Animals in Islam

{{Short description|Religious stance on attitudes to animals}} {{Islam|culture|width=20.0em}} {{use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}

According to Islam, animals are conscious of God.{{Clarify|reason=What is the basis of this claim|date=October 2025}} According to the Quran, they praise Him, even if this praise is not expressed in human language.<ref name="ReferenceA">See {{cite quran|17|44|style=ref}}</ref><ref name="EoR&N">"Islam, Animals, and Vegetarianism" in the ''Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature'' (Bron Taylor (chief ed.), Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd., 2008).</ref> Baiting animals for entertainment or gambling is prohibited.<ref name="Al-Adab al-Mufrad, 1: 1232">Al-Adab al-Mufrad, Book 1, Hadith 1232</ref><ref name="ArmstrongBotzler">{{cite book |title=The Animal Ethics Reader |author1=Susan J. Armstrong |author2=Richard G. Botzler |year=2003 |pages=235–237 |publisher=Routledge (UK) Press |isbn=0415275881 }}</ref> It is forbidden to kill any animal except for food or to prevent it from harming people.

The Quran explicitly allows the consumption of the meat of certain ''halal'' (lawful) animals.<ref name="EoR&N"/><ref>See {{cite quran|5|1|style=ref}}</ref> Although some Sufis have practised vegetarianism, there has been no serious discourse on the possibility of interpretations of scripture that require vegetarianism.<ref name="EoR&N" /> Certain animals can be eaten under the condition that they are slaughtered in a specified way.<ref name="die">Javed Ahmad Ghamidi (2001): [http://www.renaissance.com.pk/febislaw2y2.html The Dietary Laws] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502045147/http://www.renaissance.com.pk/febislaw2y2.html |date=2 May 2007 }}</ref>

== Pre-7th century == In the Arabian Peninsula before the advent of Islam in the 7th century CE, Arabs, like other people, attributed the qualities and the faults of humans to animals. Virility, for example, was attributed to the cock; perfidy to the monkey; stupidity to the lizard; and boldness to the elephant.<ref name="Hayawan"/>

Based on the facts that the names of certain tribes bear the names of animals, survivals of animal cults, prohibitions of certain foods and other indications, W. R. Smith argued for the practice of totemism by certain pre-Islamic tribes of Arabia. Others have argued that this evidence may only imply the practice of a form of animalism. In support of this, for example, it was believed that upon one's death, the soul departs from the body in the form of a bird (usually a sort of owl); the soul-as-bird then flies about the tomb for some time, occasionally crying out (for vengeance).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Subhani |first1=Ayatullah Jafar |title=THE MESSAGE |date=27 December 2012 |url=https://www.al-islam.org/the-message-ayatullah-jafar-subhani/chapter-2-arabia-islam |publisher=Islamic Seminary Publications}}</ref>

==Animal rights in Islam and the teachings and practices of Prophet Muhammad== Animal rights in Islam and the teachings and practices of Prophet Muhammad hold a significant place. Islam is a universal religion. Therefore, the importance and perspective it gives to the issue of "rights" encompasses not only human beings who are Muslim but all of creation. Islam has placed all Muslims rights under protection. Within this broad perspective on rights, animal rights also hold a significant place. In the life of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, there are many examples related to this subject. These accounts are based on transmitted reports preserved in the Islamic tradition.

===Birds taken from their nest=== thumb|150px|alt=A bird in its nest|A bird in its nest According to narrations, during a rest period on the return from a military expedition, some of the Muslims noticed a bird's nest and took the chicks from it. At that very moment, the mother bird arrived and, seeing her young in their hands, began to circle above them in distress. When Prophet Muhammad noticed this, he became deeply agitated and immediately said that the chicks should be returned to their nest.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gülen |first=Fethullah |title=Toward a Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance |isbn=978-1-932099-68-3 |edition=2004}}</ref>

===The deceived horse=== Prophet Muhammad displayed extraordinary sensitivity not only toward human beings but even toward animals, and he was genuinely disturbed by the slightest harm or discomfort inflicted upon them. He consistently warned those around him about such matters. On one occasion, a Muslim attempted to lure his horse by pretending to hold something the horse could eat. This behavior greatly displeased the Prophet, who called the man over and reprimanded him. He emphasized that one must be trustworthy even in dealings with animals.<ref name="gulen-hayvanları koruma"> fgulen.com (4 October 2011). "Hayvanları korumada İslâm ufku". https://fgulen.com/tr/basindan-tr/dizi-yazilar-dosyalar/ozel-haberler/hayvanlari-korumada-islam-ufku fgulen.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 6 January 2026. </ref>

===The emaciated camel=== Prophet Muhammad once saw an extremely weak and emaciated camel. He immediately approached the animal and remained beside it for a while. Then he summoned its owner and warned him sternly to take proper care of the camel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The hadith about the camel |url=https://hadeethenc.com/tr/browse/hadith/5935}}</ref>

===The thirsty dog and the hungry cat=== Prophet Muhammad taught Muslims to treat animals with compassion by narrating the following two examples: "God forgave a woman and admitted her into Paradise because of a dog. The dog was panting with thirst at the edge of a well, its tongue lolling from exhaustion. When the woman passed by and saw its condition, she drew water from the well and gave it to the dog to drink, saving it from death. Because of this act of kindness toward a dog, God granted her entry into Paradise." He then narrated a second example: "A woman entered Hell because of a cat. She neither fed nor gave the cat water, nor did she release it so that it could find food on its own. The cat died of hunger, and because of this, the woman was condemned to Hell." According to various reports, Prophet Muhammad also had a cat named "Müezza".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Peygamber Efendimiz’in Hadislerinde Hayvan Hakları |url=https://wiseinst.org/icerik/13527/peygamber-efendimizin-hadislerinde-hayvan-haklari-1-prof-dr-ibrahim-canan/ |access-date=2026-01-06 |website=Wise Institute |language=tr}}</ref>

==The community’s continued sensitivity== ===Locusts=== The meticulous care for animals continued during the generations following the Companions—namely the Tābiʿūn and the Tabaʿ Tabiʿīn. It is narrated that if a Muslim accidentally stepped on a locust, they would go to the caliph to ask what the appropriate expiation should be.<ref name="gulen-hayvanları koruma" />

thumb|150px|alt=A birdhouse on the mosque wall.|A birdhouse on the mosque wall.

