How Prophet Muhammad Treated Animals – I

25/12/2011| IslamWeb

Allah The Almighty describes the Prophet,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), Saying (what means): {And indeed, you are of a great moral character.}[Quran, 68: 4]. Thus, the Prophet,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), had perfect manners. He once said, clarifying one of the main objectives he aimed to achieve through his mission: “I was sent to perfect honorable manners.”[Al-Bayhaqi] He,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), had the noblest of character, and his benevolence extended to the young and old, males and females, humans, animals and inanimate beings. 

The Prophet,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), left some instructions as to how animals should be treated. For example, Shaddaad bin Aws, may Allah be pleased with him, reported, “The Messenger of Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: ‘Verily Allah has prescribed kindness towards everything. So, when you kill, you must make the killing in the best manner (i.e. according to the penal code); when you slaughter, make your slaughter in the best manner. Let one of you sharpen his knife, so that the slaughtered animal would die comfortably (in a swift manner).’[Muslim]
 
This Prophetic narration and others of its kind show how humane and noble he,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), was, even when dealing with animals, and it highlights his gentleness and mercy towards them.`Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported, “The Messenger of Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) used to place a container for a cat to drink from, and then perform ablution with whatever water was left after it drank.” [At-Tabaraani]
 
The following are but a few Hadeeths where he,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), was reported to have shown and encouraged kindness towards animals: 
 
·         ‘Abdullaah bin Ja’far, may Allah be pleased with him, reported,
“The Messenger of Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) took me behind him on his animal once and told me something (and no one could hear us). Once, he went into a land that belonged to a man from the Ansaar (the Helpers, who were residents of Madeenah) to relieve himself, and there, he saw a camel that started to shed tears upon seeing the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) who went to it and patted it until it stopped crying. Thereupon, he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: Who is the owner of this camel?’A young man from the Ansaar came and said, ‘It is mine, O Messenger of Allah.’ He  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said to him: ‘Fear Allah in the way you deal with this animal of which Allah has granted you ownership. It complained that you overwork it and make it go hungry without feeding it.’[Abu Daawood] Thus, animals would complain to the Prophet,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), about humans’ harsh treatment and unkindness.
 
·        Another instance of his showing mercy and compassion towards animals was narrated in the Hadeeth by Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who reported, “The Messenger of Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) visited a man from the Ansaar, so the man took a blade and attempted to slaughter an animal to serve the Prophet, when he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said to him: ‘Do not slaughter one that produces milk.[Ibn Maajah] Animals that produce milk are usually ones that breastfeed their young ones, and thus slaughtering them would deprive their babies from the needed nourishment and care.
 
·        Zayd bin Khaalid, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated, “The Messenger of Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) passed by a camel whose stomach was stuck to its back (due to its weak body and hunger) and said: ‘Be mindful of Allah in the manner you deal with your animals. Just like you only eat the healthy ones, ride only the healthy as well.’[Abu Daawood]
 
·        Ibn Mas’ood, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “We were with the Messenger of Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) on a trip, and we passed by a tree that had two young birds in a nest, so we took them. Shortly after, their mother came flying looking for them and got close to the Messenger  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ). Thereupon, the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) asked: ‘Who scared this bird and took its young?’ We answered, ‘We did.’Thereupon, the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: ‘Return them’, so we did.”[Al-Bayhaqi and Al-Haakim] 

How Prophet Muhammad Treated Animals - II

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