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Below are quotations from the scriptures
of Islam and eminent Islamic practitioners both past and
present concerning the humane
treatment of animals and adopting a
vegetarian/vegan diet. This page is part
of a section about animal rights and
religious and philosophical belief,
it is the forerunner of an
in-depth article concerning Islam and
animal rights which I hope to include
here in due course. Also links to
Islamic Vegetarian/vegan websites, online communities
and articles of interest.
Muslims are not vegetarians or vegans,
it is not a requirement of their
religion but if a Muslim would prefer to
adopt a vegetarian or vegan
diet he or she is allowed to do so. And
a significant number of Muslims are
becoming vegetarian or vegan.
Muslims recognise animals rights and
there are many accounts in both the Qur’an
and Hadith (sayings of the prophet) to
support this as you can read below
including many examples of the prophet's
compassion towards animals and his
admonishment of those who treated them
in a cruel way. For example concerning
compassion, It is
said that the prophet once cut a portion
of his cloak away so that he would not
disturb a cat sleeping on the remaining
cloth.
According to the Quran, the cat is the
essence of purity.
A cat hospital was Built in Bab-el Nasz
and it was considered a blessing to
bring food to the patients.It is
unlawful to chase cats from Mosques
Extract from
Faith Resources
Also there are many passages from from
the Qur'an and Hadith recognising animal
sentience such as this delightful quote
below:
When you
hear the crowing of cocks, ask for Allah's Blessings for
(their crowing indicates that) they have seen an
angel...
The
Prophet Muhammad:Hadith 4:522
Quotations here include passages from the Qur’an, Hadith
and noteworthy Islamists past and present.
Firstly a brief look at Islamic sacred text:
The Qur’an
The Qur’an also sometimes transliterated as Quran,
Qur'an and Koran literally “the
recitation” is the central religious text of Islam. For
Muslims it is the infallible word of Allah revealed to
the prophet Mohammed by the Angle Gabriel over a period
of approximately twenty-three years, beginning in 610
CE, when Mohammed was forty, and concluding in 632 CE, the year of
his death. The Qur’an is a book of divine guidance and
direction for mankind and the final revelation from
Allah.
With the exception of the opening verses and a few
passages where the prophet or the Angel Gabriel
speaks in the first person, the speaker throughout is
Allah
Hadith
Hadith are records of the narrations originating from
the words and deeds of the prophet Muhammad and also
accounts of his approval of things that were done or
said in his presence. Although not considered as the
spoken word of Allah like The Qur'an the Hadith are an
important sacred text and are revered as a major scource of religious law and moral guidance upon which
every Muslim bases his
or her faith
Animals are sentient beings
The Qur’an teaches that animals are sentient beings and
that Allah created them to live in communities, in their
own right, in societies as we do . The Qur’an says that all
creatures are like a family of Allah and that He provided for them the means of
communication, and that they also like ourselves live under
his care and worship Him but in a way that is
not directly explained.
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.
The Qur’an
6.38
All creatures are like a family (Ayal) of God: and he
loves the most those who are the most beneficent to His
family.
The Prophet Muhammad:
Hadith
The following passages strongly suggest that animals have
consciousness; they are not simply beings driven by
instinct, but sentient beings capable of praising Allah
Seest
thou not that it is Allah Whose praises are celebrated
by all beings in the heavens and on earth, and by the
birds with extended wings? Each one knows its prayer and
psalm, And Allah is aware of what they do.
Yea,
to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the
earth; and to Allah is the final goal (of all).
The Qur’an
24:41 42
Allah cares for all his creatures:
There is not a creature on earth but God provides its
sustenance.
Quran 11:6
Within the tenets of Islam are found strong support and
guidelines for the protection and compassionate
treatment of animals. Here is
an example emphasising the importance of treating
animals in the same way as one would treat a human
being:
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
The Prophet Muhammad:
Hadith
That Allah rewards those who treat animals kindly is
reflected in the following passages:
The Prophet said, "While a man was walking he felt
thirsty and went down a well, and drank water from it.
On coming out of it, he saw a dog panting and eating mud
because of excessive thirst. The man said, 'This (dog)
is suffering from the same problem as that of mine.' So,
he (went down the well), filled his shoe with water,
caught hold of it with his teeth and climbed up and
watered the dog. Allah thanked him for his (good) deed
and forgave him.'' The people asked ``O Allah's Apostle!