thumb|150px|alt=The Hospice for injured storks|The Hospice for injured storks

===The Hospice for injured storks=== Muslims also built small birdhouses on many mosques and established charitable foundations dedicated to animal welfare. In the Ottoman period, there were foundations specifically for the protection of storks; the most well-known was the Gurabahane i Laklakan ("The Hospice for Injured Storks").<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ozbirinci |first=Yesim |date=2024-12-18 |title=Gurabahane-i Laklakan: The Ottoman's First Animal Hospital for Storks and Strays |url=https://www.motleyturkey.com/first-animal-hospital-gurabahane-i-laklakan/ |access-date=2026-01-06 |website=Motley Turkey |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Ants=== Among the Prophet’s community were individuals of such extraordinary sensitivity that they were called "the gentleman who would not crush an ant." According to transmitted reports, this description is based on accounts preserved within the Islamic tradition. These people attached bells to their feet so that insects would scatter at the sound of the bells and not be crushed underfoot, and they walked in this manner.<ref name=":1" />

== Human duties in utilizing animals == According to Islam, human beings are allowed to use animals, but only if the rights of the animals are respected. The owner of an animal must do everything to benefit the animal. If the owner fails to perform their duties for the animal, the animal goes to someone else. The duties humans have to animals in Islam are based in the Quran, Sunnah and traditions.<ref name="z">{{cite web |last1=Tavakkoli |first1=Saeid Nazari |title=Animals Welfare Acts and Utilization Limits in Islam |date=April 2015 |url=https://www.al-islam.org/animals-welfare-acts-utilization-limits-islam-saeid-nazari-tavakkoli |publisher=Islamic Research Foundation Astan-e Quds Razavi}}</ref>

=== Protection of animals' physical health === Harming, disabling, injuring, or cutting out the organs from any animal is strongly prohibited.<ref name="z"/> Muslims may not cut the forelock, mane, or tail of a horse, because it is believed there is goodness in its forelock; its mane provides it warmth and it swats insects away with its tail.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Al-Tabarsi |first1=Hasan Ibn Al-Fadl |title=Makarim Al-Akhlaq (Nobilities of Character) |isbn=978-9642194193 |page=174 }}</ref>

=== Protection of animals' sexual health === Muslims are not allowed to perform acts such as the interbreeding (as in inbreeding) of animals.<ref name="z"/> Muhammad forbade people from castrating animals.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Muh Shawkani |first1=Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad Ibn 'Ali Ibn |title=Nayl al-awtar min ahadith Sayyid al-akhyar |publisher=Turath For Solutions, 2013 |isbn=9789957640934 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dxmxAQAACAAJ|year=2013 }}</ref>

=== Preventing cruelty and maltreatment to animals === Muslims are not allowed to harass and misuse animals, which includes snatching a leaf from an ant's mouth.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thiqatu al-Islam, Abu ja'far Muhammad ibn Ya'qub |first1=al-Kulayni |title=Al-Kafi |date=31 January 2015 |publisher=Islamic Seminary Incorporated, The; 2 edition |isbn=978-0991430888 |page=11 }}</ref> Muslims have no right to brand animals,<ref>{{cite book |last1='A. Muttaq |first1='Ala' Al-Din 'Ali Ibn Husam Al-Din Ibn |title=Kanz al-'ummal fi sunan al-aqwal wa-al-af'al |publisher=Turath For Solutions, 2013 |isbn=9789957672461 |page=634 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CHJ7AQAACAAJ|year=2013 }}</ref> hamstring or crucify animals before killing,<ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Majlisi |first1=al-'Allama |title=Al-Mahasin |pages=243–244}}</ref> or burn animals even if they cause harm to humans.<ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Barqi |first1=Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Khalid |title=Bihar al-anwar |page=634}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Nawawi |title=Riyad al-salihin min kalam Sayyid al-mursalin |publisher=Pt Alma`arif, 1977 |page=635}}</ref> Humans should obtain animal meat by a swift slaughter<ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Barqi |first1=Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Khalid |title=Bihar al-anwar |page=62/316}}</ref> and avoid cutting lengthwise.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shahid al-Thani, Zayn al-Din ibn Ali ibn Ahmad|title=Masalik al-afham ila tanqih shara'i ' al-Islam |page=11/490}}</ref> In Islamic slaughter, the spinal cord cannot be broken.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tabatabai |first1=Allamah Sayyed Muhammad Husayn |title=Tafsir al Mizan تفسير الميزان |publisher=first published 1956 |isbn=9789646640238 |page=5/186 }}</ref><ref name="z"/>

=== Avoiding punishment of animals === Muslims cannot use any equipment that injures an animal, (i.e., beating them in a circus show, forcing them to carry heavy loads, or running at extreme speeds in races) even to train them.<ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Hur Al-Amuli |first1=Sheikh Muhammad ibn Hassan |title=Wasail Al-Shia Ila Tahsil Masaeel ash-sharia |publisher=Alalbayt le Ihya at-Turath Publication, Beirut |page=8/356–357 |url=https://almurtaza.co.uk/product/tafsil-wasail-al-shia-ila-tahsil-masaeel-ash-sharia16/}}</ref> Exposure to sound is also regulated.<ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Majlisi |first1=al-'Allama |title=Al-Mahasin |page= 2//361}}</ref><ref name="z"/>

=== Providing food === Muslims are obliged to provide food and water for any animal they see, even if the animal does not belong to them.<ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Barqi |first1=Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Khalid |title=Bihar al-anwar |page=61/217}}</ref> In providing food and water considerations are the quality of the provisions<ref>{{cite book |last1= Mirza Husayn Nuri |title= Mustadrak al-Wasa'il wa Mustanbit al-Masa'il |page=17/51}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=al-'Allama al-Hilli |title=Mukhtalaf al-Shi'a |page=8/346}}</ref> and the amount of the provision based on the animal's condition and location.<ref>{{cite web |last1=al-Saffar |first1=Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. al-Hasan |title=Basaair Al Darajaat 31/395 |date=14 April 2020 |url=https://www.hubeali.com/online-books/online-english-books/basaair-al-darajaat/}}</ref><ref name="z"/>

