Animals in Egypt

Animals in Islam

by Al-Hafiz B.A. Masri The material in these sections is from the book Animals in Islam, written by the late Al-Hafiz B.A. Masri, the first Sunni Imam of the Shah Jehan mosque (Woking, U.K.) when it was the Islamic center of Europe. He was widely respected for the depth of his scholarship in this field. (An Imam is a scholar who has studied the Koran and memorized it in its entirety.) Among the sources quoted in this book are the Qur'an Majeed, the first source of Islamic law (Shari'ah); Hadith or Tradition, the second source; and Ijtihad, inference by analogy, the third source. Together, these three sources make up Islamic case law or "Juristic Rules" (qwdidatul-fiqhiyah) that are the guidelines to be followed for any legal question. Many issues relating to animals, such as vivisection, factory farming, and animal rights did not exist 14 centuries ago and, therefore, no specific laws were passed about them. To decide on issues developed in recent times, Islamic Jurisprudence (fiqh) has left it to Muslim Jurists (fuqaha'a) to use their judgment by inference and analogy, based on the three above-mentioned sources. The following topics are discussed: Section One Animals in Islam Dominion Over Animals Animals Are Our Teachers Animals Are Members of Communities & Family of God Human/Animal Communication Animals Have Consciousness Animals and Humans Must Share Natural Resources Section Two Is Animal Suffering Fate (Allah's Will) or Fault of Humans? Experimentation on Animals Fur and Other Uses of Animals Animal Fights Section Three Factory Farming Vegetarianism Slaughter of Animals Used for Food Section Four Providing for Animals Used to Carry Heavy Loads Cruelty to Animals Animal Sacrifice Section Five The Importance of Respecting the Balance of Nature The Importance of Conserving Nature Blood Sports Military Research, Including Wound Labs Animals in War Animals in Islam