Islams syn på dyr

Mange mener at religion er menneskesentrert og at dyr ikke har noen spesiell verdi. 

I islam er dyr, på lik linje med mennesker, en del av Guds skaperverk med en egen verdi og rett til å bli behandlet med respekt. Dyr er i følge islam muslimer, da de følger sine insinkter som er gitt av Gud. De hengir seg til Gud og har til og med sin egen måte å tilbe Ham på som vi mennesker ikke kan oppfatte: "Do you not see that Allah is exalted by whomever is within the heavens and the earth and [by] the birds with wings spread [in flight]? Each [of them] has known his [means of] prayer and exalting [Him], and Allah is Knowing of what they do" (Quran 24:41). 

Koranen beskriver også at dyr former samfunn slik som oss: "And there is no creature on [or within] the earth or bird that flies with its wings, except [that they are] communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register a thing. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered." (Quran 6:38).

I islam er det forbudt å mishandle dyr, ha dem til underholdning (sportsjakting, dyreutstilling, dyreslossing, sirkus m.m) og drepe dem dersom det ikke er for nødvendig mat. Det er også for eksempel feil å gå med dyrepels kun for motens skyld. Muslimer skal behandle dyr med medfølelse, barmhertighet og godhet. Dyr har og er på mange måte vært til nytte for menneskene blant annet i form av mat, transport, redskaper, klær osv. Selv om dette islamsk sett er tillatt, handler alt om måten dette gjøres på. Det finnes flere eksempler på hadither som intruerer muslimer i hvordan de skal behandle dyr. 

Muhammad (fvmh) har blant annet sagt at: 

• "There is no man who kills [even] a sparrow or anything smaller, without its deserving it, but God will question him about it [on the judgment day]"
• "Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself."
• “A good deed done to an animal is like a good deed done to a human being, while an act of cruelty to an animal is as bad as cruelty to a human being."

Flere hadither vedrørende dyrs rettigheter:

• It is related from Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah that a group of companions were once on a journey with the prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he left them for a while. During his absence, they saw a bird with its two young, and they took the young ones from the nest. The mother bird was circling above in the air, beating its wings in grief, when the prophet came back. He said, "Who has hurt the feelings of this bird by taking its young? Return them to her." (Muslim)

• It is related from Abu Hurayra, from the prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that a prostitute once saw a dog on a very hot day going round and round a well, lolling its tongue because of its thirst. She drew some water for it using her shoe, and for this action all her sins were forgiven her. (Muslim)

• It is related from Abdullah ibn Umar that the messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A woman was once punished after death because of a cat which she had kept confined until it died, and because of this she entered the Fire. She had neither given it food or drink while confining it, nor had she let it free to eat the creatures of the earth." (Muslim)

• It is related from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade inciting animals to fight one another. (Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi)

• It is related from Jabir that the messenger of Allah, once saw a donkey which had been branded on its face and he said, "May Allah curse the one who branded it."(Muslim)

• It is related from Abu Hurayra that the prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Do not use the backs of your animals as chairs. Allah has made them subject to you, so that by them you can reach places that you would not otherwise be able to reach except with great fatigue." (Abu Dawud)

Kilder:

• http://khaleafa.com/islam-and-animal-rights/
• http://islam.about.com/od/islamsays/a/animalwelfare.htm