Hadith or verses saying killing a lizard is a reward

Question

Is there any hadith or verse that says to kill a lizard has a reward?? I want some hadith or verses related about killing a lizard.

Answer 1

The known ahadith are about geckos -the word الوزغ used here seems rather to refer to this according my limited knowledge in Arabic language- or salamander according to some translation and they are in general qualified as sahih:

• He who killed a gecko with the first stroke for him is such and such a reward, and he who killed it with a second stroke for him is such and such reward less than the first one, and he who killed it with the third stroke for him is such and such a reward less than the second one. (Sahih Muslim and Sunan abi Dawod)

• Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ordered that the salamander should be killed and said, "It (i.e. the salamander) blew (the fire) on Abraham." (Sahih al-Bukhari)

• a woman enter upon Aishah, and in her hand was an iron-footed stick. She said: "What is this?" she (Aishah) Said: "It is for these geckos, because the Prophet of Allah told us, that there was nothing that did not try to extinguish the fire for Ihram except for this animals, so he told us to kill it. And he forbade us to kill harmless snakes, except for the snake with two lines on its back, and the snake with a short tail, for the snatch away the eyesight and cause tat which is in women's wombs to be miscarried. (Sunan an-Nasa-i and according to this fatwa on islamweb #2669 also in Sahih ibn Hebban)

I don't know of any interpretation or analogy made for lizards. See also here where gecko is set equal to salamander and the author seems to refute the analogy based on the different classification (reptile vs. amphibian).
Note that lizards compared to geckos are much bigger and therefore the ruling seem hardly to apply on them as killing a gecko by the first attempt seems much more feasible than killing a lizard and Allah knows best.

Nevertheless 'Aishah has been quoted to say that she heard of other sahaba saying the prophet has ordered the killing of geckos or salamnders, but she didn't:

• The Prophet (ﷺ) called the Salamander, a mischief-doer. I have not heard him ordering that it should be killed. Sa`d bin Waqqas claims that the Prophet (ﷺ) ordered that it should be killed. (Sahih al-Bukhari)

• 'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said about the gecko as a noxious creature". Harmala made this addition that she said:
  I did not hear that he had commanded to kill them. (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

There's also an issue in the translation geckos and lizards are reptiles while salamanders are amphibian some translators also interpreted الوزغ as Chameleons:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ordered me to kill chameleon. He also said, "It blew (fire) on Prophet Ibrahim. (Ryadu as-Saliheen)

In a different hadith another killing reason was stated:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Cover your utensils and tie your water skins, and close your doors and keep your children close to you at night, as the Jinns spread out at such time and snatch things away. When you go to bed, put out your lights, for the mischief-doer الْفُوَيْسِقَةَ (i.e. the rat) may drag away the wick of the candle and burn the dwellers of the house." Ata said, "The devils." (instead of the Jinns). (Sahih al-Bukhari)

If we interpret it as referring to the gecko by mischief doer or vermin:

• 'Amir b. Sa'd reported on the authority of his father that Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) commanded the killing of geckos, and he called them little noxious creatures فُوَيْسِقًا. (Sahih Muslim)

• "Geckos are vermin. الْوَزَغُ الْفُوَيْسِق" (Sunan an-Nasa-i)

• It was narrated from ‘Aishah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said concerning house lizards: “Vermin.” "‏ الْفُوَيْسِقَةُ ‏" (Sunan ibn Majah)

Note that many hadith interpretation say it rather refers to mouses and rats etc.

See also this Arabic Fatwa in which the animal meant was refered to as: أبو بريص, الظاطور, البعرصي and الوزغ.

The issue sometimes with some terms in ahadith and old books is that the names of some animals used at the time are sometimes no more in use in modern Arabic see for example: Does خنزير الماء (or literally pig of the sea) in this statement or fatwa really refers to a Capyabra?.