‘Allah values acts of kindness done unto His creation’
‘There is reward for serving any living being’
Irecently discovered a stray cat that lives upon the doorstep of my home. She likes to lie next to my door where the cool air from the air conditioning inside my house seeps under the door and can cool her in summer heat. My little yellow abandoned cat is not alone in Kuwait; there are many abandoned animals that live among us. This leads me to wonder, according to the Quran what should I be doing for my feline doorstep guest? Does Allah care about the creatures that so many people see as mere pests?
“There is not an animal that lives on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but they form communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they all shall be gathered to their Lord in the end” (Quran 6:38). This was a response to my question, Allah not only created the animals that roam the earth but He has promised to gather them in the end.
The Quran also speaks of God’s awareness of animals and how the animals are able to praise and pray to Allah. “Seest thou not that it is Allah Whose praise all beings in the heavens and on earth do celebrate, and the birds (of the air) with wings outspread? Each one knows its own (mode of) prayer and praise, and Allah knows well all that they do.” (Quran 24:41)
Forbid
According to Quran the Muslims’ position on earth is to set an example for mankind. “You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah.” (Quran 3:110). Seeing as Allah is well aware of the animals of the earth (Quran 24:41), what kind of example should Muslims be setting for mankind when it comes to the treatment of animals?
One Hadith of the prophet says, “Whoever is merciful even to a sparrow, Allah will be merciful to him on the Day of Judgment.” As I look at the panting cat that has laid claim to my doorstep, I know one simple mercy is simply giving her both food and water. In Kuwait we also have the organization PAWS, that is purposefully offering mercy to abandoned animals.
According to Hadith of Sahi Bukhari the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) believed that Muslims should take care of animals. “The Companions said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals?’ He replied: ‘There is a reward for serving any living being.’” (Bukhari) Just as we serve each other we can also serve the animals that live among us. Islam is clear that Allah values animals and that he expects us to care for them.
Sometimes people fail to realize the value that Allah has put into his creation. It is unfortunate that sometimes people hurt, torture, and purposefully starve animals. In the Hadith of Al Turmithi the Prophet said that, “The farthest people from God are the people who are cruel in their hearts.”
Cruelness
In another Hadith of Bukhari the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) told a story of a woman who kept a cat locked up and didn’t feed it. The Prophet warned that she would go to the hellfire for her cruelness to the cat. Cruelty to animals is never acceptable according to Islamic faith.
The Prophet warned us about being cruel, but Allah takes it farther and tells us to do good. In the Quran 4:36 it says, “Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good- to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbors who are near, neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (ye meet), and what your right hands possess: For Allah loveth not the arrogant, the vainglorious.” Not only does Allah indicate that we should be good to people but also whatever our right hand might possess. Perhaps what your right hand might possess is a bird, cat, or dog; are you doing good to the animals that Allah has made your possession?
Perhaps, you don’t have a pet at this time, but every day we see animals around us, are we doing anything to relieve some of their suffering? In Hadith Muslim after returning from getting a drink from a well a man sees a dog that is thirsty and can tell the dog is in pain. The man then goes down to the well and fills his shoe with water and gives it to the dog. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says that because of the kindness of the man to the dog, Allah forgave the man’s sins.
The little yellow cat has returned to lie against my door and I am certain that it is my responsibility to alleviate some of her suffering. Islam promotes kindness to animals and makes it clear that we have responsibility for caring for some of these animals. There are many ways in which a person can help care for the animals around us. You can offer food or water to the animal, you can adopt an abandoned pet to care for yourself, you can be careful not to purchase animals that are bred unethically, you can make pet food donations or monetary donations to support local charities for pets like PAWS, or you can take time to volunteer at the PAWS center for abandoned animals. In a world that has been so carefully created by the One True God, His creation is special to Him and Allah values the acts of kindness done unto His creation, even the least of the creatures that walk among us. I urge you to take action and to do good for the animals that Allah has placed in Kuwait.
This is the first place winner in the adult category of the PAWS Kuwait Ramadan Essay Contest on “How Islam Promotes Kindness to Animals.”
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