at the man. The poor fellow has neither the tusks of the elephant, nor the claws of the lion, nor even horns
or pointed teeth or stings and poison glands to defend himself. He has been created weak and defenseless,
but the great weapons of sense, perception, and consciousness make up for his deficiencies. This makes
him the veritable master of his environment. It enables him to subdue powerful elephants and ferocious
lions. He can catch poisonous snakes, birds flying in the air, and fish living in high waters. He can
contrive a variety of arms and armaments for his defense. To whichever philosophy or religion you may
subscribe, you would agree that man is held responsible for his actions by virtue of possessing the senses
and consciousness and intellect as well as will and determination. So let us, as thinking Muslims,
distinguish ourselves, not only from the animal kingdom, but amongst mankind so that we may once
again emerge as the torch-bearers of civilization. "
Follow-up article taken from: http://www.chai-online.org/islam.htm
Dominion Over Animals
The Qur'an Majeed states that man has dominion over animals: "He (God) it is Who made you
vicegerents on earth" (Qur'an 35:39), but makes clear that this responsibility is not unconditional
and states what happens to those who misuse their freedom of choice and fail to conform to the
conditions that limit this responsibility: "Then We reduce him (to the status of) the lowest of the
low" (Qur'an 95:4,5). "…they are those whom Allah has rejected and whom He has
condemned...because they served evil" (Qur'an 5:63). "…they have hearts wherewith they fail to
comprehend, and eyes wherewith they fail to see, and ears wherewith they fail to hear….Such
(humans) are far astray from the right path" (Qur'an 7:179).
There are…people who take the concept of man's dominion over animals as a licentious
freedom to break all the established moral rules designed to protect animal rights. The Imam
Hazrat Ali has this to say about (those who misuse their authority over the weak): "A savage
and ferocious beast is better than a wicked and tyrant ruler" (Maxims, see Ref. No. 4, pp. 203,
381).
Again, the Qur'an Majeed urges in remonstrance: "And be not like those who say, 'We have
heard,' while they do not hearken. Verily, the vilest of all creatures, in the sight of Allah, are
those deaf and dumb ones who do not use their rationality" (Qur'an 8:21,22).
Animals Are Our Teachers
Muslims have often been advised by their mentors to learn lessons from some species of
animal. For example, the Imam Hazrat Ali gives this piece of advice: "Be like a bee; anything he
eats is clean, anything he drops is sweet and any branch he sits upon does not break." (Maxims
of Ali; translated by Al-Halal from Nahj-ul-Balagha [in Arabic]; Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, Lahore,
Pakistan; p. 436. The Imam Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib was the son-in-law of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad, and the fourth Caliph [644-656 A.C. = 23-24 A.H.].
Animals Are Members of Communities and the Family of God
The Holy Prophet Muhammad puts it in these words: "All creatures are like a family (Ayal) of
God: and he loves the most those who are the most beneficent to His family." (Narrated by
Anas. Mishkat al-Masabih,3:1392; quoted from Bukhari.)
The Qur'an Majeed says: "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).
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