In all religions kindness to animals is an exalted virtue. Because animals are God’s creations, the human being has a duty to look after them. Islam is a way of life that promotes peace, dignity, respect, tolerance, justice and mercy. All of these qualities are tempered with serenity (calmness) that comes from submission to Almighty Allah. Perhaps the greatest of these qualities is mercy. Allah’s mercy reaches all His creations including human beings. Allah mentions in Quran, the purpose behind the existence of those creatures. He insists on the protection of animal welfare and explicitly prohibits all kind of cruelty towards them. Only under strict conditions God allows us to consume animal meat. The Holy Quran inform us about animal communities, which are similar to ours. This can only draw us to compassion towards them. There is not a moving (living) creature on earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, but are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book, then unto their Lord they all shall be gathered (Quran 6:38). In this verse Allah, the Almighty, explains us that animals are members of different communities, like we are. An animal is a son, a brother and or a father of his or her fellow creature. This verse invites us to respect animals the same way we respect human beings. Allah clarify us about the purpose of the existence of His creations: And Verily! In the cattle there is indeed a lesson for you. We give you to drink (milk) of that which is in their bellies. And there are, in them, numerous (other) benefits for you (meat, wool, furr, transport), and of them you eat. And on them, and on ships you are carried. (Quran 23:21-22) And the cattle, He has created them for you; in them there is warmth (warm clothing), and numerous benefits (drink, meat) , and of them you eat. (Quran 16:5) These verses clearly demonstrates that animals have been created for human benefits. We can have animals at our disposal for our subsistence, for our clothing and also for travelling. That is why we have to thank Allah for all these bounties. The Quran says that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was sent as a mercy to the worlds. His kindness knew no limits, which included animals.
Before Islam Arabs, like all ignorant and illiterate people, were very cruel to animals. It was very common in Arabia to put a ring round the neck of a camel, but this practice was stopped on Prophet Muhammad (SAW) orders. When people needed meat for eating they used to cut pieces of flesh from living animals. This barbaric practice was forbidden by the Prophet. He also forbade people to keep animals in their working equipment for a long time and said, “Don’t make the backs of animals your chairs.” Animal fights were also made unlawful. Another custom was to tie up an animal and practice arrow shooting on it. This was also prohibited. Once Prophet Muhammad (SAW) saw a donkey that was branded on its face, and said, “God’s curse is on him who branded it.” As people had to brand their camels and sheep in order to know them, they were told to brand them on parts which were not so tender. Anas reported that he went into a herd of sheep and saw God’s Messenger branding them on the ears. Once the Prophet was on a journey with his companions and they stopped for rest at a place. In a tree nearby, a bird had laid an egg. A man took the egg and the bird began beating her wings in a state of great distress. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) enquired who had tormented the bird her by taking her egg. The man said, “O God’s Messenger, I have done this.” The Prophet told him to put it back immediately. A companion who had some baby birds wrapped in a piece of cloth came to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) . On enquiry, he told Prophet Muhammad (SAW) , “I heard a noise from a bush, went there, saw these babies, and took them out. When their mother saw what had happened, she began to fly round my head.” Prophet Muhammad (SAW) told him to go back and return the birds.
The Prophet (SAW) once told a story to his companions. There was a man who went on a journey and on his way he felt very thirsty. He found a well and went down into the well and drank water. When he came out of the well he saw a dog that was very thirsty and was licking the salty ground. He thought that the animal was thirsty like him, so he again went down into the well and filled his leather socks with water and gave it to the dog. God accepted this action of the man and sent him to Paradise. Human procedures to slaughter the animals for human food consumption were instituted by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Animals were given water to drink before slaughtering and he told his companions to slaughter animals with the sharpest knife, causing the minimum pain and suffering to the animal. He also forbade them to sharpen the weapon in front of the animal or when the animal was ready for slaughter, but told them to do these preliminaries before the animal was brought for slaughter. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) showed people by word and deed to be kind and friendly to everyone. Abu Hurairah reported the Prophet as saying, “A believer is friendly (and kind).” Anas and Abdullah (RA) ibn Masud reported God’s Messenger as saying, “All creatures are God’s children, those dearest to God are the ones who treat His children, kindly.” A’isha (RA) reported God’s Messenger as saying, “God is gentle and likes gentleness. He gives for gentleness what He does not give for harshness and what He does not give for anything else.” Abdullah (RA) ibn Masud reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Shall I not tell you who is kept away from Hell and from whom Hell is kept away? From everyone who is gentle and kind, approachable and of an easy disposition. Prophet Muhammad (SAW), by his own example, had ingrained this kind of behavior in the hearts of his companions, who, after him set an example for other people. This is shown by the following.
