FatwaFederal TerritoriesQuran & Hadith
Irsyad al-Hadith Siri ke-32: Kisah Nabi Sulaiman dan semut dan larangan membunuh semut
Is the story of Prophet Solomon and the ant authentic, and is there a hadith prohibiting the killing of ants?
Short answer
The story of Prophet Solomon and the ant is authentic and is recorded in the Quran, Surah al-Naml verse 18.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- Federal Territories Mufti Office
- Date
- Status
- Opinion (irsyad)
- Series
- Irsyad al-Hadith
- Topic
- Quran & Hadith
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
The story of Prophet Solomon and the ant is authentic and is recorded in the Quran, Surah al-Naml verse 18. There are hadiths forbidding the killing of ants, including the narration of Ibn Abbas that mentions the prohibition of killing ants, bees, the hoopoe and the shurd bird. The hadiths about a prophet who burned an ant colony and the prohibition of punishing with fire indicate that burning ant nests is not permitted in our law. According to al-Khattabi, ants that cause harm may be killed to prevent the harm, while long-legged ants that cause no harm may not be killed.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Berkenaan dengan kisah Nabi Sulaiman dan semut, ia merupakan kisah yang sahih dan kisah ini dirakam oleh Allah SWT di dalam al-Qur'an.
Read the full fatwa on the Federal Territories website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
Federal Territories Mufti Office. “Irsyad al-Hadith Siri ke-32: Kisah Nabi Sulaiman dan semut dan larangan membunuh semut”, 29 March 2016. https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/irsyad-al-hadith/1517-irsyad-al-hadith-siri-ke-32-kisah-nabi-sulaiman-dan-semut-dan-larangan-membunuh-semut. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/prophet-solomon-ant-story-killing-ants/