treaties in our adjurations against the snakes as recommended by Muhammad. (By the way, Muhammad claimed that the Jews and Christians tampered with their Scriptures, so wherever the Qur'an and the Jewish or Christian scriptures vary, it is ipse dixit on the ground of the corruption of the latter. Since the covenant between snakes and Noah and snakes and Solomon is not found in either the Old or New Testaments, I would assume that this is one of those revelations excised by those unfaithful , ssssssslippery and sssssslick Jews and Christians.)
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.
Muhammad displays a little more animosity against snakes in the following hadith (Abu Dawud, 41.5229):
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud:Don't be squeamish in killing snakes, or Muhammad will disown you!
The Prophet said: Kill all the snakes, and he who fears their revenge does not belong to me.
It is not clear whether the hadith above refers to all snakes, to Muslim jinn-become-poisonous-snakes-who-ignore-Noahide-and/or-Solomonic-treaties-by-staying-in-Muslim-homes-in-Medina-after-three-days'-warning, or other kind of snakes.
There is a little more confusion in that all of a sudden the broad command is limited by other ahadith. For example, Sahih Muslim 26.5544 says the following:
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.I have not been able to refer to the many commentators, but it seems to me that these snakes (striped back and short-tailed) present other problems from the jinn-become-poisonous-snakes-who-ignore-Noahide-and/or-Solomonic-treaties-by-staying-in-Muslim-homes-in-Medina-after-three-days'-warning, and that the former may be killed without the three days' warning, obviously because of their danger to the general welfare.
This is buttressed by the fact that the jinn-become-poisonous-snakes-who-ignore-Noahide-and/or-Solomonic-treaties-by-staying-in-Muslim-homes-in-Medina-after-three-days'-warning are fatal, whereas the striped and short-tailed snakes cause only miscarriages and poor eyesight. This interpretation is supported by the hadith in Abu Dawud 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.
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.
One of Muhammad's wives, 'Aisha, was apparently taught this. In Sahih Bukhari (4.54.528), we learn the following:
Narrated 'Aisha:
The Prophet ordered that a short-tailed or mutilated-tailed snake (i.e. Abtar) should be killed, for it blinds the on-looker and causes abortion.
And this is corroborated by a certain Abu Mulaika in Sahih Bukhari 4.54.529:
There you have it . . . Sssssshari'a on Sssssssnakes!
Narrated Abu Mulaika:
Prophet said, 'Do not kill snakes except the short-tailed or mutilated-tailed snake with two white lines on its back, for it causes abortion and makes one blind. So kill it.'
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