Is there a reward for us in serving (the) animals?'' He
replied: ``Yes, there is a reward for serving any
animate (living being).''
Narrated by Abu Huraira -- Volume 3, Book 40, Number 551
Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to
himself.
The Prophet Muhammad : Hadith
He who takes pity
even on a sparrow and spares its life, God will be
merciful to him on the Day of Judgement.
The
Qur’an
Allah condemns the mistreatment of animals
The Prophet Muhammad admonished against the beating
or the branding of animals and said
may Allah condemn the one who branded it
when he saw a donkey branded on its face
The following passages emphasise compassion to animals and
also their
sentience in reference to the colony of ants'
glorification of Allah.
The Prophet Muhammad tells of an incident that happened
to another prophet in the past who having been stung by
an ant ordered that the whole colony be burnt. Allah
reprimanded him saying:
Because one ant stung you, you have burned a
whole community which glorified Me.
The Prophet Muhammad :
Hadith
Do not allow your stomachs to
become graveyards
Prophet Muhammad, Hadith
Islamic Imans
Al-Hafiz BA Masri:
Al-Hafiz BA Masri
was
the first Sunni Imam, of the Shah Jehan
mosque
Woking, U.K.
An imam is a leadership position,
he is often the leader of a
mosque
and the community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the
imam is the one who leads the prayer during Islamic
gatherings.
An Imam is a scholar who has studied the Koran and
memorized it in its entirety. Al-Hafiz BA Masri is
widely respected for the depth of his scholarship.
Below
are extractions from his book Animals in Islam which
examines the Islamic principles of kindness and
compassion toward animals
Human/Animal Communication
There
are numerous legends about the Muslim saints and other
holy men who could talk to animals. However, for lack of
authentication, they are taken generally as mere fables.
There is one statement in the Qur'an Majeed, though,
which proves that man had acquired the lore of speech
with animals as early as the time of King Solomon.
Perhaps in those days human civilization was more in
tune with nature than it is today. The Qur'anic verse
runs like this: "And Solomon was David's heir, and he
said: 'O ye people! We have been taught the speech of
birds…" (Qur'an 27:16).
The Qur'an Majeed tells us that God actually
communicates with animals, as the following verse shows:
And your Lord revealed to the bee, saying: 'make hives
in the mountains and in the trees, and in (human)
habitations'. (Qur'an 16:68).
The Qur'an Majeed uses the same Arabic word "Wahi" for
God's revelation to all His Prophets, including the Holy
Prophet Muhammad(s), as it has been used in the case of
the bee….it proves the basic fact that animals have a
sufficient degree of psychic endowment to understand and
follow God's messages - a faculty which is higher than
instinct and intuition.
Factory Farming
(See also the sections on Cruelty to Animals and
Slaughter of Animals Used for Food and the restrictions
thereon.)
Our Holy Prophet(s)'s overwhelming concern for animal
rights and their general welfare would certainly have
condemned (La'ana) those who practice such methods
(factory farming), in the same way as he condemned
similar other cruelties in his days. He would have
declared that there is no grace or blessing (Brakah) -
neither in the consumption of such food nor in the
profits from such trades.
Vegetarianism
There is no suggestion in the Qur'an Majeed or in any
other of the Islamic sources that eating meat is good
for physical or spiritual health. Islam's approach in
this matter is neutral; it has left the choice to the
individual, but those who opt to eat meat are urged in
the Qur'an Majeed to eat in moderation. (The Qur'an
7:31; 5:87 and other verses). Furthermore, there are
elaborate and stringent laws governing the overall
treatment of animals used for food - their rearing and
breeding; the pre-slaughter; and handling during and
after slaughter.
The Holy Prophet(s) has placed the killing of animals
without a justifiable reason as one of the major sins:
Avoid ye the seven obnoxious things {deadly
sins}: polytheism; magic; the killing breathing
beings! Which God has forbidden except for
rightful reason. (Narrated by Abu Huraira. Sahih
Mulim - Kitab-ul-Imam (Ref. No. 46); Chapt.
XXXIX, Vol.I; p. 52. Bukhari, 4:23. Also Awn,
(Ref. No. 32); Hadith No. 2857.
The Arabic word for 'breathing
beings' is 'Nafs.' Until recently it used to be
taken as meaning 'human beings' only. All the Arabic
dictionaries give the meaning of 'Nafs' as 'Ruh'
(soul), and since they are breathing creatures,
there seems to be no reason why the Qur'anic verses
No. 6:151, 152 and others should not comprehend all
'breathing beings', i.e. all species of animals.
