guidelines concerning that? If there is anything,please draw our
attention to it.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We are very happy to receive questions from our youth such as you, who
love Allaah and His Messenger and who are smart and intelligent. This
question is important and useful and is asked in a brief and polite
manner. We ask Allaah to look after you and take care of you and to
reward with good everyone who has contributed to your good upbringing.
Secondly:
Keeping and raising pets is something that is permitted in Islam and
there is nothing wrong with it.
Al-Bukhaari (6203) and Muslim (2150) narrated that Anas (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was the best of people in attitude. I had a brother who was
called Abu 'Umayr. He (the narrator) said: I think he said: He was a
weanling. When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) came and saw him, he said: "Abu 'Umayr, what happened to
the nughayr (nightingale)?" He used to play with it.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
It indicates that it is permissible for children to play with birds,
and it is permissible to spend money on permissible things that will
entertain children, and it is permissible to keep birds in cages and
the like, and to clip the wings of birds, because one or the other
must have been done in the case of Abu 'Umayr's bird, and whichever is
the case, the other comes under the same ruling. End quote.
Fath al-Baari(10/584).
With regard to the conditions and guidelines on keeping animals, these
include the following:
1.
The animal that is kept should not be a dog, because Islam has
forbidden keeping dogs except guard dogs and hunting dogs. This has
been explained in the answer to question no. 69777. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The angels do not enter a
house in which there is a dog." Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3225) and
Muslim (2106). Would the Muslim be happy for the angels of mercy not
to accompany him in his house because of an animal he is keeping?
2.
Not going so far with regard to this matter that it reaches the stage
of blameworthy extravagance. We have seen some people who pay
thousands and even millions competing to buy a certain animal or take
care of it and provide services for it. Some of them even bequeath
some of their wealth to them. In some countries there are festivals
and shows for all kinds of animals, on which huge amounts of money are
spent. All of this is foolishness and lack of common sense.
3.
The animal must be treated kindly. If a Muslim keeps an animal, he
must provide it with proper food and drink, and not cause it any harm
or injury by mistreating it or using it for target practice or making
animals fight one another, or exposing it to heat or cold. It was
narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whilst a
man was walking on the road, he became very thirsty. He found a well
so he went down into it and drank, then he came out. There he saw a
dog that was panting and biting the ground out of thirst. The man
said: this dog is feeling the same thirst that I felt. So he went back
down into the well and filled his shoe with water, then he held it in
his mouth until he climbed back up, and he gave the water to the dog.
Allaah appreciated (his action) and forgave him." They said: O
Messenger of Allaah, will we have reward with regard to these animals?
He said: "In every living thing there is reward."
Look at how the believer will be rewarded for taking care of animals;
rather he may even enter Paradise because of his kind treatment of a
single animal, as happened to the man mentioned in this hadeeth.
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, loves those who do good.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has told
us of a woman who went to Hell because of her neglect of a cat which
she detained and it died of hunger; she did not feed it or let it go
and eat of the vermin of the earth.
And Allaah knows best.
NAJIMUDEEN M
