Animals in Islam - Part 5

The Importance of Respecting the Balance of Nature

"Those who take undue advantage of other species break the Divine Law of equilibrium in nature — and nature never forgives." The Qur'an Majeed dwells on this theme recurrently, such as:

Allah has not created all this without truth {Haque} (Qur'an.10:5), for it is He who created everything and ordained it with due potential {Taqdir} (Qur'an.25:2) not to allow any change to corrupt what Allah has created (Qur'an.30:30).

Then a warning is given to those people who are guilty of infraction, in these words:

Do they not know how many We have annihilated before them — those whom We had established on earth as more powerful than We have established you? (Qur'an.6:6)

The Importance of Conserving Nature

Even when the world is coming to an end, "On Doomsday, if any one has a palm-shoot in hand, he should plant it" (Musnad of Ahmad, 5:440 and 3:184, hereafter referred to as Musnad).

Blood Sports

There are many Ahadith forbidding blood sports and the use of animals as targets, some of which are as follows:

The Prophet condemned those people who take up anything alive as a mere sport. (Narrated by Abdullah bin 'Omar. Muslim, Vol. 3, Hadith No. 1958)

The Prophet forbade blood sports. (Narrated by Abdullah Ibn Abbas. Awn, [Ref. No. 32]; 8:15, Hadith No. 2603. Also "Robson" p. 876 [Ref. No. 15])

The Prophet said: "Do not set up living creatures as a target." (Narrated by Abdullah bin Abbas. Muslim Vol. 3, Hadith No. 1957. Also "Robson" p. 872 [Ref. No. 15])

The Prophet condemned those who use a living creature as a target. (Narrated by Abdullah bin'Omar. Bukhari and Muslim. Also "Robson" p. 872 [Ref. No. 15])

The Prophet forbade an animal being made a target. (Narrated by Anas., Recorded by Riyad. [Ref. No. 28]; Hadith No. 1606; p. 272)

The Prophet was reported as saying: "Do not make anything having life as a target." (Narrated by Ibn Abbas. Sahih Muslim - Kitab-us-Said Wa'dh-Dhaba'ih, Chapter DCCCXXII, Vol. III; Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, Lahore, Pakistan, 1976; Hadith No. 4813, p. 1079; hereafter referred to as Kitab-us-Said)

Ibn 'Umar happened to pass by a party of men who had tied a hen and were shooting arrows at it. When they saw Ibn 'Umar coming, they scampered off. Ibn 'Umar angrily remarked: "Who has done this? Verily! Allah's Messenger has invoked a curse upon one who does this kind of thing." (id. Narrated by Said bin Jubair)

The Prophet passed by some children who were shooting arrows at a ram. He told them off, saying: "Do not maim the poor beast." (Narrated by Abdallah bin Ja'far. An-Nasai, 7:238).

The fact that these Ahadith repeat the same sayings of the Holy Prophet in slightly varying wordings shows that he took the matter very seriously and repeated them again and again on different occasions in the presence of different people. Another significant point to note in this respect is that, to stop the use of animals as targets or in blood sport, the Holy Prophet did the same as he did in the case of camel-humps and sheep-tails, quoted above. He declared their meat as Mujaththema and unlawful (haram) for consumption, according to the following Hadith:

God's Messenger forbade eating a mujaththema {carrion} of a bird or animal set up and shot at as a target for shooting. (Narrated by Waqid al-Laithi. Abu al-Darda. Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 1473, Chapt. "Al-At'imah." Also "Robson" [Ref. No.15]; p. 874)

Military Research, Including Wound Labs

One might also appeal to the Islamic law (Shari'ah) to oppose using animals in military research in general and in the so-called wound laboratories in particular. The above-quoted Ahadith, as well as the Juristic Rules, would seem to support the view that our wars are our own problems and that we have no right to make the animals suffer for them.

Animals in War

Even in war, animals cannot be killed except if needed for food. Hazrat Abu Bakr, the first Caliph after the death of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (632-634 A.C.), addressed the Muslim army at a place outside Medina, called Jorf, before sending them off for the battle of Muta. Among the instructions he gave to the soldiers was not to slaughter animals except for food (Qur'an, 22:40; Tabari III, p. 123).