The universal mercy of Islam embraces not only human beings, whether Muslims, People of the Book, or unbelievers, but all other living creatures of Allah as well. Accordingly, Islam prohibits cruelty against animals. Fourteen hundred years before any societies for the prevention of cruelty against animals were established, Islam made kindness towards animals a part of its faith and cruelty against them a sufficient reason for a person to be thrown into the Fire.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) related to his Companions the story of a man who found a dog panting with thirst. The man went down into a well, filled his shoes with water which he gave to the dog, and continued to do so until the dog’s thirst was quenched. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘’Then Allah praised his (deed) by forgiving him (his sins).’’ The Companions asked, ‘’Is there a reward for us in relation to animals, O Messenger of Allah?’’ He replied ‘’There is a reward in (relation to) every living creature.’’ (Narrated by Bukhari)
Side by side with this radiant picture of Allah’s forgiveness and pleasure, the Prophet (peace be upon him) drew another picture depicting Allah’s anger and punishment. He said,
‘’A woman was sent to the Fire because of a cat. She imprisoned it and neither fed it nor set it free to feed upon the rodents of the earth.’’ (Narrated by Bukhari)
Respect for Allah’s living creatures reached such an extent that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw a donkey with a branded face, he denounced such a practice saying,
‘’By Allah! I would not brand (an animal) except on the part of its body farthest from its face.’’ (Narrated by Muslim)
In another report, someone passed by the Prophet (peace be upon him) with a donkey with a branded face, so he said,
‘’Have you not heard that I have cursed anyone who brands an animals on its face or who hits it on its face?’’ (Narrated by Abu-Dawud)
When Ibn ‘Umar saw some people practicing archery using a hen as a target, he said, ‘’The Prophet (peace be upon him) cursed anyone who makes a living thing into a target.’’
And Ibn ‘Abbas said the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade that animals be made to 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. Ibn ‘Abbas also reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) strongly condemned the castration of animals. (Narrated by Al-Bazzar on sound authority)
The Quran condemned the Arabs of Jahiliyyah for their slitting the ears of cattle, calling this a practice inspired by Satan. (An-Nisa 119)
In relation to the method of slaughtering an animal, Islam insists that the manner of slaughter should be that which is least painful to the animal and its requiring that the knife be sharpened but no in front of the animal. Islam also prohibits the slaughtering of one animal in front of another. Never, prior to Islam, had the world witnessed such concern for animals, a concern which is beyond its imagination.
By Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi