Lesson Twenty four
The Prohibition of harming or killing Animals:
Umar bin Rashid said that, he heard the holy prophet saying that: "He who killed a bird vainly, it will shout very loudly to Allah on the day of judgement reporting that:
‘oh! My Provider someone indeed killed me vainly, for no legal utility’" . Reported by Annisaa and ibnu Haban
- vainly: Means without a beneficial purpose. God says: (Do you think that We created you vainly (without a purpose) and that you will not be brought back to us? ) Fortress Al-Muminoun, verse 115
- Shout to God: Raise his voice very powerfully. i.e. requesting for her right from God with a strong voice to the hearing of the killing.
- For no legal utility: He was not need meat before killing.
The detailed explanation:
The holy Prophet is warning man in this noble hadith (saying) not to be a harmer or aggressor on creatures because such an act is qualified as an act of a disbeliever in God the Almighty, For instance if a bird enters your house, don’t kill it if you are having some meat in the house. And we have to be very sympathetic with all creatures regardless of the size and the value. The holy Prophet said again: "If someone sympathizes even a bird during slaughtering, God will sympathize him on the day of judgement" "see Almujamul kabir lituabarani No /7840/.
He means by his saying that, we should not kill animals for no legal purpose. And all animals killed in that way will stand for judgement before God with the killer and request its right from God. The voice of the bird or any other creatures will be more thunderous to his hearing and will be conscious of such embarrassment owing to his bad work. They were all created for our benefit both directly and indirectly. They are free and shall never be judged of anything because they never have a covenant with their Creator-God but human beings are not like them.
If we look at the universe in general, we will realize that, all creatures are existing in an accurate order of their service made by God, Take an example animals like: horses, mules and donkeys which are serving as a means of transport and for man’s riding. God says:(And (He created) horses, mules and donkeys to be ridden and as adornment) Fortress 16, An-Nahl, verse 8. The cows help in ploughing to facilitate agriculture, its milk and flesh are used as food and its skin has many other benefits to human being. Bees collect nectars from flowers, fruits and all the like to produce sweet healthy honey for man. These creatures help human being directly. Meanwhile there are some other animals that serve human being indirectly, like birds that purify the sky from harmful flies like mosquitoes, tsetse fly and others. Ants, termite ventilate the soil for good planting and they grant human being many other benefits, so it is Haram (forbidden) to kill any ant. And some bacteria help to fertilize the soil for agriculture, and so, man has no right to suffer or kill any living thing even if it is an ant without legal right. If he does so he will face the severe punishment in this world and in the hereafter. How will the intruders be on that day? God never created any living thing for nothing they have their right given by God as well as human. Who has promised God to be faithful to him... by being kind, sympathetic, merciful etc..to all creatures Anyone who is aggressive to living things by killing and destroying them even if they are plants, is not considered a human being but an animal or less than an animal.
So, the meaning of the word "Human" is extracted or derived from the word "Sociability" meaning therefore that man is sociable over all living things. And anyone who intruded against any living thing even if it is dog or cat or ….etc. will lose this quality and will be equal to an animal or less because he hasn’t fulfilled the promise and went against his service created by God. That is what makes him drop from his high position given by God. The holy Prophet ‘hadith’ is warning us not to lose our position and fear the day of judgement when every one of us will stand before God and will be rewarded according to his deeds in this world. God says: (And don’t kill any Spirit (living thing), whose God has forbidden except for a just cause) Fortress 17, Al-Isra, verse 33.The thought of this bad act is whispered to man’s mind by the cursed Satan who wants to betray him through this bad act whose severe punishment will not only end in this but also it will continue into the hereafter. The punishment in this world is a lesson to him to repent and never repeat it again. If not, the next and the most painful punishment will be in the hereafter as you will see in the next lesson.
Dearest students, note very well that, animals like snakes, scorpions, hyena...etc, have their shelters in forest, bushes and so on. You are free to attack or kill it if only you find it in your own territory like your house or any of your personal places. That is the meaning of the God saying: (...Except for a just cause)if that is done, it is just and rewarded. And Almighty Al’lah’s Name must be pronounced loudly "Al’lah is Greater" before killing. The animal will have no right at this stage to report you to God ‘tomorrow’ because it did wrong leaving its own territory to yours.
But if someone goes to the animal’s territory or its shelter in the forest or in the desert …etc. he has no right to kill it and if that is done then the man is wrong or aggressive.
God says: (...and God does not like the Zalimun (Wrong-doers)) Fortress 3, Al-Imran, verse 57. Finally, if any one aggressively "without the legal right" kill an animal be it an insect or one smaller, then he shall be punished two times, first in this world for repentant and secondly in the hereafter if he didn’t repent.