These verses should be read in conjunction with
other verses of the Qur'an Majeed and numerous
Ahadith which speak of the sanctity of life as a
whole, declare animals as possessing soul (zi Ruhin)
and place animals physically on a par with human
beings.
The baneful {sinful} things are: polytheism;
disobedience to parents; the killing of
breathing beings without a valid reason.
(id. Narrated by Abdullah Ibn 'Amr.)
Cruelty to Animals
According to the spirit and overall teachings of Islam,
causing unavoidable pain and suffering to the
defenseless and innocent creatures of God is not
justifiable under any circumstances. Islam wants us to
think and act in the positive terms of accepting all
species as communities like us in their own right and
not to sit in judgement on them according to our human
norms and values.
Prevention of physical cruelty is not enough; mental
cruelty is equally important. In the following incident,
a bird's emotional distress has been treated as
seriously as a physical injury:
We were on a journey with the Apostle of God(s),
and he left us for a while. During his absence,
we saw a bird called hummara with its two young
and took the young ones. The mother bird was
circling above us in the air, beating its wings
in grief, when the Prophet came back and said:
'who has hurt the FEELINGS of this bird by
taking its young? Return them to her'. (Narrated
by Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah bin Mas'ud. Muslim.
Also Awn (Ref. No. 32) Hadith No. 2658. Also
"Guillaume' (Ref. No. 57); p. 106).
The Holy Prophet(s) has even tried the 'Punishment
and Reward' approach in the following Ahadith:
The Islamic concern about cruelty to animals is
so great that it has declared the infliction of
any unnecessary and avoidable pain 'even to a
sparrow or any creature smaller than that' as a
sin for which the culprit would be answerable to
God on the Day of Judgement.
The Prophet(s) told his companions of a woman who
would be sent to Hell for having locked up a cat;
not feeding it, nor even releasing it so that it
could feed herself." (Narrated by Abdullah bin
'Omar. Bukhari, 4:337; recorded in Riyad (Ref. No.
28), Hadith No. 1605; p. 271. Also Muslim, Vol. 4,
Hadith No. 2242. English translation by Abdul Hamid
Siddiqi; Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, Lahore, Pakistan;
1976; Vol. 4, Hadith No. 5570; p. 1215. (According
to the English translation, this Hadith was also
narrated by the Abu Huraira and by Naqi who had
heard it from Abdullah); Hadith No. 5573; p. 1215.)
This Hadith has been recorded by almost all the
authentic books of hadith, as the Re. No. 53 will
show)
Islam's concern for animals goes beyond the
prevention of physical cruelty or even condescending
kindness to them, which is a negative proposition.
It enjoins on the human species, as the principal
primates of animated world, to take over the
responsibility of all creatures in the spirit of a
positive philosophy of life and to be their active
protectors.
The Prophet(s) was asked if acts of charity even to
the animals were rewarded by God. He replied: 'yes,
there is a reward for acts of charity to every beast
alive.' (Narrated by Abu Huraira, Bukhari, 3:322.
Also Muslim, Vol. 4; Hadith No. 2244. Also Awn (Ref.
No. 32), 7:222, Hadith No. 2533. Also Mishkat al-masabih,
Book 6; Chapter 6.
Mishkat Al-Masabih concluded from "Bukhari" and
"Muslim" to the effect that: 'A good deed done to a
beast is as good as doing good to a human being;
while an act of cruelty to a beast is as bad as an
act of cruelty to human beings' and that: 'Kindness
to animals was promised by rewards in Life
Hereafter.' (Mishkat al-Masabih; Book 6; Chapter 7,
8:178.)
The Prophet(s) told his companions of a serf who was
blessed by Allah for saving the life of a dog by
giving it water to drink and quenching its thirst.
(Narrated by Abu Huraira. Muslim, Vol. 4, Hadith No.
2244. Also Bukhari, 3:322. Also Awn (Ref. No. 32);
Hadith No. 2533, and others).
To catch birds and imprison them in cages without
any special purpose is considered abominable.
No advantages and no urgency of human needs would
justify the kind of calculated violence which is
being done these days against animals, especially
through international trade of livestock and meat.
One of the sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(s)
tells us: "If you must kill, kill without torture."
