By
Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
2 July 2021
Religious
Epics Preach Us To Be Humble And At Peace With The Animals And Treat Them As
Members Of A Community Such As We Belong To
Main
Points:
1. All living
creatures are the creation of God, the Almighty.
2. God loves
all animals.
3. God has
created animals for the benefit of humankind.
4. There should
be compassion in the treatment of animals as with human beings.
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(Photo courtesy: Our Green Planet)
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Being
compassionate towards those who are unable to express their feelings is one of
the most revered traits of human beings. This compassionate trait becomes a
part of our personality since this is what we all are witness to in our
families from our cradle life.
Allah, the
Almighty bestows the divine sense of understanding the act of compassion in all
His creation, men, animal and all other breathing beings. Our cradle kin’s
smiling face in the cradle on seeing particular people of his family and
relatives points to the fact that he is acknowledging the compassion and love
being shown to him.
We have
been a witness of the same sense of understanding the act of compassion of a
person in the animals. All of us must have witnessed the beautiful scene of
compassion in the pets or the roadside animals when we feed them every day. I
have been witness to a particular animal reaching a particular spot on the
fixed time waiting for its compassionate friend who visits him every day. There
have been incidents of pets, like dogs and horses, crying about the loss of
their masters. This relationship between
animals and human beings is divine. Such incidents are proof of animals being
sensitive, emotional and caring as human beings.
It is since
the inception of the world and will remain till the last day of the universe.
Human being has shown many glimpses of its fading compassion towards humanity.
The fading compassion is because of the devilish traits like hatred, jealousy
and its inability to win the race of materialistic achievements occupying his
thought process. Animals too are full of wisdom and understand their well-being
but are devoid of the devilish tendency of the human being hence their trait of
compassion is alive.
Religious
Texts and Animal Love
According
to Irreligion From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, 16% of the world's
population is not affiliated with any religion. It means 84 per cent of the
world population identifies itself with one or the other religions of the
world. Had this population percentage of the world not shed its trait of
compassion, the world would have been a place of peace and harmony. There would
have been only rejoicing and human development along with all the materialistic
achievements or maybe more than what we have achieved but to the human evil
trait of one-upmanship.
Our
religious epics preach us to be humble and at peace with the animals and treat
them as members of a community such as we belong to. We must practice the
following if we wish to be bestowed kindness of our Creator:
All living
creatures are the creation of God, the Almighty.
God loves
all animals.
God has
created animals for the benefit of humankind.
There
should be compassion in the treatment of animals as with human beings.
Above
mentioned points are described in the verses of the Holy Scriptures of all the
religions of the world and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) along with
other religious leaders and preachers. We must study and follow the commands
and the preachings about the animals, given below:
Allah
Describes Animals As Human Communities
There is not an animal on earth, nor a bird
that flies on its wings, but they are communities like you... Qur'an 6:38
“(Allah) is the One Who created for you all
that is on the earth.” (Al-Baqarah-29)
Have they not seen the birds glide in the open
sky? None holds them up except Allah.... (Surah An-Nahl: 79)
It is God who provided for you all manner of
livestock, that you may ride on some of them and from some, you may derive your
food. And other uses in them for you to satisfy your heart's desires. It is on
them, as on ships, that you make your journeys. Qur'an
40:79-80
And cattle He has created for you (men); from
them, ye derive warmth and numerous benefits, and of their (meat) ye eat. Surah An-Nahl 16:5
And they carry your heavy loads to lands that
ye could not (otherwise) reach except with souls distressed: for your Lord is
indeed Most Kind, Most Merciful. Surah An-Nahl 16:7
And (He has created) horses, mules, and
donkeys, for you to ride and as an adornment; And he has created other things
of which ye have no knowledge. Surah An-Nahl 16:8
We have made animals subject to you, that ye
may be grateful.
Surah Al-Haj 22:36
Seest thou not that it is Allah Whose praise
all beings in the heavens and on earth do celebrate, and the birds (of the air)
with wings outspread? Each one knows its own (mode of) prayer and praise, and
Allah knows well all that they do. Surah An-Noor 24:41
Prophetic
Traditions Urge Animal Love
“May God
curse anyone who maims animals.” (Hadith: Bukhari)
“Whoever is
kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself.” (Hadith: Bukhari)
“There is none
amongst the Muslims, who plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a
person or an animals eats from it, but is regarded as a charitable gift for
him”(Hadith: Bukhari)
One Hadith
quotes Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as saying: “A good deed done to an animal is as
meritorious as a good deed done to a human being, while an act of cruelty to an
animal is as bad as an act of cruelty to a human being.”
“There is a
reward (ajr) for helping any living creature.” (Hadith: Bukhari and Muslim)
“It is a
great sin for a man to imprison those animals which are in his power.” (Hadith:
Muslim)
“The worst
of shepherds is the ungentle, who causes the beasts to crush or bruise one
another.” (Hadith: Muslim)
“You will
not have secure faith until you love one another and have mercy on those who
live upon the earth.” (Hadiths: Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud)
“Fear God
in these mute animals, and ride them when they are fit to be ridden, and let
them go free when … they (need to) rest.” (Hadith: Abu Dawud)
“There is
no man who kills a sparrow or anything beyond that, without its deserving it,
but God will ask him about it.” (Hadiths: Ahmad and al-Nasai)
The
grievous things are: shirk (polytheism); disobedience to parents; the killing
of breathing beings …” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Once
someone travelling with the Prophet took some eggs from a nest, causing the
mother bird great grief. The Prophet saw this and told the man to return the
eggs.
When the
Prophet was asked if Allah rewarded acts of charity to animals, he replied:
"Yes, there is a reward for acts of charity to every beast alive."
