One day, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ went into a garden. A camel came to him and started crying. Tears were falling from its eyes. The Prophet ﷺ gently put his hand on the camel’s head, and it became calm. He then asked, “Who owns this camel?” A man came forward. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah gave you this animal, but don’t you fear Allah? This camel told me that you don’t feed it and make it do too much hard work.” 1
Hurting animals is wrong. It’s just as bad as hurting people. People can speak and tell others if they’re being treated badly, but animals cannot. So being cruel to animals is very unfair and is one of the worst kinds of cruelty. The Prophet ﷺ said that people who hurt animals are cursed. Just like it’s wrong to hit a person in the face, it’s also wrong to hit an animal in the face. Once, the Prophet ﷺ saw a donkey with a mark burned into its face. He said, “Didn’t you hear that I cursed anyone who burns or hits an animal on the face?” Then he said it is not allowed. 2
Animals: A Divine blessing.
Animals are a wonderful gift from Allah. Allah made them helpful to people. We use them for many needs, and they help us in many ways. Islam teaches us to respect animals. In fact, the Qur’an mentions animals in many places and even names some chapters after them, like The Cow, The Bee, The Ant, and The Elephant.
Just like it’s wrong to hurt people, it’s also wrong to harm animals. Islam even says not to speak badly or use bad words toward animals. This helps us to be kind, not mean or selfish.
Once, a woman cursed her camel. The Prophet ﷺ got upset and said she should not ride it anymore. He said to remove the saddle and things from its back because it was now cursed. 3
In another story, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Don’t curse the rooster. It wakes people up for prayer.” 4
Think about it: if we’re not even allowed to say bad words to animals, how could we ever think it’s okay to hit them, hurt them, or cut off any part of their body?
Hurting Animals Can Lead to Hell
For Muslims, the worst thing is going to Hell. Any action that leads to that is very serious. Hurting animals can be one of those actions.
The Prophet ﷺ once told the story of a woman who was punished in Hell because she kept a cat locked up. She didn’t feed it or let it go find food. Because of her cruelty, she was punished. 5
The Reward for Kindness to Animals
Just like cruelty brings punishment, kindness brings reward. The Prophet ﷺ once told this story: A dog was walking around a well, very thirsty. A woman from the Children of Israel saw it, took off her shoe, and used it to give the dog some water. Because of this kind act, Allah forgave her sins. 6
The Prophet ﷺ Strongly Warned Against Hurting Animals
A companion of the Prophet ﷺ, Ibn Umar, saw some boys using a bird as a target for shooting practice. When they saw him, they ran away. He said the Prophet ﷺ had cursed anyone who ties up a living animal to use it for target practice. 7
Think about how serious that is!
Do Not Make Animals Suffer
The Prophet ﷺ said we must not cause animals to suffer. He said we should not make animals fight each other for fun. 8
He also said that when slaughtering animals for food, we must do it kindly and quickly so they don’t suffer.
Once, a man was about to slaughter a goat but started sharpening his knife in front of it. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Do you want to kill it twice? You should have sharpened your knife before bringing the animal.” 9
He also said, “When you slaughter an animal, do it properly. Sharpen your knife and make it easy for the animal.” 10
Dear Readers,
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us to always be kind to animals. Let’s look at how we treat them. Are we doing what Islam tells us? Or are we ignoring our duties? We should think about this and try to do better—before it’s too late.
1. (Abu Dawood: 2549)
2. (Abu Dawood: 2564)
3. (Abu Dawood: 2561)
4. (Abu Dawood: 5191)
5. (Sahih Muslim: 5989)
6. (Sahih Bukhari: 3467)7. (Sahih Muslim: 1957)
8. (Tirmidhi: 1709)
9. (Mustadrak Hakim: 7570)
10. (Tirmidhi: 1409)