=== Providing sanitation === Animals' health must be respected,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thiqatu al-Islam, Abu ja'far Muhammad ibn Ya'qub |first1=al-Kulayni |title=Al-Kafi |date=31 January 2015 |publisher=Islamic Seminary Incorporated, The; 2 edition |isbn=978-0991430888 }}</ref> along with food, water,<ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Barqi |first1=Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Khalid |title=Bihar al-anwar |page=61/177}}</ref> and shelter.<ref name="z"/>

=== Providing medication === In the event of illness, Muslims are expected to pay for the care and medication.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shahid al-Thani, Zayn al-Din ibn Ali ibn Ahmad|title=Masalik al-afham Ila tanqih shara'i ' al-Islam |page=5/88}}</ref><ref name="z"/>

=== Providing dwelling === From an Islamic view, the appropriate shelter for an animal has three characteristics: * Fits the animal's needs and<ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Barqi |first1=Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Khalid |title=Biaar Al-Anwar |page=61/318}}</ref> they should not be placed in an unsanitary condition on the pretext that they do not understand. * Fits the physical needs of the animal and its health and protect it from cold and heat.<ref>{{cite web |last1=al-Saduq |first1=al-Shaykh |title=Illal-Al-Sharaie |date=18 July 2014 |url=http://www.hubeali.com/online-books/online-English-books/illal-al-sharaie/}}</ref> * The dwelling of animals should not pollute the environment or spread disease to other organisms.<ref name="z" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Bahuti |first1=Mansur ibn Yunis ibn Idris |title=Kashshaf al-qina an matn al-iqna |publisher=maktabat al-nasr al-Haditha, 1999 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JLDyjgEACAAJ|year=1999 }}</ref>

=== Respecting animal of status === In Islam, the rights of animals are respected in both life<ref>{{cite book |last1=Imam Ibn Hazm |title=Al Muhalla |publisher=American Trust Publications |isbn=978-0-8925-9037-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BfNHQgAACAAJ}}</ref> and death. Animal bodies may never be used for malicious purposes.<ref name="z"/>

== Quran{{Anchor|Qur'an}} == {{Quran|expanded=content}}

{{see also|List of characters and names mentioned in the Quran#Related}}

Although over two hundred verses in the Qur'an deal with animals and six Quranic chapters (''surah'') are named after animals, animal life is not a predominant theme in the Qur'an.<ref name="AnimalLife">"Animal life" in the ''Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an''.</ref> The Qur'an teaches that God created animals from water.<ref name="AnimalLife"/> God cares for all his creatures and provides for them.<ref name="AnimalLife"/> All creation praises God, even if this praise is not expressed in human language.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="EoR&N" /> God has prescribed laws for each species (laws of nature). Since animals follow the laws God has ordained for them, they are to be regarded as "Muslim", just as a human who obeys the laws prescribed for humans (Islamic law) is a Muslim.<ref>"Islam" in the ''Encyclopedia of Science and Religion'' (op. cit.)</ref> Just like humans, animals form "communities". In verse {{cite quran|6|38|style=ref|expand=no}}, the Qur'an applies the term ''ummah'', generally used to mean "a human religious community", for genera of animals. The ''Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an'' states that this verse has been "far reaching in its moral and ecological implications."<ref>"Community and Society and Qur'an" in the ''Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an'' (vol. 1, p. 371)</ref>

{{blockquote|There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.<ref>See {{cite quran|6|38|style=ref}}</ref> }}

The Qur'an says that animals benefit humans in many ways and that they are aesthetically pleasing to look at. This is used as proof of God's benevolence towards humans.<ref name="AnimalLife"/> Animals that are slaughtered in accordance with sharia may be consumed.<ref name="AnimalLife"/> According to many verses of the Qur'an,<ref>See {{cite quran|2|173|style=ref}} and {{cite quran|6|145|style=ref}})</ref> the consumption of pork is sinful,<ref name=autogenerated2>John Esposito (2002b), p.111</ref> unless there is no alternative other than starving to death (in times, for example, of war or famine).<ref>{{cite quran|2|173|quote=He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of God. But if one is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, then is he guiltless. For God is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.}}</ref> ''Surat Yusuf'' of the Quran mentions that a reason why Ya'qub was reluctant to let his son Yusuf to play in the open, even in the presence of his brothers, was that a ''dhiʾb'' ({{langx|ar|ذِئْب|lit=wolf}}) could eat him.<ref name="al-Tabari 1987 150"/><ref name="Cite quran|12|4|e=17|s=ns">{{cite quran|12|4|e=17|s=ns}}</ref>

The Quran contains three mentions of dogs: * Verse 5:4 says "Lawful for you are all good things, and [the prey] that trained [hunting] dogs and falcons catch for you."<ref>[https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/5/4/ Q5:4], 50+ translations, islamawakened.com</ref> * Verse 18:18 describes the Companions of the Cave, a group of saintly young men presented in the Qurʼan as exemplars of religion, sleeping with "their dog stretching out its forelegs at the threshold." Further on, in verse 22, the dog is always counted as one of their numbers, no matter how they are numbered. In Muslim folklore, affectionate legends have grown around the loyal and protective qualities of this dog, whose name in legend is Qiṭmīr.<ref>{{cite book|last=Schimmel|first=Annemarie|title=Deciphering the Signs of God: A Phenomenological Approach to Islam|year=1994|publisher=SUNY Press|location=Albany|isbn=0791419819|page=48|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vrlwo4OqvWgC&pg=PA48|author-link=Annemarie Schimmel|access-date=16 February 2014|quote=The seven pious youths 'and the eighth with them was their dog' (Sūra 18:22) have turned into protective spirits, whose names, and especially that of their dog Qiṭmīr, written on amulets, carry ''Baraka'' with them.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Bahjat|first=Ahmad|title=Animals in the Glorious Qurʼan: Relating Their Own Stories|year=2002|publisher=Islamic Inc.; Dar al-Tawzīʻ wa-al-Nashr al-Islāmīyah|location=Cairo|isbn=9772654075|pages=247–267|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cW1RJSeHklgC&pg=PA247|access-date=16 February 2014|chapter=The Dog of the People of the Cave}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Tlili|first=Sarra|title=Animals in the Qurʼan|year=2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=New York|isbn=9781107023703|page=250|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z_TmxaAXUiYC&pg=PA250|access-date=16 February 2014|quote=Al-Thaʻlabī cites an opinion according to which the dog of the Dwellers of the Cave [...] will dwell in heaven. Al-Thaʻlabī, ''al-Kashf wa-al-Bayān'' (Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʼ al-Turāth al-ʻArabī, 2002), 2:251.}}</ref>

