QUESTION:
What do the scholars of the Dīn and muftīs of the Sacred Law state regarding the following issue: Is it permissible to kill insects for a valid reason?
Questioner: Waseem from Birmingham, UK
ANSWER:
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب
Yes, it is permissible to kill them in order to gain benefit or remove harm. As it is stated in Badā’i’ wa al-Sanā’i’;
“وَلَا بَأْسَ لَهُ بِقَتْلِ هَوَامِّ الْأَرْضِ مِنْ الْفَأْرَةِ، وَالْحَيَّةِ وَالْعَقْرَبِ ۔۔۔ بَلْ مِنْ حَشَرَاتِ الْأَرْضِ“
“There is no harm in killing harmful land animals like rats, snakes, scorpions, etc. In fact, there is no harm in killing all earthly animals.”
[Badā’i’ wa al-Sanā’i’, vol 2, pg 196]
It is mentioned in Bahār-e-Sharī’at that there is no problem in killing the following: Scorpions, snakes, rats, bandicoots, moles, biting dogs, fleas, mosquitos, leeches, turtles, crabs, moths, biting ants, flies, lizards, wasps as well as all land animals like badgers, foxes, and jackals. If these animals attack or those animals that have an attacking [i.e. predatory] nature like tigers, cheetahs and leopards.
[Bahār-e-Sharī’at, vol 1, part 6, pg 1183]
واللہ تعالی اعلم ورسولہ اعلم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم
کتبہ ابو الحسن محمد قاسم ضیاء قادری
Answered by Mufti Qasim Zia al-Qadri
Translated by Hamza Hussain
Read the original Urdu answer here: [Q-ID0628] Is it permissible to kill insects in Islam?
