Nimah Alabi
Islamic scholar, Sheikh Dhikrullah Shafi’i, has addressed the issue of killing wall geckos in a recent video circulating on social media.
According to him, Islam rewards one for killing the reptile based on the negative history and aura it carries.
If one can smash it at a go, the reward is full but reduces with the number of times the act is attempted.
In the video, Shafi’i explains how wall geckos are animals that carry a lot of poison on them and could lead to serious infections when transferred.
The Prophetic Command of this rule as seen in the holy book, The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad ﷺ ordered the killing of geckos, classifying them as small noxious/harmful creatures (fuwaysiq).
The reason for the ruling as Scholars explain is that the physical harm, impurity, and annoyance these creatures cause, such as contaminating food or dropping waste, as well as historical narrations regarding their harmful nature.
His comments have drawn attention online as discussions continue over the religious basis for killing the small reptiles commonly found around homes and buildings.
Islamic hadith collections contain reports concerning the killing of geckos.
Sahih Muslim records a narration in which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is reported to have instructed that geckos be killed, while Jami at-Tirmidhi and Sunan Abi Dawud contain narrations describing a reward for killing a gecko with the first strike.
The recent video has therefore renewed conversations among social media users about the religious explanation behind the practice and how it should be understood.
