Affection For Tame Animals

TO TREAT TAME (DOMESTIC) ANIMALS KINDLY

Affection and mercy are the biggest qualities of our Great Prophet (a.s.v.).

“Vema ersalnake illa rahmeten lil alemin- I sent you forth but as a Blessing to mankind.” (Al-Anbiyah, 107)

“Vetevasevbi’sabri vetavasevbi’I merhameh- O Muhammad! Enjoin to be patient and to be merciful!” (Al-Balad, 17)

Animals are also a creature of God. The Great Yunus said:

“Forgive (tolerate) the created!

For the sake of the Creator!”

How true, how meaningful and important it is…

Allah, the Lord of the Universe is the Administrator and the Creator of the worlds. There is no other creator and administrator except Him. He is our sole God, who is very compassionate and merciful.

“Ve Rahmeti vasiat külli şey’in-My mercy really encompasses all things.” (Al-A’raf, 156)

“My compassion surpasses My anger.” (1)

“Curb your anger and forgive your fellowmen!” (Al-İmran, 134)

“Huzi’l afve- Forgive!” (Al-A’raf, 199)

The above commandments of God show us how compassionate, kind, merciful the God and Hz. Muhammad (a.s.v.) are.

     Animals also have a living quality. Tame animals should not be hurt, they should be protected and treated kindly, as they do not have any conscious or reason and they may have many faults due to it.

Man should oversee their mistakes and not treat them cruelly because we are the human beings who bear the holy spirit of God. They will naturally have faults as they are simple and coarse compared to men.

Men should caress tame animals that are looked after by people and not hurt them, as he loves all the living beings. We should protect and take care of them because God is pleased with the man who behaves in this way and His Prophet (a.s.v.) helps and prays for that person.

“One who has compassion for others is entitled for compassion; one who has not compassion for others is not entitled for compassion!” (2)

A saint of God asked: “O Lord! Show me a servant of You who is destined for Heaven and another who is destined for Hell!

God said that such and such woman was destined for Hell and that saint went to see her. He was very astonished when he saw that the woman God mentioned was a chaste housewife, who obeyed all the requirements of religion, and he asked the reason of it:

“O Lord! Why is this chaste woman who performs her ritual prayer is destined for Hell?”

God said: “What you say is true, but one day, that woman was cutting meat into pieces and a cat was trying to take it away. She was getting angry as the cat was walking around. She tied the cat around a post and did not give it any meat. She cooked the meat after she cut it into pieces and ate it in front of the cat. The poor animal died from hunger and this made Me very sorry. I made that woman deserve to Hell. (3)

The Saint of God asked Him which servant was destined for the Paradise (Heaven) and God told him who she was, so he went to the place where she lived but he was very surprised when he saw her that she was a prostitute and asked God the reason of it.

God said to him: “This servant of mine really obeyed her womanly self and became a prostitute for several reasons, but; on a hot summer day, she saw a very thirsty dog passing by her house staggering as its tongue was out of its mouth. She had pity on this thirsty animal, brought a bucket of water, and had it drunk and revealed its thirstiness. This made Me pleased as a God and I made this servant of Mine deserve for Heaven.” (4)

This is a very meaningful tradition that we must think over and know what makes our God pleased and how merciful He is. God does not like pitiless and cruel people although they are pious but He likes those who are compassionate and merciful although they commit sin and they are in a wrong way.

The great personalities of Islam, who are the heirs of the very merciful Prophet Hz. Muhammad (a.s.v.), Hz. Jesus, Hz. Abraham and all the Prophets that are the mystics of God and believe in Allah and Hz. Muhammad (a.s.v.), are very compassionate and merciful. They do not hurt anybody and any living being including domestic animals.

Nesimi, who is one of the great Personalities of Islam, says:

“Let you be not hurt by anybody,

and let nobody is hurt by you!”

“This is the real Islam and humanity!

TO PAY ATTENTION TO TREES

Islam pays great importance to the care and protection of trees. The importance of planting, growing and protecting trees is stated clearly and advised people.