(La taqtolu bi'l-idha'i). While pronouncing this
dictum, he did not name any animal as an exception -
not even any noxious or venomous creature, such as
scorpions and snakes.
Luckily, on this theme, we have quite a few of the
Holy Prophet(s) sayings. During the pre-Islamic
period, certain pagan superstitions and polytheistic
practices involving acts of torture and general
cruelties to animals used to be common in Arabia.
All such practices were condemned and stopped by
Islam. The following few sayings of the Holy
Prophet(s) will serve as an example:
Jabir told that God's Messenger(s) forbade
striking the face or branding on the face of
animals…The same companion of the Holy
Prophet(s) reported him as saying, when an
ass which had been branded in its face
passed him by: 'God curse the one who
branded it.' (Narrated by Jabir bin
Abdullah. Muslim, Vol.3, Hadith No. 2116.
Also Awn al-Ma'bud Sharh Abu Dawud
(hereafter referred to as Awn); 7:232,
hadith No. 2547. Also The Lawful and
Unlawful in Islam (in Arabic); Yusuf el-Kardawi;
Mektebe Vahba, Cairo; 1977; p. 293. Also
'Robson' (Ref. No. 15); p. 872). This Hadith
is concerned with causing pain to the animal
on the sensitive parts of its body, as well
as with the disfigurement of its appearance.
When the Holy Prophet(s) migrated to Medina from
Mecca in 622 A.C., people there used to cut off
camels' humps and the fat tails of sheep. The
Prophet(s) ordered this barbaric practice to be
stopped. The temptation for the people to
perform this sort of vivisection on the animals
was that the juicy humps and fatty tails could
be eaten while the animal remained alive for
future use. To remove this avidity, he declared:
"whatever is cut off an animal, while it is
still alive, is carrion and is unlawful (Haram)
to eat." (Narrated by Abu Waqid al-Laithi.
Tirmidhi; Hadith No. 1480, Chapt. On Al-At'imah.
Also 'Robson' (Ref. No. 15), p. 872).
To make sure that no injury was inflicted on the
animal while there was even a flicker of life in
it, it was forbidden by the Holy Prophet(s) to
molest the carcass in any way, such as: by
breaking its neck, skinning, or slicing off any
of its parts, until the body is dead cold. One
of his sayings on this theme is: "Do not deal
hastily with a 'being' before it is stone dead."
(Kitab al-Muqni, 3:542. Also Al-Muhalla, 7:457;
Ibn Hazm). Hazrat 'Omar ibn al-Khattab used to
instruct repeatedly: 'Give time to the
slaughtered being' till it is dead cold. (Al-Muhalla,
7:457; Ibn Hazm. Hazrat 'Omar ibn al-Khattab was
the second Caliph (634-644 A.C. = 12-22A.H.).
Many other Muslim authorities have also given
juristic opinions (fatawa) to the effect that,
after slaughter, time should be given for the
rigor mortis to set in before cutting up the
carcass. (Kitab al-Nil wa Shifa'al-Alil, 4:460).
Another malpractice in Arabia in those days,
which caused pain and discomfort to the animals,
was stopped by the Holy Prophet(s) in these
words: "Do not store milk in the udders of
animals…." (Muslim and Bukhari. Also Holy
Traditions; 1st Edition; Vol. 1; Muhammad Manzur
Ilahi; Ripon Press, Lahore, Paistan; 1932; p.
149).
Not only physical but also emotional care of
animals was so much emphasized by the Holy
Prophet(s) that he once reprimanded his wife,
A'ishah, for treating a camel a bit offhandedly.
Hazrat A'ishah herself narrates: "I was riding a
restive camel and turned it rather roughly. The
Prophet(s) said to me: 'it behooves you to treat
the animals gently'. (Narrated by A'ishah.
Muslim, Vol. 4, Hadith No. 2593. Also Awn,
7:155, Hadith No. 2461; (Ref. No. 32)).
The Holy Prophet(s) himself was once reprimanded
by God for neglecting his horse, as the
following Hadith tells us: "The Prophet(s) was
seen wiping the face of his horse with his gown
(jullabiyah). When asked why he was doing that,
he replied: 'Last night I had a reprimand from
Allah regarding my horse for having neglected
him'. (Narrated by Yahya bin Said. "Malik bin
Anas al-Asbhahi". Also Al-Muwatta, (in English);
Divan Press, Norwich, England; 1982; p. 205.)
The following Hadith forbids the disfiguration
of the body of an animal.