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It is reported by Abdullah (RA) ibn Jaffer that he passed by a grazing field and saw an Abyssinia slave guarding a herd of goats. After awhile a dog came and sat in front of the Abyssinian. He took of a loaf of bread and gave it to the dog that ate it. He then took out a second and third loaf of bread and gave them also to the dog which proceeded to eat all of them. After witnessing this, Abdullah (RA) enquired from the slave how many loaves of bread he received every day from his master. The slave replied that he got as many as he saw. At this, he asked why he gave all his bread to the dog. The slave replied that was not the place the dog belonged and he must have come looking for food from a great distance, and he did not want his effort to be wasted. Abdullah (RA) said that he was so impressed with his action that he paid the slave owner to free him, and along with that bought all the goats and the grazing field from his master, and gave it to the Abyssinian. The slave thanked him and prayed for him and gave all the goats and the grazing field to charity and went away from that place. Islam regards animals as part of the Divine Plan. They are manifestations of God’s Compassion and Mercy. Over and over again the Qur’an invites the human being to contemplate on cattle, birds and insects to appreciate the power of God. It says for instance, “Do they not look at the birds, held poised in the midst of (the air and) the sky? Nothing holds them up but (the power of) God. Verily in this are Signs for those who believe. (16:79).”
It is worth observing that there are a number of Chapters in the Qur’an that are named after animals — the cow, cattle, bees, ants, the spider. While the Qur’an reiterates the obvious, that animals have been created for the benefit of the human being, it is significant that it also acknowledges the rights that animals possess. This is illustrated in the story of the Prophet Salih and the people of Thamud ( 7:73 ; 11:64 ; 26:155-156; 54:23-31). The privileged among the people of Thamud usurped all rights to water and pasture. The Prophet intervened and asked that the rights of the poor and their cattle be respected. As a test, a she-camel was selected to be given access to those resources. But the privileged hamstrung the camel. For denying the rights of the poor and their animals, God destroyed Thamud. It was partly because of the Qur’anic perspective on animals that early Muslim jurists formulated rules and regulations designed to protect the welfare of horses and camels, mules and donkeys, even cats and birds. The overloading of mules was forbidden. If a cat was starved for a certain period of time, its owner could be punished. The target killing of birds was discouraged as a sport. In fact, animal torture was explicitly prohibited in certain Muslim societies of yesteryear. Indeed, protecting the rights of animals is integral to the trust placed upon the human being as khalifah or vicegerent. As khalifah, the human being has a responsibility towards the whole of creation, including the entire ecosystem and all the flora and fauna on this planet. Fulfilling this responsibility ( am-anah) is the essence of the human being’s mission on earth. If animal welfare is so central to Islam why does the religion require animals to be slaughtered in a manner that certain animal rights activists regard as ‘cruel’?
Since space does not permit a detailed discussion, it suffices to observe that scientific studies conducted in Germany and other places have shown that the Islamic method of slaughter in fact causes less pain and suffering to the animal. It is equally important to emphasize that the Qu’ranic stipulation to proclaim the name of God whenever one slaughters an animal is to make the human being aware that taking life is an awesome responsibility and a solemn trust. Animal rights activists and the public in general are also somewhat mystified by the repugnance that a section of the Muslim community displays towards dogs. So strong is this aversion that one would be justified in describing it as a sort of ‘dogophobia’. Has dogophobia any basis in the Qu’ran or the authentic Sunnah ( the Way of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW))? It is significant that the Qur’anic attitude towards the dog is positive, rather than negative. In a Chapter devoted to the principle of faith, a dog is mentioned a few of times as the companion to some pious youths who had taken refuge in a cave. (18: 18; 22). In another Chapter, the dog is alluded to as a hunting animal. ( 5: 4).
The Prophet once related the story of a prostitute who on seeing a panting dog by a well, about to die of thirst, took off her shoe and tying it with her head-cover, drew out some water for the poor animal. Because of that good deed, the Prophet told his followers, God had forgiven the woman. The Sunnah also informs us of how the Prophet asked one of his companions to stand guard over a bitch and its litter of puppies because he was afraid that passers- by would accidentally hurt them. Given these perspectives from the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah, one is forced to conclude that dogophobia is perhaps the product of a certain stream of jurisprudence that has evolved through time wrongly inspired by a couple of hadiths (sayings of the Prophet) which had rightly cautioned the faithful about the link between dog’s saliva and the spread of disease. Unfortunately, unthinking adherence to jurisprudential traditions perpetuated by mainstream ulama has created a situation today where some Muslim taxi drivers in Melbourne refuse to take blind passengers dependent upon guide dogs for their movements. Their attitude contradicts the kindness and compassion that the Qur’an expects us to show everyone especially those with disabilities. It underscores yet again the urgent need for the Muslim community and the ulama in particular to undertake a serious evaluation of Islamic jurisprudence guided by the universal values and principles of the Qur’an. Finally, we conclude, let us remember that Almighty Allah will not show mercy to him who does not show mercy to his creatures. May Allah guide us all towards true path. (Ameen) !
(The authors write on Islamic topics exclusively for “Kashmir Horizon”. Their views are personal)