The above verses are seen as portraying dogs positively.<ref name="HP2012"/> Nevertheless, Islamic scholars have tended to regard dogs' saliva as impure; practically, this means anything licked by a dog necessitates washing. Many Islamic jurists allowed owning dogs for herding, farming, hunting, or protection, but prohibited ownership for reasons they regarded as "frivolous".<ref name="Fadl2004"/>

There is a whole chapter in the Quran named "The Ants". As a result, the killing of ants in Sunni Islam is prohibited.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.islamreligion.com/articles/11286/chapter-27-an-naml-ants/&usg=AOvVaw3Q9WBClbFm9c3hGxgR7-wZ|title=Chapter 27, An-Naml (The Ants)|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theonlyquran.com/hadith/Sahih-Muslim/?volume=26&chapter=36%7D|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212223902/http://www.theonlyquran.com/hadith/Sahih-Muslim/?volume=26&chapter=36%7D|url-status=usurped|archive-date=12 February 2019|title=Chapter, – Sahih Muslim, Volume – Hadith|website=www.theonlyquran.com|access-date=2019-08-26}}</ref> Within the aforementioned chapter of "The Ant", there is an account of Sulaymaan (Solomon) talking to the eponymous ant<ref>See {{cite quran|27|18|style=ref}}</ref> as well as birds, most famously the hoopoe.<ref>See {{cite quran|27|20|style=ref}}</ref>

The Quran<ref>Quran 15:80-84</ref><ref>Quran 7:73-79</ref><ref>Quran 11:61-69</ref><ref>Quran 26:141-158</ref><ref>Quran 54:23-31</ref><ref>Quran 89:6-13</ref><ref>Quran 91:11-15</ref> talks about a miraculous ''She-Camel of God'' ({{langx|ar|نَـاقَـة}}, 'she-camel') that came from stone, in the context of the Prophet Salih, Thamudi people and Al-Hijr.<ref name="Unesco, Al-Hijr">{{cite web |title=Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) |publisher=UNESCO |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1293 |access-date=2014-04-07}}</ref>

Pork is ''haram'' (forbidden) to eat, because its essence is considered impure, this is based on the verse of the Qur'an where it is described as being ''rijs'' ({{langx|ar|رِجْس}}, impure) ({{cite quran|6|145|style=ref}}).

Forbidden (''haram'') is also the meat of domesticated donkeys, mules, any predatory animal with canine teeth and birds with talons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:1478|title=Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1478 – The Book on Hunting – Sunnah.com – Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)|website=sunnah.com}}</ref>

Verses 50 and 51 of ''Surat al-Muddaththir'' in the Quran talk about ''ḥumur'' ('asses' or 'donkeys') fleeing from a ''qaswarah'' ('lion', 'beast of prey' or 'hunter'), in its criticism of people who were averse to Muhammad's teachings, such as donating wealth to the less wealthy.<ref name="Cite quran|74|41|e=51|s=ns">{{cite quran|74|41|e=51|s=ns}}</ref>

The Arabic word meaning "animal" (''hayawān''/''haywān'' ({{langx|ar|حَيَوَان \ حَيْوَان}}; plural ''haywānāt'' ({{langx|ar|حَيَوَانَات}}))) appears only once in the Qur'an but in the sense of everlasting life (personal).<ref name="Hayawan">"Hayawān" ("Haywān") in the ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (vol. 3, p. 308).</ref><ref name="AnimalLife"/> On the other hand, the term ''dābbah'' ({{langx|ar|دَابَّة}}; plural ''dawābb''), usually translated as "beast" or "creature" to sometimes differentiate from flying birds while surprisingly including humans, [https://www.islamicity.org/ps/default.asp?UserString=dabba&ref=&ShowTranslation=on&ShowTransliteration=on&ShowArabic=on occurs a number of times] in the Qur'an, while remaining rare in medieval Arabic works on zoology. Animals in the Qur'an and early Muslim thought may usually (though not necessarily) be seen in terms of their relation to human beings, producing a tendency toward anthropocentrism.<ref name="AnimalLife"/>

==''Sunnah''== {{Hadith}} ''Sunnah'' refers to the traditional biographies of Muhammad wherein examples of sayings attributed to him and his conduct have been recorded. ''Sunnah'' consists of ''hadith'' (anecdotes about Muhammad).

Animals must not be mutilated while they are alive.<ref name="Forw">Susan J. Armstrong, Richard G. Botzler, ''The Animal Ethics Reader'', p.237, Routledge (UK) Press</ref> Muhammad is also reported (by Ibn Omar and Abdallah bin Al-As) to have said: "there is no man who kills [even] a sparrow or anything smaller, without its deserving it, but God will question him about it [on the judgment day]" and "Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself."<ref name="EoR&N"/><ref name="Hayawan"/>

Muhammad issued advice to kill animals that were ''Fawāsiq'' ({{langx|ar|فَوَاسِق}} "Harmful ones"), such as the rat and the scorpion, within the ''haram'' (holy area) of Mecca. Killing other non-domesticated animals in this area, such as equids and birds, is forbidden.<ref name=autogenerated1>Jürgen Wasim Frembgen (''Völkerkundemuseum''), "The Scorpion in Muslim Folklore", ''Asian Folklore Studies'', Volume 63 (2004), pp. 95–123.</ref>

Muslims are required to sharpen the blade when slaughtering animals to ensure that no pain is felt.<ref name="Ves">P. Aarne Vesilind, Alastair S. Gunn, ''engineering, ethics, and the environment'', Cambridge University Press, p. 301.</ref> Muhammad is said to have said: "For [charity showed to] each creature which has a wet liver [i.e. is alive], there is a reward."<ref name="EoR&N" /><ref name="z"/>

There is a ''hadith'' in Muwatta' Imam Malik about Muslim Pilgrims having to beware of the wolf, besides other animals.<ref name="Cite Muwatta' Imam Malik, B20, H794"/>

