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Sahl ibn al-Hanzaliyyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم saw a camel whose belly had shrunk to its back (through hunger). Upon this the Prophet of mercy صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Fear Allah in the matter of these speechless animals; ride them while they are in good condition, and feed them properly.” (Abu Dawud)

Islam is a complete religion and a complete civilization. For every aspect and every affair of human life it has provided full guidance and direction. Islam is the first religion to declare that the world of animals, like the world of human beings, is a world of its own with certain characteristics; it has its own particular disposition and possesses a special kind of awareness. Allah says:

“There is no creature that walks upon the earth, nor a bird that flies on its two wings, but they are communities like you.” (Al-An'am 38)

Therefore they too deserve mercy and compassion just as a human being deserves it. Indeed, kindness to an animal sometimes opens the path to Paradise for a person, for it is related in a hadith that giving water to a thirsty dog became the means of a man's forgiveness (Abu Dawud). Conversely, cruel treatment of animals can sometimes cause a person to enter Hell; thus a hadith relates that a woman deserved Hell because she had confined a cat, neither feeding it herself nor releasing it so that it could find something to eat on its own (Bukhari).

Regarding animals, our religion also teaches that one should not make an animal a “chair” — that is, sitting on the back of a mount and keeping it standing still merely to converse with someone and the like. The Prophet forbade this (Abu Dawud). The noble Prophet also forbade setting animals to fight one another (Abu Dawud), such as making rams or cocks fight. Likewise it is not permissible to work an animal beyond what it can bear. Similarly it is forbidden to use animals as targets for shooting practice; the Prophet cursed anyone who uses a living creature as a target (Bukhari).

The Prophet also forbade scorching the faces of animals with fire or branding them with hot rods to distinguish them from other animals. As for animals whose meat is lawful, the teaching of the true religion is that the knife should be well sharpened before slaughter, and the carcass should be allowed to go cold before the hide is removed (Muslim).

In the light of these teachings, the scholars of Islam have laid down many rules for the treatment of animals. For example: it is obligatory upon the owner to provide for the needs of his animals. But if he cannot do so, he may be legally compelled either to look after it and provide its needs, or to sell it, or to release it in the wilderness where it can find fodder and shelter. Likewise they have forbidden putting a heavy bit in an animal's mouth and using a whip fitted with iron at its head.

It should be clear that all these teachings were presented in an environment in which — let alone animals — even human life had no value. Yet when these teachings took root in hearts, it even came to pass that a Companion, at the time of his death, addressed his camel saying: “O camel! On the Day of Resurrection do not dispute with me before your Lord, for I never loaded upon you more than your strength could bear.”

When the noble Companions halted at some place during a journey, they would not even perform the prayer until they had removed the saddles from their camels. (Abu Dawud)