The Prophet
said, "Whoever kills a sparrow or anything bigger than that without a just
cause, Allah will hold him accountable on the Day of Judgment." The
Prophet explained that a killing would be for a just cause if it was for food.
Hinduism
Reveres Animals
Look on all
(Humans as well as Animals) with the eye of a friend. (Yajur Veda)
“All these
things you have are overlooked by the birds and dismissed by the animals”
(Mahabharata 163)
‘Stating
“This dog is devoted to me,” you declined the celestial chariot to heaven For
this reason, there is no king comparable to you in paradise.’ (Mahabharata,
XVII.3.20)
“The Frogs”
presents the croaking of frogs as equivalent to the religious chanting of
priests; both were viewed as critical to bringing rain in the proper season and
rain was understood to be essential to all living things (Maurer 208)
[T]he rain
began to fall and all the Earth was peaceful. In the forests of Kailasa, while
the rain fell day and night, the animals were talking—the yak and the deer, the
monkeys and boars and bears, the elephants and oxen, lions and leopards,
buffalo and tigers—and the frogs ran joyfully about, and the sparrows and
cuckoos sang. (Mahabharata 167)
Sikhism
and the Message of Animal Love
Kabeer, the
dinner of beans and rice is excellent if it is flavoured with salt. Who would
cut his throat, to have meat with his bread? - Guru Granth Sahib 1375
Oh my mind,
cherish the love for the divine, like the fish for water… Oh my mind, love God
as the pied-cuckoo loves the rain… Oh my mind, love God as the sheldrake loves
the sun… (GGS p60)
Life forms
– egg-born, womb-born, earth-born, sweat-born Only God knows their existence,
in oceans, mountains, everywhere Nanak says, ‘God created them and takes care
of them all. (GGS p467)
If I were a
doe living in the forest, eating grass and leaves With God’s grace I will find
my groom, I would ever be a sacrifice to Him.
I am a
shopkeeper trading in the Divine Trading your Name is my business
If I were a
cuckoo living in the mango tree, Contemplating and singing the Word God reveals
through his mercy Immense beauty and wonderful vision
If I were a
fish living in water Observing all the creatures therein And my beloved on both
sides of the water I would hug Him with stretched arms
If I were a
female snake dwelling in the ground Let God’s word be in my being My dread
would vanish
Says Nanak,
she is forever married as light meets light. (GGS p167)
Humans
should conduct themselves through life with love, compassion, and justice.
Becoming one and being in harmony with God implies that humans endeavour to
live in harmony with all of God's creation. - Sikh Faith Statement Assisi 1986
The world,
like all creation, is a manifestation of God. Every creature in this world,
every plant, every form is a manifestation of the Creator. Each is part of God
and God is within each element of creation. God is the cause of all and He is
the primary connection between all existence. - Sikh Faith Statement 2003
Christian
Advocacy for Animals
Fill the
earth and subdue it, have dominion over the fish in the sea, the birds of the
air and every living thing that moves on the earth. - Genesis 1:28
I am now
establishing my covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with
every living creature that is with you, all birds and cattle, all the animals
with you on earth. - Genesis 9:9-10
Are not
five sparrows sold for two pence? Yet not one of them is overlooked by God. -
Luke 12:8
“A
righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the
wicked are cruel.” - (Proverbs 12:10)
“… but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it, you shall do no work:
you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female
servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.” -
(Exodus 20:10)
“You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads
out the grain.” and “If a bird’s nest happens to be before you along the way,
in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, with the mother sitting
on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young.”
- (Deuteronomy 22:6)
Every human
act of irresponsibility towards creatures is an abomination. - Christian
Declaration on Nature - Assisi 1986
Judaist
Approach To Animals
His tender
mercies are over all His creatures - Psalm 145:9
The
righteous person regards the life of his beast. - Proverbs 12:10
A person
must feed his animals before himself - (Deuteronomy 11:15)
Animals
must be allowed to rest on the Sabbath - (Ex. 20:10, and Deut 5: 14)
An animal's
suffering must be relieved - (Deuteronomy 12:4)
And God
blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon
every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth
upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they
delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green
herb have I given you all things. - Genesis 9: 1-3
(Photo courtesy: Divne Yu
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Some Of
Us Spoke Like This About Animals
“If Animals
Spoke, Humanity would Cry.” ― Manoj Rajput
To my mind,
the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. - Mahatma
Gandhi
Wildlife is
decreasing in the jungles, but it is increasing in the towns. - Mahatma
Gandhi
“No matter
how few possessions you own or how little money you have, loving wildlife and
nature will make you rich beyond measure.” ― Paul Oxton
“anyone who
has no feelings for animals has a dead heart.” ― Raegan Butcher, Rusty
String Quartet
“Animals
are a window to your soul and a doorway to your spiritual destiny. If you let
them into your life and allow them to teach you, you will be better for it.” ― Kim
Shotola, The Soul Watchers: Animals' Quest to Awaken Humanity
Being
Religious Begets Being Compassionate to Animals and Human Beings Alike
The human
being is religious for the namesake. It has nothing to do with religion, the
sign of which it carries on its forehead or in its neck. Love and compassion
for our family and friends and our pets are but natural. Sincere compassion
asks for being compassionate with every creation of God, irrespective of human
beings or animals. When every religion of the world advocates compassion and
humility there is no reason why the nations and the communities are fighting
against each other.
If those
among us who proudly announce and exhibit their religious recognition follow
their religion, there will not be many religions but only one, which is a
religion of love and humility. Religion today has become an identity and this
identity is behind all the social chaos that has engulfed the world.
And
Allah Knows the Best.
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Arman
Neyazi is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/animal-torah-bible-quran-human-beings/d/125041
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