The Prophet(s) said: 'Do not clip the
forelock of a horse, for a decency is
attached to its forelock; nor its mane, for
it protects it; nor its tail, for it is its
fly-flap'. (Narrated by 'Utbah ibn Farqad
Abu Abdillah al-Sulami. Abu Dawud. Also Awn,
7:216, 217, Hadith No. 2525 (Ref. No. 32)).
The incidents of the Holy Prophet Muhammad's(s)
personal grooming of his horse; his wife
A'isha's rough handling of her camel; the Holy
Prophet's(s) prohibition of cutting forelocks,
the mane or tail; the condemnation of striking
and branding on the face or ears - all these and
many other such Ahadith show that this great
man, Muhammad(s) had realized even fourteen
centuries ago that animals have a sense of
adornment and sensitivity.
The extracts above came from the following website:
Islam - The Modern
Religion: Index Page
where you can read further from:
Animals in Islam
Hediyah Al-Amin
Hediyah Al-Amin is a
Muslim-American teacher of Islamic Studies and Islamic
Culture at the Qatar Center for the Presentation of
Islam.
The Love of Animals
By Hediyah Al-Amin
On a recent shopping trip, I happened to pass by a
pet shop, where a big monkey in a small cage outside the
entrance broke my heart. I gathered up the guts to enter
the shop, only to leave in tears deeply saddened by what
I had seen. Poor, helpless animals imprisoned in tiny
cages without even enough space to turn around. Their
sad, pleading eyes haunted me as I fought the urge to
set them free. 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 what
I felt that day, 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.
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 Prophet Muhammad forbade people to capture
birds, burn anthills, and whip animals.
Extract from the article:
The Love of Animals
By Hediyah Al-Amin
The Love of Animals
An interview with an eminent Islamic scholar
Islam and Animal Welfare
Not too long ago, I had the privilege of talking to an
eminent Islamic scholar, who wishes to remain unnamed.
Our conversation covered a wide range of topics. The one
closest to his heart, however, was the treatment of
animalkind according to the tenets of Islam.
“Islam was one of the earliest faiths to care about the
rights of animals,” he waxed eloquent. ‘In general,
kindness to animals has been promised by reward in the
life hereafter’. We find this sentiment in line 178 of
verse 8, Chapter 7, Book 6 of the Mishkat-al-Masabih.
This is the groundwork: it tells us what our attitude
should be in general towards animalkind. Then we have
more specific references. Consider this line from Abu
Umama, Al Tabarani: ‘He who takes pity even on a sparrow
and spares its life, Allah will be merciful to him on
the Day of Judgement.’
“Yes, but Islam allows the killing of animals for food
and for religious sacrifice,” I interposed. “If Islam
cares so much about animal welfare, why does it allow
meat-eating and slaughter?
A
good point,” the scholar conceded good-humouredly
instead of taking umbrage. “We have to remember that
several customs and conventions prevalent in Arab lands
may be pre-Islamic and thus without specific Islamic
sanction. Furthermore, nearly 1500 years ago, what was
Arabia? Mostly desert land, and war-torn at that. There
were few peaceful and settled agricultural communities
as we had in India, for instance. The nomadic tribes
found food when they could - by hunting animals and
eating them. That is no longer true, and Arab countries
today are very modern in many ways. They have plenty of
vegetarian food available, as with India. So there is
absolutely no compulsion as such to eat meat. I can only
hope that individual Muslims will voluntarily give up
meat-eating because nowhere is it said that meat-eating
is compulsory….”
Extract from the Article which you
may read further
Islam and Animal Welfare found here
Vegetarian Network Victoria - Home
Sufism
Sufism is generally considered as
the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner
of this tradition is generally known as a Sufi. Another
name used for the Sufi seeker is Dervish. Although
relatively few in number Sufis have had an influence
upon Islamic thought, history and literature example,
well known Sufis are Rumi, Omar Khayyám and Al-Ghazali's.
Although Sufism is generally understood by scholars
as an aspect of Islam many Muslims and
non-Muslims believe that Sufism is outside the sphere of
Islam.
Many Sufis are vegetarian, Sufis recognise the eternal
soul in every living being and that all join in the
praise of Allah. The Sufi considers the well-being of
animals in their care and protection, giving aid whenever
possible
Below is a delightful account excerpted from a story by
Jelaluddin Rumi, 13th century Sufi mystic and poet.
