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Assalaamu alaikum [peace be to you],

The last Prophet of Islam, Mohammed, -peace be upon him- once said, "If any Muslim plants any plant and a human being or an animal eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in charity."
Even if an animal eats from a plant which has been planted by man, the person will receive rewards from Allah[The God] for it. Moreover, another hadith (saying) of the prophet -peace be upon him- says: "While a man was walking on a road. he became very thirsty. Then he came across a well, got down into it, drank (of its water) and then came out. Meanwhile he saw a dog panting and licking mud because of excessive thirst. The man said to himself "This dog is suffering from the same state of thirst as I did." So he went down the well again and filled his shoe with water and held it in his mouth and watered the dog. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave all his sins." The people asked, "O Allah's Apostle! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals?" He said, "(Yes) There is a reward for serving any animate (living being)."

The Prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- by the command of Allah [The God], the Exalted, taught people to be merciful and kind to all living things. Not only were humans given their rights in Islam, the animals too were given theirs.
While some people would hit their animals on the face, Islam forbids such an act. Every creation is very sensitive as far as the face is concerned. If I were to lightly tap a person on the shoulder or on the back, they would not feel offended but if I were to do the same on the face then everyone would find that offensive. Animals do too. Allah, the Exalted, realizes this and thus through Prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- such an act was strictly forbidden.

During the times of ignorance* (Jaahilliyah - Arabia before the prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him-) people would cut the limbs of animals while they were alive. This was a disgusting act and Islam brought an end to it. Not only this but shooting at an animal who is tied was also forbidden by Prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him-.
The Prophet -peace be upon him- cursed the one who did Muthla to an animal (i e., cut its limbs or some other part of its body while it is still alive).
sadly today, we see some cruel people do this hideous act to many animals such as sharks for the bloody shark fin soup...

The Prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- also prohibited the act of inciting animals against each other. This act is practiced today as well where cocks and dogs are caused to fight with each other and people place their bets. Not only does this become a sin for it falls under the category of gambling (which is considered a sin in Islam) but also because two animals are caused to fight against each other.

Being brutal towards animals is a grave sin in Islam. and Allah, the Exalted, will punish him who treats the animals without kindness. It is obligatory for the owner of the animal to feed it properly and care for it. Many rights have been given to animals and Muslims are required to obey these guidelines for transgression would make them sinful. While oppressing humans is wrong, Islam also teaches that oppression towards animals is wrong as well. Islam gave animals rights at a time when animal rights were not recognized. Today the world is bringing awareness towards the rights of animals whereas Islam gave them their rights more than 1400 years ago.


* read more about Al-jaahiliyah period in my article here

**^{from an ebook called "Misconceptions about Islam and responses" downloaded from [link]}


I hope that was beneficial.

Wassalaamu alaikum