the mercy of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, even encompassed birds and animals.

he ordered people to treat them kindly and warned those who tortured them or detained them until death of torture and fire in the hereafter.

furthermore, the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, forbade making birds and other things that have life as a target for training with arrows or other weapons. it was narrated that the messenger of allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “do not make anything that has life a target.” [muslim]

the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, also forbade tying up animals or other creatures while they are still alive in order to kill them. [al-bukhaari and muslim]

he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, also warned against harming weak animals saying: “a woman entered the (hell) fire because of a cat which she had tied, neither giving it food nor setting it free to eat from the vermin of the earth." [al-bukhaari and muslim]

the messenger of allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, came upon an emaciated camel and said: “fear allaah regarding these mute animals. they should be healthy if ridden or eaten.”

[abu daawood; al-albaani: saheeh (authentic)]

moreover, the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, made treating animals kindly a cause of the forgiviness of great sins. in this regard, the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:

“while a dog was going round a well and was about to die of thirst, a prostitute from the children of israel saw it and took off her shoe (and filled it with water) and gave water to the dog. allaah forgave her because of that good deed.” [al-bukhaari and muslim]

another aspect of the kindness of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, with these weak creatures is evident in a hadeeth narrated by ‘abdullaah ibn ‘umar, may allaah be pleased with him and his father, in which he said, “we were with the messenger of allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, on a journey, and he went to relieve himself. we saw a bird with two chicks and we took away her chicks, so the bird started flapping her wings (in distress). the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, came and said: ‘who distressed this bird by taking her young?

give her chicks back to her!’” [abu daawood and al-haakim; al-albaani: saheeh (authentic)]

therefore, there is no wonder that we find an animal crying before the prophet of mercy, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and complaining about the harsh treatment of its owner. it was narrated that ‘abdullah ibn ja‘far, may allaah be pleased with them, said, the messenger of allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, made me ride behind him one day. then he entered an orchard belonging to an ansaari (helper in madeenah) and saw a camel therein. when it saw him, it began to groan and its eyes shed tears. the messenger of allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, approached and patted its head until it was pacified. then he asked: “who is the owner of this camel? to whom does it belong?” a young ansaari man stepped forward and said, “it is mine, o messenger of allaah.” the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to him: “do you not fear allaah in relation to this animal which allaah has placed in your possession? this camel is complaining to me that you starve it and put it to toil." [abu daawood and ahmad; al-albaani: saheeh (authentic)]

what vast mercy! what a great noble trait!

what is more amazing than that is that the mercy of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,extended to encompass inanimate objects as well:

it was narrated that anas, may allaah be pleased with him, said, “the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would deliver his sermons while standing beside the trunk of a date-palm.

when he had the pulpit made, he used it instead. the trunk bean to groan and the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, went to it and embraced it, then it became quiet. the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said: ‘had i not embraced it, it would have moaned to the day of resurrection.’” [al-bukhaari]

o allaah! a piece of wood moans for missing the messenger of allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and he embraces it kindly and mercifully.

how far are those who raise the banner of human rights and the organizations of animal protection from such noble and sublime feelings and values!

those who have hard hearts cannot realize the meaning of the ultimate and comprehensive mercy. rather, they have no place in their hearts for such emotions. they are like mute stones, totally devoid of giving and taking and totally stringent with regards to the most delicate human feelings and emotions.