Should lizards be killed on sight?

1.Should lizzards be killed on seeing them and if yes why?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

There are numerous ahaadeeth regarding killing lizards and rewards for the one who does so. Consider the following hadith:

عَنْ أَبِي، هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ مَنْ قَتَلَ وَزَغَةً فِي أَوَّلِ ضَرْبَةٍ فَلَهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا حَسَنَةً وَمَنْ قَتَلَهَا فِي الضَّرْبَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ فَلَهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا حَسَنَةً لِدُونِ الأُولَى وَإِنْ قَتَلَهَا فِي الضَّرْبَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ فَلَهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا حَسَنَةً لِدُونِ الثَّانِيَةِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

Abu Hurairah reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who killed a gecko with the first stroke for him is such and such a reward, and he who killed it with a second stroke for him is such and such reward less than the first one, and he who killed it with the third stroke for him is such and such a reward less than the second one.[1]

The reason for this can be know from the following hadith:

عَنْ أُمِّ شَرِيكٍ ـ رضى الله عنها أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَمَرَ بِقَتْلِ الْوَزَغِ وَقَالَ ‏ “‏ كَانَ يَنْفُخُ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ‏”‏‏.‏

Narrated Um Sharik: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) ordered that the salamander should be killed and said, “It (i.e. the gecko) blew (the fire) on Ibraheem, alayhi al-salaam.”[2] 

The word used in the hadith for this particular animal is وزغة. Multiple translations have been given for this word. Some dictionaries translate it as gecko[3] while others use the word lizard.[4]

However, both of these animals are very similar and it is very likely that the word encompasses both these meanings and that the one word could include both these animals.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Muhammad Haris Siddiqui

Student Darul Iftaa
Melbourne, Australia

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.