Muhammad is also reported as having reprimanded some men who were sitting idly on their camels in a marketplace, saying "either ride them or leave them alone".<ref name="EoR&N" /><ref name="Hayawan" /> Apart from that, the camel has significance in Islam.<ref name="Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar">{{cite book |last=Al Mubarakpuri |first=Safi ur Rahman |title=Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar): Biography of the Noble Prophet |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=r_80rJHIaOMC&pg=PA45|year= 2002 |publisher=Darussalam |isbn=9960-899-55-1 |pages=127–147}}</ref><ref name="Cite quran|15|80|e=84|s=ns">{{cite quran|15|80|e=84|s=ns}}</ref> Al Qaswa ({{langx|ar|ٱلْقَصْوَاء}}) was a female Arabian camel that belonged to Muhammad, and was dear to him.<ref name="Reeves">Minou Reeves, ''Muhammad in Europe'', New York University (NYU) Press, p.52</ref> Muhammad rode on Qaswa during the ''Hijrah'' ('Migration') from Mecca to Medina, his Hajj in 629 CE, and the Conquest of Mecca in 630. The camel was also present during the Battle of Badr in 624. After the death of the Prophet, the camel is reported to have starved herself to death, refusing to take food from anyone.<ref name="Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar"/><ref name="Qaswa.net">{{cite web |title='Al-Qaswa', what's behind the name? |publisher=Qaswa.net |url=http://www.qaswa.net/?page_id=303 |access-date=2017-06-03 |archive-date=1 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201171551/http://www.qaswa.net/?page_id=303 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the ''Nahj al-Balagha'', the Shi'a book of the sayings of Ali, an entire sermon is dedicated to praising peacocks.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zQjKHj0vA1IC&pg=PA333|title=Peak of Eloquence|first1=Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn Sharīf|last1=al-Raḍī|first2=ʻAlī Ibn Abī|last2=Ṭālib|date=27 August 1984|publisher=Tahrike Tarsile Quran|isbn=9780940368422|via=Google Books}}</ref> Bees are highly revered in Islam. The structural genius of a bee is thought as due to divine inspiration. Their product honey is also revered as medicine. Killing a bee is considered a great sin.<ref>{{citation |author=Pessah Shinar |title=Modern Islam in the Maghrib |publisher=JSAI 004 |isbn=978-9-657-25802-6 |page=390|year=2004 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |author=Noel Scott |title=Tourism in the Muslim World |publisher=Emerald Group Publishing |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-849-50921-3 |page=51}}</ref>

In Shi'ite ''ahadith'', bats are praised as a miracle of nature.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

