Animals in Islam

Bismillah. I would like to share this Facebook status update by Environment & Animal's Rights in Islam on 22 January 2013. In Islam, the welfare of animals is placed on high importance so much so that the animals that we wrong(nauzubillah) will testify against us on the Day of Judgement.

"The Prophet Muhammad -peace be upon him- taught Muslims to have mercy on all of God’s creation. A Muslim considers most animals to be deserving of a respect as creatures. He shows mercy to them due to the mercy of God upon them."

According to Islamic Shari'ah, mistreating animals is considered a sin in Islam. A Muslim is responsible for the care of animals so much so that an ill-treated animal will testify against the one who abused it on the Day of Judgement. Islam forbids branding animals and killing them in vain, such as for sport. The last prophet of Islam, Mohammed -peace be upon him- forbade people to capture baby birds, burn anthills, and whip animals. Even in slaughtering certain animals for food, Islam requires that the slaughtering be done according to Islamic procedure, which is humane and aims to cause the animals as little suffering as possible. As humans, we have a responsibility towards every living creature.

Have you ever gone to any Pet Shops ? Poor, helpless animals imprisoned in tiny cages without even enough space to turn around.Their sad, pleading eyes haunting. I wondered if the pet shop owner ever thought about what it would be like to be paralyzed, as he has incarcerated birds in little cages. And for what beneficial purpose? Weren’t birds meant to fly? Maybe only a fellow animal lover would really understand, yet the importance of kindness to animals is something every Muslim should understand as a part of his worldview. It is such a serious matter that in Islam, it is understood that one could gain Heaven or Hell due to one’s treatment of animals.

Abu Hurayrah was a close Companion of the Prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- and has narrated more hadiths, or sayings of the Prophet than any other Companion. He was known for being very sympathetic and loving towards animals so much so that although his name was Abdur-Rahmaan, he was known as Abu Hurayrah, meaning “father of the kitten.” He was called so because of a small cat that he used to feed and care for and carry with him everywhere he went.

 May Allah bestow upon us love and mercy towards His creations, eventually to attain His Love and Mercy. Ameen.