Since Almighty God (ALLAH) is the absolute and the sole master of men and the universe, He is the sovereign Lord, the Sustainer and Nourisher, the most Merciful, whose mercy enshrines all beings; and since He has given each man human dignity and honor, and breathed into him of His own spirit, it follows that, united in Him and through Him, and apart from their other human attributes, men are substantially the same and no tangible and actual distinction can be made among them, on account of their accidental differences such as nationality, color or race.

Every human being is thereby related to all others and all become one community of brotherhood in their honorable and pleasant servitude to the most compassionate Lord of the Universe. In such a heavenly atmosphere the Islamic confession of the oneness of God stands dominant and central, and necessarily entails the concept of the oneness of humanity and the brotherhood of mankind. The Holy Quran states: "And among His (God's) Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Surely, in that are signs for people of sound knowledge."  - {The Qur'an 30:22}

Although an Islamic state may be set up in any part of the earth, Islam does not seek to restrict human rights or privileges to the geographical limits of its own state. Islam has laid down some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to be observed and respected under all circumstances whether such a person is resident within the territory of the Islamic state or outside it, whether he is at peace or at war. The Quran very clearly states: "O believers, be you securers of justice, witness for God. Let not detestation for a people move you not to be equitable; be equitable - that is nearer to Piety and God-fearing."(5:8)

Human blood is sacred in any case and cannot be spilled without justification. And if anyone violates this sanctity of human blood by killing a soul without justification, the Quran equates it to the killing of entire mankind. "...Whosoever slays a soul not to retaliate for a soul slain, nor for corruption done in the land, should be as if he had slain mankind altogether." (5:32)

As Almighty God’s vicegerents on earth (Khalifah tullah) It is not permissible to oppress and abuse women, children, old people, the sick or the animals. Women's honour and chastity are to be respected under all circumstances. The hungry person must be fed, the naked clothed and the wounded or diseased treated medically, and animals to be properly fed nurtured and cared for, irrespective of whether they belong to the Islamic community or are from among its enemies.

The Holy Quran states: "The heavens and the earth are full of proofs for the believers. Also in your creation, and the creation of all the animals, there are proofs for people who are certain." (45:3-4) And"Among His proofs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the creatures He spreads in them. He is able to summon them, when He wills." (42:29)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) not only preached to the people to show kindness to each other but also to all living souls especially the animals.

He forbade the practice of cutting tails and manes of horses, of branding animals at any soft spot, and of keeping horses saddled unnecessarily (Muslim, Sahih Muslim).

If he saw any animal over-loaded or ill fed he would pull up the owner and say, "Fear Allah in your treatment of animals." (Abu Dawud, Kitab Jihad).

A companion came to him with the young ones of a bird in his sheet and said that the mother bird had hovered over them all along. He was directed to replace her offspring in the same bush (Mishkat, Abu Dawud)

During a journey, somebody picked up some birds eggs. The bird's painful note and fluttering attracted the attention of the Prophet (pbuh), who asked the man to replace the eggs (Bukhari, Sahih Bukhari).

As his army marched towards Makkah to conquer it, they passed a female dog with puppies. The Prophet (pbuh) not only gave orders that they should not be disturbed, but posted a man to see that this was done.

He stated, "Verily, there is heavenly reward for every act of kindness done to a living animal."

With regard to the slaughtering of animals this is a precise procedure in Islam because of the need to ensure clean and healthy meat. The animal is killed by cutting the windpipe, the gullet and the jugular vein so that as much blood as possible will be released from the animal before it is completely dead. The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him): said: "Almighty Allah (God) calls for mercy in everything, so be merciful when you kill and when you slaughter, sharpen your blade to relieve it's pain".

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) insisted that a sharp object must be used to inflict a precise cut, so that the animals need not suffer unnecessarily. The original stipulation was that the instrument was not to be made of nails, teeth or bones, which do not hold an edge. The knife should be cleaned after every killing, or different knives should be used. The Prophet's concern that animals should not suffer needlessly outlaws the practice of some modern butchers of putting an animal into boiling water, after its throat has been cut but while it is still alive.

The animal that is being slaughtered is made to face the direction of Mecca, which is the physical centre of Islam and the point to which every Muslim faces during prayer. After the cut has been made, the animal must be rested until it dies. Animals that are sedated or made unconscious by injections or electrical shocks can be slaughtered legitimately, as long as it is clear that they die through the butcher's knife, and not the injections or shocks.

Animal experimentation is a relatively new development resulting from the advancement of medical and clinical research. Such cruel practices as we see today did not exist at the time of the Prophet (saw.) and an Islamic response to this question has, therefore, to be based upon inference and analogy.

In pre-Islamic times, it was acceptable in some communities to sever certain parts of the animal while it was still alive. This was common with camels, which would have parts of their humps cut off, and also with some species of sheep which would have their tails removed for the fat. These parts of the animals were eaten while the animal remained alive for future use.

The Shari'ah ruled that these parts of the animal were religiously unclean and, therefore, could not be eaten. This led to a virtual abandoning of such practices since they could no longer serve any useful purpose.

