A man once came to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) carrying with him his belongings and a box. He said, “O Prophet! While I was passing through a jungle, I heard the voice of some bird's babies. I took them and put them in this box. The moment I did that, their mother came fluttering round my head.”
And the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Put them down”. When the man put the box on the ground, the mother of the young birds joined them. Seeing this, the Prophet (ﷺ) asked the man who now had a look of surprise on his face, “Are you surprised by the affection of the mother towards her young?
I swear by Him (Almighty Allah) who has sent me, surely, Allah is more loving to his servants than the mother to these young birds. Return these baby birds to the place from where you took them, and let their mother be with them.”
“Fear Allah with regard to animals”, said the Prophet (ﷺ), “ride them when they are fit to be ridden, and get off their backs when they are tired; surely, there are rewards for being kind and gentle to animals, and for giving them water to drink.”
Islam has taught that in the eyes of Allah, animals also have rights in the same way as man has. They should not be treated badly tortured or left to starve without food or water.
Imam Ali (a.s) had some ducks under his care in his house. At the time of his death, he had given particular advice to his sons to take good care of those animals, or to set them free if it was not possible to look after them properly.
The Holy Qur'an has also guided us by telling us that, in the eyes of Allah there is no difference between the human world and the animal world.
“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.” (6:38)
The Prophet (ﷺ) was once performing ablution (Wudhu) for prayers from a pot of water. A cat passed there and turned its eyes at the pot of water with a thirsty look. The Prophet (ﷺ) realized at once that the cat was very thirsty, so he stopped the ablution (Wudhu) and placed the pot before the cat. Only after the cat had fully quenched its thirst, did the Prophet resume the ablution (Wudhu).
By this action, the Prophet (ﷺ) has shown that quenching the thirst of even a small dumb animal is a noble act full of virtue and should be given first attention before one prepares for offering prayers to Allah.
Kindness to Animals
Islam forbids treating animals cruelly or killing them except for food. Muhammad (ﷺ) often chastised his companions, or followers, who mistreated animals and spoke to them about mercy and kindness.
What does the Quran say about treating animals?
Islam strongly asks Muslims to treat animals with compassion and not to abuse them. The Holy Qur'an states that all creation praises Allah, even if this praise is not expressed in human language.
What did Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) say about pets?
Also often cited in support of claims that Mohammed (ﷺ) forbade keeping dogs are Hadith 4:539, usually translated as “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Angels do not enter a house which has either a dog or a picture in it,'
What does Islam says about Cats ?
In Islam, cats are viewed as holy animals. Above all, they are admired for their cleanliness. They are thought to be ritually clean which is why they're allowed to enter homes and even mosques. According to authentic narrations, one may make ablution for prayer with the same water that a cat has drunk from.