Muhammad's(PBUH) attitude towards animals

Muhammad's(PBUH) attitude towards animals

 Muhammad's(PBUH) attitude towards animals is an important aspect of the Prophet's biography. Allah has instructed about His beloved Prophet Muhammad in His Holy Book, the Holy Quran: وَمَا أَرْ‌سَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَ‌حْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds. (Surat al-Anbiya' Verse No. 107)

In this blessed verse, the word "عَالَم" is used. According to the scholars of the lexicon, everything is "عَالَم" except Allah. Since His High caste is a source of mercy for the whole world, inevitably animals and birds are included in His Mercy.

Prohibition of playing with animals:

The Arab society was such that they were hard-hearted people. They used to tie the animal and shoot arrows at it. In this process, they used to have fun. In modern times, even in some non-Muslim countries, people play games with animals in a way that is no less than brutality.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade such behavior with animals. On the contrary, our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed those who behave in such a manner with animals.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he went to Yahya bin Saeed (may Allah have mercy on him) and Yahya's son was tying a hen and shooting arrows at it. Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went to that hen. And he opened it.

Then he came to Yahya with the hen and the boy and said to him: Forbid him from tying this animal and beating it. Because I have heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah is upon him) forbidding the beating of animals by tying them up. (Saheeh al-Bukhari, H: 5514)

Similarly, Ibn Umar passed by some young men who were tying a hen and shooting arrows at it. When they saw Ibn Umar coming, they ran away. Ibn e-Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Who has done this? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has cursed the one who does such a thing. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 5515)

In the same way, some Arabs used to cut off the noses and ears of animals. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed those who did such things.

 Similarly, some Arabs used to cut off the mills of their oxen or camels. He used to cut his elbow and then cook this grinder or this elbow and apply for medicine on this cut part so that he could get his food and the animal would be safe. He also forbade him from this.

 Hazrat Abu Waqid Al-Laithi (may Allah be pleased with him) Anhu narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: It is haraam to cut off the body of an animal while it is alive. (Sunan Abi Dawood and the chain of its transmission is correct. Hadith No. 2858)

Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has cursed the one who cuts off the nose and ears of an animal. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 5515)

Relieve even when slaughtering an animal:

Allah Almighty has created animals for the comfort of human beings so that man can get food through them wherever he finds peace.

It is permissible to slaughter an animal for food, sacrifice, aqeeqah, or any other occasion. But Islam does not allow slaughtering animals in a barbaric and cruel way. While Islam teaches us kindness on other occasions, Islam also teaches us kindness while slaughtering animals.

 Hazrat Shaddad bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: When you slaughter an animal, slaughter it in a good way. Sharpen your knife and bring relief to your slaughter. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, authentic, Hadith No. 1409)

Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man was lying down to slaughter his goat and he was sharpening his knife (in front). He said to him: Do you want to give him two pearls? Couldn't you have sharpened the knife before laying it down? (Mustadrak e- Hakam)

It is as if the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) rebuked him for doing such an act. Why did you do such an act?

Cruelty to the cat led to hell:

Where Muhammad's(PBUH) The attitude towards animals was very wonderful. Similarly, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) exhorted others to be kind to animals and not to oppress them and to love them.

Hazrat Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: A woman tied a cat to her and did not feed it or let it go. If the earthworm ate the insect and it (the cat) died, that is why the woman was admitted to hell (Musnad Ahmad and the chain of its transmission is correct. Hadith No. 10208)

Also, respect the animal's face:

Muhammad's(PBUH) The attitude towards animals was very wonderful. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad also respected the faces of animals. Some people used to mark their animals as a sign and many people used to mark the faces of animals. He forbade us to do so.

Hazrat Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A donkey passed by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which was marked on the face. He said: May Allah curse the one who has marked it. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No.2117)

He loved animals and beasts so much that he cursed a person who beats animals in the face (Sunan Abi Dawood and the chain of its transmission is correct. Hadith No. 2564).

Besides, he did not allow any kind of cruelty to animals. As Sahl ibn Hanzaliya (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by a camel and saw that it was coming out of its belly due to hunger.

So he said: In the matter of these dumb animals, fear God. Ride on them in a good way and feed them in a good way. (Sunan Abi Dawood and the chain of its transmission is correct. Hadith No. 2548)

Some Arabs used to talk in such a way that they would sit on the back of their animal and talk while the poor animal would get tired of standing down. Obviously, this attitude was not right with the animal, so the Holy Prophet forbade it.

Hazrat Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Avoid making the backs of your animals as pulpits. Allah made them subservient to you so that they could take you from one city to another which was difficult for you to reach. He has created the earth for you to sit on, so fulfill your need on it. (Sunan Abi Dawood and the chain of its transmission is correct. Hadith No. 2567)

All these ahaadeeth make it clear to us that Muhammad's(PBUH) attitude towards The animals were excellent.

 Conclusion:

The above hadiths prove that Muhammad's(PBUH) attitude towards animals was very wonderful

  And the lesson for us is to love and care for animals. We must not hurt them. But some animals are very harmful to humans and other animals, so we should kill such animals for the sake of expediency and to avoid their mischief.