The wolf may symbolize ferocity.<ref name="al-Tabari 1987 150">{{cite book|last=al-Tabari|first=Muhammad ibn Jarir (Translated by William Brinner)|title=The History of al-Tabari Vol. 2: Prophets and Patriarchs|year=1987|publisher=SUNY|page=150}}</ref><ref name="Cite Muwatta' Imam Malik, B20, H794">Muwatta' Imam Malik, Book 20 (Hajj), Hadith 794</ref> As for the ''kalb'' ({{langx|ar|كَلْب}}, dog), there are different views regarding it.<ref name="WattA">William Montgomery Watt, ''Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman'', Oxford University Press, 1961, [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/watt.html]</ref><ref name="Cite Muwatta' Imam Malik, 2: 969">Malik ibn Anas, ''al-Muwattaʾ'' (Egypt: al-Babi al-Halabi, n.d.), 2: 969.</ref> The Sunni Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence distinguishes between wild dogs and pet dogs, only considering the saliva of the former to be impure;<ref name="Mattson2011">{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ingrid-mattson/whats-up-with-muslims-and_b_1144819.html|title=What's Up With Muslims and Dogs?|last=Mattson|first=Ingrid|date=13 December 2011|publisher=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref> on the other hand, some schools of Islamic law consider dogs as unclean (''najis'').<ref name=Waldau>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5k6rAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA157 |title=A Communion of Subjects: Animals in Religion, Science, and Ethics |publisher=Columbia University Press |page=157 |author1=Paul Waldau |author2=Kimberley Patton|isbn=9780231136433 |date=2009-05-22 }}</ref> A widely cited hadith in Sahih Muslim, narrated by Maimuna, reports that the angel Gabriel failed to keep an appointment with Muhammad, explaining that angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture. Upon discovering a puppy had been sheltering under a cot in the household, Muhammad had it removed. The narration further states that he subsequently ordered the killing of dogs, though he made exceptions for dogs used to guard fields and large gardens.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sunnah.com/muslim:5248 |title=Sahih Muslim 5248 |website=Sunnah.com |access-date=10 March 2026}}</ref> A similar account narrated by Aisha appears in the same collection.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sunnah.com/muslim:5246 |title=Sahih Muslim 5246 |website=Sunnah.com |access-date=10 March 2026}}</ref> These narrations form the primary textual basis for scholarly positions regarding the impurity of dogs, though their authenticity and interpretation remain subjects of debate among Muslim scholars. The historian William Montgomery Watt states that Muhammad's kindness to animals was remarkable, citing an instance of Muhammad while traveling with his army to Mecca in 630 AD, posting sentries to ensure that a female dog and her newborn puppies were not disturbed.<ref name="WattA"/> Muhammad himself prayed in the presence of dogs and many of his cousins and companions, who were the first Muslims, owned dogs; the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina allowed dogs to frolic about in Muhammad's time and for several centuries afterwards.<ref name="Mikhail2019">{{cite web |last1=Mikhail |first1=Alan |title=The moment in history when Muslims began to see dogs as dirty, impure, and evil |date=27 July 2017 |url=https://qz.com/india/1038116/the-moment-in-history-when-muslims-began-to-see-dogs-as-dirty-impure-and-evil/ |publisher=Quartz |access-date=25 February 2019 |language=en}}</ref> In "two separate narrations by Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet told his companions of the virtue of saving the life of a dog by giving it water and quenching its thirst. One story referred to a man who was blessed by Allah for giving water to a thirsty dog, the other was a prostitute who filled her shoe with water and gave it to a dog, who had its tongue rolling out from thirst. For this deed she was granted the ultimate reward, the eternal Paradise under which rivers flow, to live therein forever."<ref name="Islamweb, Animals">{{cite web|url=http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?page=articles&id=76849|title=Islam teaches the love of animals|date=12 January 2004|publisher=IslamWeb|access-date=26 May 2014}}</ref> The Qur'an (Surah 18, verse 9–26) praises the dog for guarding the Seven Sleepers fleeing religious persecution;<ref name="Schiffer2016">{{cite web |last1=Schiffer |first1=Kathy |title=The Legend of the Seven Sleepers, and Its Message for the Modern World |url=http://www.ncregister.com/blog/kschiffer/the-legend-of-the-seven-sleepers-and-its-message-for-the-modern-world |publisher=National Catholic Register |language=en |date=5 August 2016}}</ref> Islamic scholar Ingrid Mattson thus notes that "This tender description of the dog guarding the cave makes it clear that the animal is good company for believers."<ref name="Mattson2011"/> Umar, the second Caliph of Islam, said that if a dog was hungry in his kingdom, he would be derelict of his duty.<ref name="Dar2016">{{cite book |last1=Dar |first1=A. A. |title=United Hindustan a Dream |date=2016 |publisher=Partridge Publishing |isbn=9781482874198 |language=en}}</ref> According to the Qur'an the use of hunting dogs is permitted, which is a reason the Maliki school draws a distinction between feral and domesticated dogs―since Muslims can eat game that has been caught in a domesticated dog's mouth, the saliva of a domesticated dog cannot be impure.<ref name="Mattson2011"/> Abou El Fadl "found it hard to believe that the same God who created such companionable creatures would have his prophet declare them 'unclean{{'"}}, stating that animosity towards dogs in folk Islam "reflected views far more consistent with pre-Islamic Arab customs and attitudes".<ref name=Banderker/> Furthermore, "he found that a hadith from one of the most trustworthy sources tells how the Prophet himself had prayed in the presence of his playfully cavorting dogs."<ref name=Banderker>{{cite web|url=http://www.islamicconcern.com/dogs.asp|title=Dogs in Islam|last=Banderker|first=Ayoub M.|date=15 April 2002|work=Newsweek|publisher=Islamic Concern|access-date=26 May 2014}}</ref> According to a story by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, black dogs are a manifestation of evil in animal form and the company of dogs voids a portion of a Muslim's good deeds;<ref name="Cite Muwatta' Imam Malik, 2: 969"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Sahih Muslim, Book 10, Hadith 3813 (The Book of Transactions [Kitab Al-Buyu'])}}</ref> however, according to Khaled Abou El Fadl, the majority of scholars regard this to be "pre-Islamic Arab mythology" and "a tradition to be falsely attributed to the Prophet".<ref name="Fadl2004">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature|url=http://scholarofthehouse.org/dinistrandna.html|author=Khaled Abou El Fadl|year=2004|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature|publisher=Scholar of the House|access-date=26 May 2014|location=New York}}</ref><ref name="HP2012">{{cite web |title=Islam on Dogs: Can You Be A Good Muslim And Still Have A Dog? |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/15/islam-on-dogs-can-you-be-_n_1885580.html |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=25 February 2019 |language=en |date=15 September 2012 |quote=But Islamic scholars and other Muslims say that many hadith are fabricated or hard to verify, including those about dogs. And because these hadith contradict the apparent divine sanction for dogs in the Quran, these stories should not be trusted.}}</ref> Mattson teaches that for followers of other schools, "there are many other impurities present in our homes, mostly in the form of human waste, blood, and other bodily fluids" and that since it is common for these impurities to come in contact with a Muslim's clothes, they are simply washed or changed before prayer.<ref name="Mattson2011"/> However, this is not necessary for adherents of the Sunni Maliki school as "jurists from the Sunni Maliki School disagree with the idea that dogs are unclean."<ref>{{cite web|title=Dogs and Islam: The Devil and the Seeing-Eye Dog |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201003/dogs-and-islam-the-devil-and-the-seeing-eye-dog |work=Psychology Today|last=Coren|first=Stanley|date=23 March 2010|access-date=26 May 2014}}</ref> Individual ''fatāwā'' ("rulings") have indicated that dogs be treated kindly or otherwise released,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.al-islam.org/organizations/aalimnetwork/msg00694.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411044136/http://www.al-islam.org/organizations/aalimnetwork/msg00694.html|url-status=dead|title=['Aalim Network QR] Dogs / Pets|archive-date=11 April 2008}}</ref> and earlier Islamic literature often portrayed dogs as symbols of highly esteemed virtues such as self-sacrifice and loyalty, which, in the hands of despotic and unjust rulers, become oppressive instruments.<ref name="Fadl">Khaled Abou El Fadl, "Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature" in the [http://www.scholarofthehouse.org/dinistrandna.html ''Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature''], New York: Continuum International.</ref>

Big cats like the ''asad'' (lion), ''namir'' ({{lang|ar|نَمِر}}, leopard), and ''namur'' ({{lang|ar|نَمُر}}, tiger), can symbolize ferocity, similar to the wolf.<ref name="Cite Muwatta' Imam Malik, B20, H794"/> Apart from ferocity, the lion has an important position in Islam and Arab culture. Men noted for their bravery, like Ali,<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Nasr |first=Seyyed Hossein |author-link=Seyyed Hossein Nasr |title=Ali |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |access-date=2007-10-12 |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9005712/Ali |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018014146/https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9005712/Ali |archive-date=18 October 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> Hamzah ibn Abdul-Muttalib<ref name="Saad3">Muhammad ibn Saad. ''Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabair'' vol. 3. Translated by Bewley, A. (2013). ''The Companions of Badr''. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.</ref> and Omar Mukhtar,<ref name="As-Salab2011">{{cite book |last=As-Salab |first=Ali Muhammad |title=Omar Al Mokhtar Lion of the Desert (The Biography of Shaikh Omar Al Mukhtar) |year=2011 |location=Al-Firdous |isbn=978-1874263647 |page=1}}</ref> were given titles like "Asad Allāh" ("Lion of God") and "Asad aṣ-Ṣaḥrāʾ" ("Lion of the Desert").

