Islam's Universal Mercy to Animals

Islam's universal mercy embraces not only human beings, whether believers, People of the Book, or non-Muslims, but all other living creatures. Accordingly, Islam prohibits cruelty to animals. Thirteen centuries before any societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals were established, Islam made kindness to animals a part of its faith, and cruelty to them a sufficient reason for a person to be thrown into the Fire.

God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, once related to his Companions that a prostitute found a dog panting with thirst. She descended into a well, filled her shoes with water, and gave it to the dog. She continued to do so until the dog's thirst was quenched. The Messenger said: “Then God was pleased with her, forgave her sins, and led her to the way of Paradise. (Bukhari,“Anbiya, 54; Muslim, “Salam, 153) He also mentioned a woman who left a cat without food and drink to die; she was led to the way of Hell.

Respect for God's living creatures reached such an extent that when the Messenger saw a donkey with a branded face, he denounced such a practice: “I would brand an animal only on the part of its body farthest from its face. (Canan, ibid., 6:306) When Ibn Umar saw some people practicing archery using a hen as a target, he said: “The Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, cursed anyone who made a living thing into a target. Ibn Abbas said:“The Messenger forbade making animals fight each other, since people would goad animals into fighting each other until one of them was pecked or gored to death, or close to it. He also reported that the Messenger strongly condemned the castration of animals.

As regards slaughtering animals, Islam insists that it be done in the way that is least painful to the animal and that the knife be sharpened but not in front of the animal. Islam also prohibits the slaughtering of one animal in front of another.

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