Assalaamu alaikum [peace be to you],

According to Islamic Shari'ah, Mistreating animals is considered a sin in Islam. A Muslim is responsible for the care of animals so much so that an ill-treated animal will testify against the one who abused it on the Day of Judgment.
Islam forbids branding animals and killing them in vain, such as for sport. The last prophet of Islam, Mohammed -peace be upon him- forbade people to capture baby birds, burn anthills, and whip animals. Even in slaughtering animals for food, Islam requires that the slaughtering be done according to Islamic procedure, which is humane and aims to cause the animals as little suffering as possible. As humans, we have a responsibility towards every living creature.

Have you ever gone to any Pet Shops ? Poor, helpless animals imprisoned in tiny cages without even enough space to turn around.Their sad, pleading eyes haunting. I wondered if the pet shop owner ever thought about what it would be like to be paralyzed, as he has incarcerated birds in little cages. And for what beneficial purpose? Weren’t birds meant to fly? Maybe only a fellow animal lover would really understand, yet the importance of kindness to animals is something every Muslim should understand as a part of his worldview. It is such a serious matter that in Islam, it is understood that one could gain Heaven or Hell due to one’s treatment of animals.

Abu Hurayrah was a close Companion of the Prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- and has narrated more hadiths, or sayings of the Prophet than any other Companion. He was known for being very sympathetic and loving towards animals so much so that although his name was Abdur-Rahmaan, he was known as Abu Hurayrah, meaning “father of the kitten.” He was called so because of a small cat that he used to feed and care for and carry with him everywhere he went.

The prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- taught Muslims to have mercy on all of God’s creation. A Muslim considers most animals to be deserving of a respect as creatures. He shows mercy to them due to the mercy of Allah upon them. By following Shari'ah, the Muslim also adheres to the following manners with respect to them, which are part of the etiquettes that Islam encourages Muslims to fulfill:
1. A Muslim feeds or gives water to an animal if he finds it hungry or thirsty. This is based on the Messenger's statement: ”There is a reward (for serving) everything with a moist liver (that is, every living creature).”
2. A Muslim should have compassion and mercy towards animals. The Prophet said: “Whoever does not show mercy will not be shown mercy.”
He said in other narration: “Have mercy toward those on the Earth and The One above the Heavens will have mercy on you.”
The Prophet himself set the best example in this regard. When he saw a group of people using a live animal for archery target practice, he said: “May Allah curse the one who uses any creature with a soul as a target.”
Once a bird was distressed because someone had taken its young from her nest. Allah's Messenger then said: “Who has distressed this one because of its baby. Return its baby to her.”
3. The Muslim must be kind to the animal, even when he is about to slaughter it. Allah's Messenger has said: “Verily, Allah has prescribed excellence in all things. Thus, if you kill, kill in a kind manner. If you slaughter, slaughter in a kind manner. Each of you should sharpen his blade and spare suffering to the animal he is slaughtering.”
4. A Muslim should never torture an animal by any means of torture, such as beating it, making it carry more than it can handle, mutilating it or burning it by a fire. The Prophet also prohibited the tying down of animals until they die. Allah's Messenger once said: “A woman entered the Hell-fire because of a cat that she tied down. She neither fed it nor let it free to eat the insects of the earth until it died.” Allah's Messenger once passed by an anthill that had been burnt to the ground and he said: “It is not becoming that anyone should punish by fire except the Lord of the Fire [meaning the God].”

However, it is permissible to kill the harmful animals, such as voracious dogs, wolves, snakes, scorpions, rats... etc, but only when they represent danger for humans.


These are, in general, the etiquettes that a Muslim should adhere to with respect to animals, out of obedience to the God and His prophet and in adherence to what the Islamic law, the Shari'ah, has ordered him… the Shari'ah of general goodness for all creatures, be they human or animal.


I hope this was beneficial for you

If I am right, it is from the God. if I am wrong, it is from myself.