or if he vowed to backbite someone, it is not lawful for him to backbite him. Likewise, if he vowed to cut off a relative, it is unlawful for him to sever those ties; and if he vowed to mistreat his parents, it is equally unlawful for him to do so, for all of that is disobedience. Whoever makes a vow to disobey Allah must refrain from the sin. What, then, should he do? The scholars have said: he does not commit the sin; instead he offers the expiation for an oath—feeding ten needy persons, clothing them, or freeing a slave. If he is unable, he fasts three consecutive days, in accordance with a report from the Prophet ﷺ.

1863 – Umm Sharik رضي الله عنها narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ instructed her to kill the wazagh (house geckos) and said, “It used to blow on Abraham’s fire.” Agreed upon.

The third hadith concerns killing the wazagh. The wazagh is the spotted house lizard that enters homes, lays eggs, breeds, and harasses people. The Prophet ﷺ commanded that it be killed. ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها kept a spear with which she would hunt the geckos and kill them. The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever kills it on the first strike receives such-and-such a reward; on the second, a smaller reward; and on the third, a reward smaller still…

All of this urges Muslims to act quickly in killing it and to strike it decisively so that it dies from the first blow. The Prophet ﷺ labeled it a “deviant creature” and informed us that it blew on the fire that Abraham was thrown into—may Allah protect us—so that its flames would grow stronger. This shows its complete enmity toward the people of pure monotheism. For that reason a person should look for geckos in his house, in the marketplace, and in the mosque, and kill them. Allah alone grants success.

1864 – Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever kills a wazagh with the first blow will have such-and-such good deeds recorded for him; whoever kills it with the second will have such-and-such good deeds, less than the first; and whoever kills it with the third will have such-and-such good deeds.” In another wording: “Whoever kills a wazagh with the first blow will have one hundred good deeds recorded for him; with the second, fewer than that; and with the third, fewer than that.” Narrated by Muslim.