What distinction applies to ants causing harm in the home?
2026-10-13
F192 · Selected fatwas
Shaykh Ibn Bāz
الشيخ عبد العزيز بن عبد الله بن باز
Original Q&A · Complete published question and answer
The complete published brief question and answer. The words in square brackets complete the question's implied sense in English. The harm condition and the exclusion of fire are both explicit in the answer.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
امرأة تعاني من كثرة النمل في البيت؟
الجواب
إذا آذى؛ لا بأس بإتلافه، لكن بغير النار، أما إذا لم يؤذ فلا يتعرض له، فالرسول نهى عن قتل النملة والنحلة والهدهد والصرد، لكن إذا آذى يقتل.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
A woman is troubled by a large number of ants in the house. [What should she do?]
Answer
If they cause harm, there is no objection to killing them, but without using fire. If they do not cause harm, they should be left alone. The Messenger forbade killing the ant, the bee, the hoopoe and the shrike. But if it causes harm, it may be killed.
Source and editorial notes
Official Ibn Bāz website, fatwa 22181
الموقع الرسمي للشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Official Ibn Bāz website
Complete published Arabic question and answer checked against the official source, including presenter follow-ups where present. Arabic diacritics omitted and honorific glyphs expanded for display. Source footnotes are kept separate.