== Muslim cultures == Usually, in Muslim-majority cultures, animals have names (one animal may be given several names), which are often interchangeable with the names of people. Muslim names or titles like ''asad'' and ''ghadanfar'' (Arabic for lion), ''shir'' and ''arslan'' (Persian and Turkish for lion, respectively) and ''fahad'' (which could mean either a cheetah or leopard, however "''nimr''" is more common for the latter) are frequent in the Muslim world. Prominent Muslims with animal names include Hamzah, Abd al-Rahman ibn Sakhr Al-Dawsi Al-Zahrani (more commonly known by his kunya "Abu Hurairah" or the Father of the kitten), Abdul-Qadir Gilani (called ''al-baz al-ashhab'', the wise falcon) and Lal Shahbaz Qalander of Sehwan (called "red falcon").<ref name=Schimmel>Annemarie Schimmel. ''Islam and The Wonders of Creation: The Animal Kingdom''. Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, 2003. pp. 2–4</ref>

Islamic literature has many stories of animals. Arabic and Persian literature boast many animal fables. The most famous, ''Kalilah wa-Dimnah'' or ''Panchatantra'', translated into Arabic by Abd-Allāh Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ in the 8th century, was also known in Europe. In the 12th century, Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawadi wrote many short stories about animals. At about the same time, in north-eastern Iran, Attar Neyshapuri (Farid al-Din Attar) composed the epic poem ''Mantiq al-Tayr'' (meaning ''The Conference of the Birds'').<ref name=Schimmel />

In Malaysia in 2016, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department, a religious governing body, prohibited the use of the term ''hot dog'' to refer to the food of that name. It asked food outlets selling them to rename their products or risk refusal of halal certification. The term ''<nowiki/>'pretzel dog'<nowiki/>'' was refused certification, with ''<nowiki/>'pretzel sausage''' considered more appropriate. Per local media, Malaysian halal food guidelines prohibit naming halal products after non-halal products.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37700495 BBC: "Hot dogs 'must be renamed' in Malaysia, says religious government body"] 19 October 2016</ref> Islamist organization Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip, banned public dog walking in May 2017, stating it was to "protect our women and children". Hamas officials stated that the ban was in response to a rise in dog walking on the streets which they stated was "against culture and traditions in Gaza".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/hamas-gaza-strip-occupied-palestinian-territories-facebook-israel-dogs-dog-walking-a7746101.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/hamas-gaza-strip-occupied-palestinian-territories-facebook-israel-dogs-dog-walking-a7746101.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Hamas bans dog walking through the Gaza Strip to 'protect women and children'|work=The Independent}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Ritual slaughter == {{main|Halal}}

UK animal welfare organizations have decried some ritual methods of slaughter practiced in Islam (''dhabihah'') and Judaism (''shechita'') as inhumane and causing "severe suffering".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,3604,956385,00.html |work=The Guardian |location=London |title=Halal killing may be banned |first=Colin |last=Blackstock |date=15 May 2003 |access-date=5 May 2010}}</ref><ref name="bbc">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2977086.stm |work=BBC News |title=Halal and Kosher slaughter 'must end' |date=10 June 2003 |access-date=5 May 2010}}</ref> According to Judy MacArthur Clark, chairwoman of the Farm Animal Welfare Council, cattle require up to two minutes to bleed to death when halal or kosher means of slaughter are used on cattle: "This is a major incision into the animal and to say that it doesn't suffer is quite ridiculous." In response, Majid Katme of the Muslim Council of Britain stated that "[i]t's a sudden and quick haemorrhage. A quick loss of blood pressure and the brain is instantaneously starved of blood and there is no time to start feeling any pain."<ref name="bbc"/>

In permitting ''dhabiha'', the German Constitutional Court cited<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/SharedDocs/Entscheidungen/EN/2002/01/rs20020115_1bvr178399en.html|title=Bundesverfassungsgericht – Decisions – Permission for ritual slaughter Muslim butchers|first=1 Senat|last=Bundesverfassungsgericht|date=15 January 2002|website=www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de}}</ref> the 1978 study led by Professor Wilhelm Schulze at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover which concluded that "[t]he slaughter in the form of ritual cut is, if carried out properly, painless in sheep and calves according to the EEG recordings and the missing defensive actions."<ref name="schulze_halastudy">Schulze W, Schultze-Petzold H, Hazem AS, Gross R. "Experiments for the objectification of pain and consciousness during conventional (captive bolt-stunning) and religiously mandated ("ritual cutting") slaughter procedures for sheep and calves", ''Deutsche Tierärztliche Wochenschrift'', 5;85(2) (February 1978), pp. 62–66. [http://www.mustaqim.co.uk/halalstudy.htm English translation]</ref> Muslims and Jews have also argued that traditional British methods of slaughter have meant that "animals are sometimes rendered physically immobile, although with full consciousness and sensation. Applying a sharp knife in ''shechita'' and ''dhabh'', by contrast, ensures that no pain is felt: the wound inflicted is clean, and the loss of blood causes the animal to lose consciousness within seconds."<ref>{{cite book |first=Gerald |last=Parsons |title=The Growth of Religious Diversity: Britain from 1945 |publisher=Routledge Press |isbn= 9781136136283|page=69 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MbSLmy-a23sC&pg=PA69 |year=2013 }}</ref>

== Animals in Islamic art == thumb|'''Title:''' Double-face textile with a tree of life & a winged lion '''Description:''' Rayy (Iran). Early Islamic Period. Silk thumb|'''Title:''' Tree of Life, Khirbat al-Mafjar. '''Description:''' Jordan. Early Islamic Period, 8th century. Mosaic. alt=|thumb|'''Title:''' Pyxis of al Mughira '''Description:''' Made at the Royal Workshop at Madinat al-Zahra, Spain for Prince al-Mughira. Hispano Umayyad, 968 CE. The depiction of animals serve numerous functions in Islamic art. Various animal motifs may work to serve as symbolic metaphors for human beings in a variety objects but their use may vary a great degree from object to object ultimately dependent upon context in which these figures are situated in. The depiction of animals may also serve the purpose of being decorative motifs, examples of the use of animals for decorative purposes can be found in textiles, ceramics, metal work, mosaics, and in general, a wide spectrum of Islamic artistic mediums. Furthermore, depictions of animals in Islam can potentially be a combination of both decorative and symbolic in their respective usage, e.g. royal tapestries with animal motifs used to cover furniture such as the "Double-Face Textile with a Tree of Life & a Winged Lion," hailing from Rayy, Iran circa the Early Islamic Period. In the instance of the "Double-Face Textile with a Tree of Life and a Winged Lion," the use of lions can serve as a great study for reoccurring animal motifs which are used as a representational link between the symbolic power of the lion in nature and the sultan's power. Which in term demonstrates a dual use in visually portraying a lions.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Stub|first=Sara Toth|date=2016|title=Expanding the Story|journal=Archaeology|volume=69|issue=6|pages=26–33|issn=0003-8113|jstor=26348787}}</ref>