Looking after the welfare of animals became one of the signs of compassion, mercy and good Islamic behaviour.

In one Hadith, the Prophet said, "A woman was thrown into the hellfire on account of caging a cat and depriving it of food and water; she neither fed it nor let it free to fend for itself."

In another statement, he mentioned the case of a prostitute who was traveling in the desert. When she felt thirsty, she extracted water from a well only to find a dog nearby lolling out its tongue with thirst. She 'said to herself "Surely this dog is suffering from thirst as I was." She took off one shoe and went back down the well and filled the shoe with water, which she gave to the dog. Allah forgave her all her sins for her compassion.

One companion enquired; "Are we to be rewarded by God for such small kindness towards animals?" The Prophet (saw.) replied, "For every act of kindness to a living creature, there is a reward from God."

This is the general Islamic attitude towards the welfare of animals. However, God has allowed us to make use of animals to fulfill our needs. In Chapter 16 of the Holy Qur'an, a number of verses mention the many uses of animals: "God created cattle for you; (you find) in them warmth, numerous benefits, and from them you eat." (Verse 5)

"And surely in the cattle there is a lesson for you. We give you to drink from what is inside their bodies, coming from a conjunction between the contents of the intestine and the blood. We produce for you a milk, pure and pleasant for those who drink it." (Verse 66)

We may therefore, make use of animals for our needs but while doing so we should not inflict unnecessary suffering. There are many statements of the Prophet (saw.) to that effect. In explaining the saying, "Allah has prescribed compassion for everything. Thus if you kill, kill mercifully and if you slaughter, slaughter mercifully - let each one of you sharpen his knife and let him spare suffering to the animal he slaughters",

Muslim scholars have quoted other related Ahadith forbidding Muslims from using live creatures as targets for sports. In another statement, "the Prophet (saw.) Condemned killing animals for fun." -- In the light of these two principles, i.e. making use of animals for our needs but not inflicting unnecessary suffering, we can consider the developments in animal experimentation.

1. If such experiments are designed to discover the effect of a new drug for curing diseases in humans, they are acceptable.

2. If the aim is to discover if a particular disease afflicting animals, e.g. to check whether some diseases are transferable from animals to humans, and then it is acceptable.

3. If the experiment is part of scientific research, which is for the general benefit of humanity in an area where it is absolutely necessary, then it is also acceptable.

4. If experiments are done out of curiosity for no apparent benefit, then they are unacceptable.

5. Experiments to test cosmetics, beautification products and for other such purposes are also unacceptable.

Experiments should not be the cause of unnecessary pain. Any method that lessens the pain should be taken when it is absolutely necessary to carry out any experiment, which is painful. If it is more humane to put the animal to sleep after the experiment, then this should be carried out if regaining consciousness is not necessary for completing the experiment. No disfigurement should be inflicted if there is no need for it. If however, there is a need, and disfigurement does not result in the loss of an important limb and does not hinder the animal's ability to look after itself, then there is no harm.

But it has to be stressed that animals are not playthings for us to use as we please. Allah has given us permission to make use of them for our needs, but this permission is conditional upon our being merciful and considerate. Any violation of this is an act of transgression and willful sin. --- May Allah guide us to the right way.

Animal abuse is painful to see and difficult to deal with, no matter what the circumstances. To an animal lover, watching or even hearing about a pet as the victim of human cruelty breaks one’s heart. Why must people prey on harmless beings who cannot defend themselves? Appallingly, recent studies into animal abuse have revealed an even more horrific trend: a correlation between animal abuse and human abuse. . In fact, animal abuse can be a signal that children are being mistreated as well. As a community, we owe it to our children to be alert for signs of violence toward pets and other creatures.  Signs of animal abuse and neglect include malnutrition, scars and open wounds, a filthy environment and lack of shelter.

Violent acts toward animals have long been recognized as indicators of a violent psychopathology that does not confine itself to animals. "Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives," wrote humanitarian Albert Schweitzer.  Psychologists now believe that a tendency toward animal cruelty during one’s youth can lead to a tendency toward domestic violence as an adult.

It's high time that sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, criminologists, education authorities and of course, parents, teamed up to study the connection between cruelty to animals and social problems. A neglected child or one with low self-esteem is likely to take it out on those weaker than himself. He may start off as the victim himself, probably being unloved, misunderstood or abused at home - but not necessarily within a financially poor family because a well-off family may give their child expensive toys but no love or proper supervision, perhaps leaving him with a maid instead. Are his bullying tendencies against animals or weaker children ignored as mere "mischief" which he will grow out of? How is he being treated and how will he grow up? WHO WILL BE HIS NEXT VICTIM?

Studies have also shown that humane education - education that helps children develop empathy respect and compassion for animals - later generalizes into humane attitudes toward people. Fostering positive attitudes and behavior toward animals contributes to the development of a more humane society and an improved quality of life for all living beings.

Imam. M.N. SALIE.

SHORT Paper presented at "The 1999. Parliament of the world’s religions: 2^nd.December. Cape town