A Sufi had been travelling and after he stopped at an
Inn for the night, and had meditated for a while, he
told the servant who took care of the animals to be sure
that he mixed a lot of barley with the straw that was to
be his donkey's supper. "And please make sure you wet
the (uncooked) barley with warm water. He's an old
donkey and has trouble chewing." Then the Sufi asked
"Did you remove his saddle gently and put salve on the
sore he has? Did you currycomb his back--he loves that."
The instructions continued and the servant became
annoyed. He ended the conversation with the claim that
he had taken care of thousands of animals, with no
complaints, and that everyone who stayed at the Inn was
"treated as family." The Sufi went to sleep but had
terrible nightmares about his donkey being attacked by
wild beasts and falling, helplessly, into a ditch. And
although the details of the dream were wrong, what it
conveyed of danger to the donkey was true. "His donkey
was being totally neglected, without care, food or water
all night long." The caretaker had spent the whole night
carousing with his friends. The moral of this story: "Do
the careful, donkey-tending work yourself. Don't trust
that to anyone else." The nightmares the Sufi had,
testified to his doubts about the animals well-being but
he was tired and it was late, so he slept. When your
compassion and concern extends to another creature, do
not trust its care to those who do not have the same
concerns.
From The Essential Rumi, Castle Books, Edison, NJ,
translated by Coleman Barks, copyrighted by him, 1995.
Source: Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians:
Islam
The call for compassion is a distinctive element of
Sufism.
Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen was a saintly
Tamil-speaking teacher and Sufi mystic from the island
of Sri Lanka who first came to the United States on
October 11, 1971and established the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
Fellowship in Philadelphia. He appealed to Muslims to reflect
on the meaning of slaughter:
When describing Islamic
slaughter (qurban) in his Ninety Nine Beautiful Names
of Allah, he said that the knife-bearer should “… look
into the animal’s eyes, he has to watch the tears of the
animal, and he has to watch the animal’s eyes until it
dies – hopefully, his heart will change.”
Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians
:Vegetarianism
and the Major World Religions
Vegetarianism and the Major World Religions
Links
Islamic concern
An informative website concerning Islam
and the compassionate treatment of animals
The beautiful religion of Islam has
always viewed animals as a special part
of God's creation. The Qur'an, the
Hadith, and the history of Islamic
civilization offer many examples of
kindness, mercy, and compassion for
animals.
Islamic Concern: Animals in Islam
Article
The Qur’an says only that permitted
meats may be eaten if one so wishes.
Nowhere in Islam are Muslims required to
eat meat. Meat consumption is neither
encouraged nor even recommended.
Neither the kindness to animals taught
by the Prophet (pbuh) nor the special
place of animals as described in the
Qur’an is reflected in modern methods of
raising animals for food. Adopting a
vegan diet (a diet free from meats,
dairy products, and eggs) is the easiest
way for Muslims to live in accordance
with the ethical, environmental, and
health precepts of Islam.
I s l a m v e g . c o m: Islam and
Vegetarianism
Commentry:
Muslims can't be Vegetarian?
The option to be vegetarian has always existed in Islam,
whether or not it was actualized at any time or place.
The great Sufi Râbi‘ah al-‘Adawîyah of Basrah was an
early Muslim vegetarian. In recent times, the renowned
Sufi shaykh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen was a notable vegetarian
Muslim. Nowadays there are more and more Muslims in
different countries choosing to be vegetarian, although
they have mostly kept quiet about it.
Read the complete commentary:
Muslims can't be Vegetarian? : Islam : Dietery Law
Internet Forum
Yahoo
Groups :
Muslim-Vegetarians
Vegetarian Muslims need ways to network with each other;
the Muslim Vegetarians list is that.
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, salla alahi wa
salam, reportedly said it is better to eat milk than to
eat meat. But even if Prophet Muhammed was
lactovegetarian, more and more Muslims are discovering
veganism. Wherever vegetarian Muslims are on the
spectrum, and regardless of the rationale, this is a
good place to make friends and discuss common values,
background, and outlooks.
Muslim-Vegetarians : Muslim Vegetarians
Important please note:
I
am not an animal expert of any kind just your average
person who loves animals, all animals, and feels deeply
about the plight of many of our fellow creatures.
Neither am I a writer, or any other expert. Therefore
please keep in mind that the information included in
this website has been researched to the best of my
ability and any misinformation is quite by accident but
of course possible.
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