Many animals are often represented alongside "vegetal" (Arabesque) patterns and are often found in an adorsed position (represented twice, symmetrically, and often side by side). Often we can find these adorsed or flanking animals surrounding an actual visual representation of a tree, this seems to be a common motif. The "Tree of Life" mosaic found at the desert palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar built under Caliph Walid II's rule during the Umayyad period, is perhaps one of the most well known mosaics depicting animals in figural form in the Islamic world.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Donald Whitcomb|last2=Hamdan Taha|s2cid=126454469|date=2013|title=Khirbat al-Mafjar and Its Place in the Archaeological Heritage of Palestine|journal=Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies|volume=1|issue=1|pages=54|doi=10.5325/jeasmedarcherstu.1.1.0054|jstor=10.5325/jeasmedarcherstu.1.1.0054|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/501742|url-access=subscription}}</ref> This particular mosaic was found in a private room of the desert palace which served as a bathhouse complex for the purpose of leisure. There is no religious context to this particular mosaic which explains the figural depictions of animals, under a religious context we would not see such figural depictions due to aniconism in the Islamic faith. In this mosaic we see a lion attacking a gazelle on the right side of the mosaic, and on the left side we see a depiction of two other gazelles casually grazing. Although there are multiple interpretations of this mosaic, one major interpretation seems to be that the actual physical depiction of the tree of life is a metaphor for the great and vast knowledge growing from the Islamic world. The lion attacking the gazelle is a borrowed motif from previous civilizations that is meant to represent Islam and the Islamic caliphates power as continuing the legacy of the great civilizations the preceded them (e.g. Mesopotamia).<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Behrens-Abouseif|first=Doris|date=1997|title=The Lion-Gazelle Mosaic at Khirbat al-Mafjar|journal=Muqarnas|volume=14|pages=11–18|doi=10.2307/1523233|jstor=1523233|url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/388/1/Lion-Gazelle_mosaic.pdf}}</ref> Another main interpretation is that this mosaic was a private erotic piece of art that depicted the caliphates sexual prowess, seeing as it was located in a private room of the bath complex. The entanglement of branches on the trees bearing fruit, the female gazelles grazing by the tree, and of course the lion (a stand in for the sultan) taking down his "prey" (a sole female gazelle), are all a testament to the sultan's (Walid II) reputation and exploits, which were well documented in the sultan's own writings.<ref name=":0" />

Live animals or trophy pieces of deceased animals would sometimes be gifted to royal courts from one sultan to another sultan in the Islamic world. In some instances, this exchange of animals as gifts would come from outside the Islamic world as well. For example of Charlemagne gifting a sultan a live elephant.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Greenwood|first=William|date=2012|title=The Art of Giving|journal=Apollo|volume=175|issue=596|pages=138–142|id={{ProQuest| }}}}</ref> In many instances, we can observe these acquired pieces of animals such as ivory tusks, being repurposed, not only as a trophies but as a decorations. A great example of the aforementioned is "The Pyxis of al-Mughira," made at the Royal Workshop at Madinat al-Zahra, Spain, This Ivory Casket was gifted to the prince for the purpose of serving as a decorative piece with a nefarious political connotation behind it.<ref name=":13">{{Cite journal|last=Prado-Vilar|first=Francisco|date=1997|title=Circular Visions of Fertility and Punishment: Caliphal Ivory Caskets from al-Andalus|journal=Muqarnas|volume=14|pages=19–41|doi=10.2307/1523234|jstor=1523234}}</ref> Perhaps most interesting is that these caskets would be intricately carved from ivory, and depict various animal motifs, in various relations to pleasure, power, etc. Once again these pieces were not anionic for they were meant to be displayed in palaces or in private quarters. They did not have religious connotations behind them. Upon viewing "The Pyxis of al-Mughira" we see the adorned animals figures depicted time and time again in Islamic art. We can observe, two bulls, two men on horses, and of course two lions attacking stags. This ivory casket also depicts numerous birds, two men engaged in wrestling, what is presumed to be the sultan and his sons, musicians, the vegetal or arabesque pattern we have previously seen in other examples of Islamic art carved throughout the entirety of this casket, and a tiraz band across the upper area of the casket which serves as the aforementioned political warning.<ref name=":13"/>

The general overarching idea of the examples given above are that the use of animals as symbolic representations of humans, royal accoutrements, symbolic representations of power, etc. were not necessarily exclusive in their use. Instead, they could cross the entire gamut in terms of art and culture. There is a multitude of usage and meanings in the depiction of animals in Islamic art. The context could range from political, religious, decorative, etc. These animal representations in the Islamic are not static and tell countless stories.

== References == {{reflist}}

== Notes == * {{cite book |last=Masri |first=Al-Hafiz Basheer Ahmad |title=Animal Welfare in Islam |year=1993 |publisher=Islamic Foundation |isbn=0-86037-411-4}} * {{cite book |last=El Fadl |first=Khaled Abou |author-link=Khaled Abou El Fadl |title=Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, s.v. "Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature." |place=New York |publisher=Continuum International |year=2004 |url=http://www.scholarofthehouse.org/dinistrandna.html}} * {{cite book |last=Foltz |first=Richard C. |author-link=Richard Foltz |title=Animals in Islamic Tradition and Muslim Cultures |publisher=Oneworld Publications |year=2006 |isbn=1-85168-398-4}} * {{cite book |last=Gill |first=H. A. R. |title=Shorter Encyclopaedia of Islam |publisher=Brill |place=Netherlands}} * Khan, Tauseef, Honey Bee, in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God (2 vols.), Edited by C. Fitzpatrick and A. Walker, Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, 2014, Vol. I, pp. 263–265. {{ISBN|1610691776}} * Tlili, Sarra, Animals, in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God (2 vols.), Edited by C. Fitzpatrick and A. Walker, Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, 2014, Vol. I, pp. 24–29. {{ISBN|1610691776}}

==Further reading== * [https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3688401,00.html The attitude towards animals in Islam according to Islamic rulings on the internet] by Dr. Housni al-Khateeb Shehada (2009)

==External links== {{Wikiquote|Animals in Islam}} * {{Commons category-inline|Animals in Islam}}

Category:Animals in Islam Category:Islam and society Category:Islamic belief and doctrine