Animal Welfare

Dr Asma Afsaruddin

Dr. Asma Afsaruddin is a professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at Indiana University, in the United States, who specializes in Quran and hadith, Islamic intellectual history, and gender.

When the Quran (Qurʾān), the Islamic holy book, was revealed in seventh century Arabia, it offered a holistic framework that sought to transform every sphere of life with the tools of compassion and justice. Human beings are described as guardians of the earth, indicating our responsibility to safeguard every created being, human or animal. Prophet Muhammadﷺ showed great care for animals and encouraged such an attitude among his Companions through imparting moral stories and his own kindly acts to creatures.

The story of man and the thirsty dog as related by the Prophetﷺ highlighted the vital link between animal welfare, humans and the higher connection to God.

The parched dog in the desert

The account highlighted an important moral: that a service to a created being on earth is ultimately a service to God.

There was a poignant and powerful story that the Prophetﷺ once narrated which highlighted the tripartite connection between human beings, the treatment of animals and God (Allāh). He spoke of a man who was walking alone through the hot desert plains when he came upon a dog that was dying of thirst. The man was moved with great pity for the suffering animal and rushed off to find a well. He took off his shoe, filled it with cool water and brought it back to the parched dog, reviving the poor creature and saving its life.

The Prophetﷺ concluded the story by stating that all the sins of the man were forgiven after this simple act of mercy. The account highlighted an important moral: a service to a created being on earth is ultimately a service to God. For it is through acts of compassion that we realize our fullest spiritual potential. By reframing the relationship between animals and humans, the Prophetﷺ crafted an entirely new way of thinking.

The baby birds

The Prophetﷺ, in his profound wisdom, reframed the human relationship with the animal kingdom using the highest ideals.

Kindness and empathy were so inherent in the Prophetﷺ’s conduct and character that they emanated even to the smallest of creatures.

The Prophetﷺ was once approached by a man who came to him bringing a box full of baby birds, which he had come across on his journey. The Prophetﷺ discovered that the mother of these birds was distressed and she followed the man as far as she could until she could go no further. Upon hearing what the man had done, the Prophetﷺ rebuked him for separating the babies from their mother and told him to reunite them immediately. He wanted to implement the idea that every life, human or animal, is precious. He went on to compare the love and tenderness that the mother bird had for her young to God’s love and tenderness to His creation. Yet again, the Prophetﷺ reminded his followers that compassion to nature is reflective of the kind of mercy people would hope for from God. The constant link between the earthly and divine realm was a means to elevate every daily interaction and act towards the most fragile of creatures. Thus the Prophetﷺ, in his profound wisdom, reframed the human relationship with the animal kingdom using the highest ideals.

The unborn calf

In setting down these rules, the Prophetﷺ reflected the broader, ethical Islamic vision of creating a more balanced and fair world.

A powerful example of the sheer level of protection Prophet Muhammadﷺ gave to animals demonstrates his truly holistic attitude when it came to animal welfare.

According to this account, the Prophetﷺ forbade the sale of unborn animals that were still in the womb. He also prohibited the exploitation of milk from pregnant animals, so that the calves would not be deprived of their mother’s milk. In setting down these rules, the Prophetﷺ reflected the broader, ethical Islamic vision of creating a more balanced and fair world. He warned that if humans sought to disrupt the harmony within nature and take away the basic rights of animals, then it would blindside them to the broader perspective of justice that encompassed all of God’s loving creation. The Prophetﷺ was keen to show that recognizing the smallest creatures was also recognizing the greater divine design.

Kindness and the she-camel

The treatment of the she-camel was linked to a more comprehensive Islamic ethos for life.

A powerful lesson taken from the life of the Prophetﷺ instructed a fundamental value of kindness in humans by using the example of a she-camel. The Prophetﷺ gifted his wife, Aisha (ʿĀʾishah), a she-camel and accompanied it with words of counsel. He told her to be gentle with the camel because everything that emanates from gentleness, beautifies it, and anything that is not treated with kindness defaces and dishonors it.

This advice pointed to an important concept within Islamic belief: the concept of* iḥsān*, an Arabic word that conveys the sense of undertaking each act with excellence, grace, beauty, and fairness. Thus, the treatment of the she-camel was linked to a more comprehensive Islamic ethos for life – that any deed a human carries out should be filled with the qualities of iḥsān. Through his benevolent attitude to the animal world, Prophet Muhammadﷺ created a new framework. He not only reshaped people’s mindsets towards creatures as beings worthy of good treatment, he also paired mercy to animals with gaining mercy from God, saying, “He who takes pity even on a sparrow and spares its life, God will be merciful to him on the Day of Judgment”. Through his powerful words and noble example, the Prophetﷺ sought to bring every different sphere of life into balance, harmony, and excellence.