General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)
43/175. Chapter:
Regarding killing snakes
Sunan Abi Dawud
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ صَيْفِيٍّ، مَوْلَى ابْنِ أَفْلَحَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو السَّائِبِ، مَوْلَى هِشَامِ بْنِ زُهْرَةَ أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ عَلَى أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ وَأَتَمَّ مِنْهُ قَالَ " فَآذِنُوهُ ثَلاَثَةَ أَيَّامٍ فَإِنْ بَدَا لَكُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَاقْتُلُوهُ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ شَيْطَانٌ " .
The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri in a similar manner through a different chain of narrators. This version is more perfect. In this version he said : give it a warning for three days; if it appears to you after that, then kill it, for it is only a devil.
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 5259In-book reference : Book 43, Hadith 487English translation : Book 42, Hadith 5239