Trees are the decorations and rejoice of the world. They affect the climate of the region where they grow. They prevent several natural disasters, incite rain and give coolness. Especially the trees with fruit are a gift of God. Various kinds of fruits and their juice give remedy to humankind. They have numerous benefits. Other trees in a forest are the natural wealth of a country. They make the world beautiful, and contribute the national income and provide the need of a country’s wood supply.

In addition to this, several hunting animals live in these forests. People get benefit from the meat and skin of these animals so the forests have various benefits for men and for a country.

Planting trees, growing them and protecting the grown up trees are the commands of Islam. Growing a tree resembles bringing up a child, and it needs care and it is useful as a child.

God gave the living quality to trees too. They are also organic substances. Trees prostrate before God by always curling down (twisting) towards ground. Each leaf and cell of them declares the praises of God and believes God to be free from defect. In Islam, planting trees, growing and taking care of them is accepted a kind of worship. (5)

Muslims plant trees at the head of the tombs of their dead relatives because trees praise and remember God.

Thousands of birds that remember God fly on these trees and make a nest. They chirp up with their sweet voices and increase the joy of life.

(5) Our Great Prophet (a.s.v.) said: “Whoever plants a tree, then whatever is eaten from it by a living being among the creatures of God is written as a charity on his behalf.” (Feyzü’l Kadir, vol.6, p.184)

Hz. Sayyid Ahmed al Rufai from Basra, a great scholar of Sufism and one of the descendants of Hz. Husayn, once got ill. A few days before his death, his students wanted his son to represent him in order to fill his place. Hz. Rufai said: “Let me think about it!” They repeated their request a few days later so he called his son:

“My son! I am ill, so take this bag and pick up such and such flowers and bring them to me because I will make medicine!”

His respectable son went to fields and picked up the flowers he said on his request and brought them to his father.

Meanwhile Sayyid Ahmed el Rufai Hazretleri (k.s.) called his sister’s son, his spiritual student Sayyid Hasan-ı Rufai Hazretleri near him:

“My nephew, Hasan! I am ill, take this bag, go to fields and pick up such and such flowers and bring them to me because I am ill and I will make medicine.”

Hz. Sayyid Hasan said: “with pleasure, my uncle!” and went to fields taking the bags with him but after walking for a long time he came back to his Master and his uncle Sayyid Ahmed er Rufai Hazretleri with empty bags.

The other students were also near his respectable uncle when he arrived. When his uncle saw the empty bags, he asked: “Hasan, I told you to bring me such and such flowers, why did you not keep my order?”

Then, he said to his dear Master and uncle Rufai Hazretleri:

“My dear and respectable uncle! Let me sacrifice my life to your orders and to your pure person! I went to fields as you ordered. When I leaned over the flowers to pick them up, I heard them praising and reciting the Lord of the Universe saying“Sübhanallah-Praise be to God!” so I could not pick them up. I couldn’t dare to pick them up because I feared God.”

Then, Sayyid Ahmed er Rufai Hazretleri (r.a.), who knew Allah Hu very well, the descendant of Hz. Muhammad (a.s.v.), the heir of his spiritual knowledge and his good manners, the great Saint said to his students who wanted his son to represent him:

“Here is my representative and my spiritual heir who will be your master after me and who will train you! He is the well-educated and perfect Man, my nephew Hasan!”

This narrative is very important and teaching. It is understood what kind of qualities a Perfect man attains and how the plants and trees praise, recite and remember Allah. God said:

“Yusebbihu lehu mafissemavati ve’l ard- All that is in Heaven and earth gives glory to God. (All things know that God is free from defect and they exalt and praise Him.)” (Hashr, 24)

“Sübhanehu-Glory be to Him! (The Most Holy)” (Al-An’am, 100)

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(1) Buhari, Tevhid, 55

Thirmizi, vol.5, pp. 548-550

(2) Our Great Prophet (a.s.v.) said: “HAVE MERCY FOR THE DWELLERS IN THE WORLD SO THAT THE PEOPLE OF HEAVENS WILL HAVE MERCY FOR YOU!” (From Teberani, Camiussağir, Hakim, 500)

(3) From İbn Omar (r.a) as a hadith, Suyuti, Camiussağir, vol.2, p.318 trans. By A. Aydın, İst. 1977

The Inspirations From The Existence

Affection For Tame Animals