Part 33

Reported by A1-Asbahani in At-Targhib wa At-Tarhib.

again 'f In another narration, (the whip fell down from my hand because of the fear of the Messenger of

Allah (pbuh) in another, "I said, he is free for the sake of Allah, the man said, if you did not do it, the fire

Imam Muslim also reported that from the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) who

said, "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"Whoever beats his slave for something which he did not do, or slaps him, its expiation is to free him." 2

Hakim fun Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) said that, "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"Allah will torture those who torture people in this worldly life" 3

In another narration, it is also reported,

"Whoever unjustly beats anyone with a whip, it will be retaliated on him on the Day of Judgment." 4

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was asked,

"How many times should we forgive the servant? He replied, "Seventy times a day." 5

Once the Prophet (pbuh) was holding a Siwak (tooth-stick) in his hands and he called his servant, but he

was late for some minutes. The Prophet said,

"If there was no retaliation, I would beat you with this Siwak."6

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) had a black slave girl and he raised a whip on her but

he said, "If there was no retaliation, I would beat you until you fell unconscious but I will sell you to the

One Who will pay your price in full from me and he freed her for the sake of Allah.

Once, a woman came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said,

"0 Messenger of Allah, I said to my slave girl, '0 adulteress! He said, 'Is she truly as you say?' She said,

'No' He said, 'She would seek justice from you on the Day of Judgment.' Thereupon, she returned to her

slave girl and gave her a whip and said to her 'beat me.' The salve girl refused to do so. She freed her and

returned to the Prophet (pbuh) and told him about that. He said, 'May what you did be an expiation for

your accusing her of such a thing." 7

In the two Sahihs, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"Whoever charged his slave with an accusation while he is innocent from it, he will be flogged on the Day

of Judgment as retaliation unless he was as he said." 8

"The slave should be fed and clothed and should not be burdened with something beyond his

Reported by AI-Hakim in AI-Mustadrak.

In his death-disease, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to advise his Companions saying,

"Be heedful of prayer and of those whom your right hands possess. Feed them from what you feed

yourselves and clothe them from what you clothe yourselves. Do not burden them with something beyond

their capacity. In case you burden them, you should help them to fulfill it. Do not torment the creatures of

Allah, for Allah made you the owners." 2

Once, a group of people entered upon Salman AI-Parisi (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was

the governor of AI-Mada'in and they found him soaking a paste for his family. They said to him, would you

not leave the slave girl to do this? He (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "We sent her for some

concerns (affairs) and we hated to burden her with another thing." An early Muslim said, "Do not beat the

slave for every fault, but count them for him. And in case he disobeyed Allah, beat him for this and remind

It is heinous maltreatment to the slave, both male and female to separate him from his children or his

brothers. The Prophet (pbuh) isreported to have said,

"Whoever separates a slave and his/her children, Allah will separate him and his beloved ones on the Day

Ali Ibn Abi Talib (may Allah honor his face) said,

"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) granted me two slave brothers. I sold one of them and thereupon the

Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Bring him back again and repeated it." 4

It is also a heinous maltreatment to both the slave, male and female and to beasts to leave them until

they get angry. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is reported to have said,

"It is a sufficient sin for a person to prevent those whom he owns his food." 5

It is mistreatment to a beast if it is: treated in a harsh manner, imprisoned, deprived of its food, or to

burden it with that which is beyond its capacity. Concerning this Allah says,

{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} (AI-An'am: 38)

"These communities will be brought on the Day of Judgment while the people will be brought on the Day

of Judgment. While the people are standing, there will be judgment amongst the animals to such an extent

that the bald-headed sheep will retaliate from the horny and the atom from another.. Then it will be said to

them, 'Be dust.' At this moment the disbeliever will say, "Woe unto me! Would that I were (mere) dust! " 6

This is evidence that there will be Judgment between the animals and the human being to such an

extent that if a person unjustly beat an animal, or made it thirsty, prevented it food, or burdened it with that

which is beyond its capacity, it will retaliate against him on the Day of Judgment in an equal way. To

support this, we have the following evidence from the two Sahihs: Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased

with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"A woman was tortured for a cat she imprisoned until it died. She went to Hell because of it, having

neither fed it nor watered it, for she confined it and would not let it go to forage on the small creatures of

In Sahih Al-Bukhari, it is reported that,

"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw (in his dream) a woman hanged in the Hell and a cat scratching her

face and breast and torturing her as she tortured it in worldly life by imprisoning it and preventing it the

This is applied to all kinds of animals. By the same token, the one who burdens the animals with that

which beyond their capacity, they will retaliate against him on the Day of Judgment. In Sahih Al Al-Bukhari, it

is reported that, "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"Once there was a man driving a cow, he mounted it and beat it. Consequently, it said, "We have not been

created for this, but for ploughing." 3

This is a cow and Allah caused it to speak to defend itself against oppression or to be used for

something contrary to that for which it was created. Therefore, whoever unjustly burdens an animal with

something beyond its ability, it will retaliate from him on the Day of Judgment in an equal way.

Abu Sulaiman AI-Darani said, "Once I mounted a donkey and I beat it twice or thrice. Consequently it

raised its head and said, "O Abu Sulaiman, there will be a retaliation on the Day of Judgment. So, belittle or

do it more, as you like! Abu Sulaiman said, I will never beat anything again.

Once' Abdullah Ibn 'Umar passed by a group of boys from Quraish who used a bird as a target and

shot at him. They made every false shoot for its owner. Upon seeing Ibn 'Umar, they run away. Ibn 'Umar

said, who did that? May Allah curse the one who did that?

"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) cursed the one who takes anything possessing life as a target." 4

"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) forbade that animals be imprisoned for killing." 5

Even with what the Shariah allowed us to kill from animals, such as scorpions, snakes, mice and

vicious dogs, "We are ordered to take their lives at once and should not torture them. The Messenger of Al-

"If killing is to be done, do it in the best manner, and when you slaughter, do it in the best manner by first

sharpening the knife and putting the animal at ease." 1

Likewise, the animals should not be burned by fire. In an authenticated hadith, the Messenger of Allah,

(pbuh) is reported to have said,

"Previously I ordered you to burn so and so with fire. Since there is no one who could torture with fire

except Allah, if you found them, kill them (and do not burn them)." 2

"Once we went out with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) on a journey. He was engaged in fulfilling some of

his needs. We saw a sparrow with its two children. We took its children and thereupon, it started to shout.

The Prophet (pbuh) came and said, "Who made this sparrow grieve for its children? Return it's (children

back to it). Likewise, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked us about a co long of ant's which we burnt. And

he said, "Who burned this colong?' We replied, "It was us." The Prophet (pbuh) said, "No one should

torture anything with fire except its Lord." 3

This is evidence that it is not allowed to kill or torture with fire even a lice, fleas or otherwise. It is also

forbidden to kill any animal merely for sport. The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"If someone kills a sparrow for sport, the sparrow will cry out on the Day of Judgment, a Lord!. Ask this

person why he killed me in vain and did not kill me for any useful purpose." 4

It is also detested to hunt birds during the period when they hatch their eggs or slaughtering an animal

before its mother. Ibrahim Ibn Adham (may Allah bestow mercy upon him) reported,

"Once a man slaughtered a calf before its mother. Thereupon Allah caused his hand to become paralyzed."

It is also highly recommended to free a slave, whether male or female. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be

pleased with him) said, "The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"Whoever frees a believing slave girl, Allah will, with every organ of hers, free his organs from the Hell-

Fire, even her private parts will be an expiation for his." 5

Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported the Prophet (pbuh) saying,