Throwing live ants into a spider's web

18-12-2014 | IslamWeb

Question:

As-salaamu alaikum, dear shaykh recently I have started unusual practice and my heart is perplexing for whether this practice is Halal or Haram, so kindly guide me through it. I pick alive ants and throw them in the webs of spider and after that immediately the spider begins to roll that ant until dead! I feel amazing this spider job! Jazaak ALLAHU Khair.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

What is apparent from the question is that, by this method of killing the ants, the questioner seeks frivolous play and entertainment. Therefore, this is not permissible at all even if the ants are troublesome.

Al-Fawaakih Ad-Dawaani (a Maaliki book) reads: “NB: Concerning all that we said is permissible to kill to ward off trouble, the killer is required to intend to kill it to ward off trouble, and to refrain from doing so in vain; otherwise, it will be forbidden (to kill it) even the harmful five pests, which are permissible to kill inside and outside the Sanctuary.” [End of quote]

This action is similar to inciting animals to fight each other and being amused by seeing them kill each other, which is forbidden.

According to the Majmoo‘ (of An-Nawawi): “Inciting animals to fight each other is forbidden based on the Hadeeth related by Ibn ‘Abbaas who said: ‘The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, forbade inciting animals to fight one another.’ Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi reported it with an authentic chain of narrators, but it includes Abu Yahya Al-Qattaat and there is a difference of opinion about him being trustworthy, but Muslim reported from him in his Saheeh.” [End of quote]

Ash-Shawkaani said in Nayl Al-Awtaar: “It is forbidden because it causes pain to the animals and harms them without any benefit, but only for play.”

Allaah Knows best.