Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: In the state of Ihram, one may kill a snake, a scorpion, a kite, a rabid dog, and a rat. I asked: What is meant by "fuwaysiqah"? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: The rat. I asked: What is the reason for killing the rat? He said: Once it happened that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) woke up and saw that a rat was taking the burning wick of a lamp towards the roof in order to set the roof on fire.