Animal rights is an important aspect of Islam. Read on to find out how. 

What Does “Animal Rights” Mean?

​"Animal rights" means that every animal has a basic right to live free from suffering or exploitation. Exploitation is when you use someone for your own benefit while not caring about what they need or want.
Animals don’t need equal rights or equal treatment—they simply deserve equal consideration of their needs and interests. This is similar to how children don't have every single right that an adult has but who do have equal consideration of their interests and needs.

​For example, a newborn child doesn’t have an interest in the right to vote but they do have an interest in the right to live free from pain or suffering or fear. Animal rights is the same way.​

Do Animals Have Rights According to Islam?

​Islam recognizes animal rights by teaching that animals should be treated with kindness and respect. 
​In Islam, it's important not to harm animals and to care for their needs. As Muslims, we believe that animals are a part of Allah's creation and should be treated well. This means not causing them unnecessary pain or suffering and caring for them properly. Islam teaches Muslims that being good to animals is part of being a good person.
​We believe that everyone is born with a natural sense of what is right and wrong, which is called "fitrah." It's like having a little inner voice that tells us what is good and what is not. 
​We also learn about right and wrong from the Quran, and from the teachings of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. These help guide our inner voice to make good choices and live a good life that pleases Allah SWT. 
​An example of something that we know is wrong is cruelty to animals. Animal cruelty means harming an animal unnecessarily. Islam teaches kindness to all living beings, and cruelty to animals goes against our fitrah and Islamic principles. 
​We learn to treat animals with compassion, which reflects our inherent understanding of right and wrong.

​Eating or wearing animals for convenience or pleasure, when it's not necessary for survival, is an example of cruelty. This is because it disregards the pain and suffering of animals and prioritizes human desires over the well-being of the animal.
​Also, many people around the world can be healthy and happy without using things made from animals. There are lots of food and clothes that don't come from animals, and using these helps avoid hurting animals.

All Animals are Important in Islam

​Islam teaches that all living beings in Allah’s creation are important, regardless of their species. In this way, speciesism conflicts with Islamic principles.
Speciesism is like when someone treats an animal worse than others just because they are a different species, such as someone who is kind to cats but mean to camels. Just because humans have a bigger duty to Allah SWT, can do more things than animals, or are smarter, it doesn't mean that we get to ignore animals’ needs or interests.
Islam teaches that being kind to every living being, big or small, is very important. 
It is even said that Allah SWT scolded a Prophet for killing an entire colony of ants, showing that even small creatures like ants are important and that speciesism does not please Allah SWT.

How Animals and Humans are Alike

​Allah SWT created animals like us in all the ways that matter: they can feel pain, fear, joy, and sadness. The Quran, in Surah 6:38, says that all animals belong to communities.
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
​This means that animals, like humans, form bonds, socialize, and care for each other. They have their own ways of living together, communicating, and helping each other, just like people do in their communities. 
This teaches us to recognize and respect the social nature and emotional lives of animals.
An example of this respect is a tradition where Prophet Muhammad PBUH confronted people who caused a mother bird to grieve for the loss of her young.

​He said: "Who grieved this for its young ones? Return its young ones to it." This example shows how we must be mindful of the feelings and social bonds of animals, respecting their emotional lives just as we would with other humans.

Animals Belong to Allah SWT, Not Humans

​Many verses in the Quran remind us that humans do not own anything on the Earth, which includes animals. 
To Allah ˹alone˺ belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth so that He may reward the evildoers according to what they did, and reward the good-doers with the finest reward.

​Quran 53:31
​Animals belong to Allah SWT and it is our duty as His viceregents to not only respect all creatures as part of His creation but to protect them from unnecessary harm and suffering as well. Muslims must consider animals' God-given needs and interests above our own desires.

How are Animals Treated in the World?

In the egg industry, it's common practice to cram several chickens together in a cage as small as a piece of paper where the birds are unable to move or fulfill any of their God-given needs and desires to nest, perch, and dustbathe. Meanwhile, birds raised for their flesh are packed by the thousands into windowless sheds where they are unable to stretch their wings or feel the sun on their backs. Birds who live this way often suffer from health issues due to the intense overcrowding and ammonia-filled air.
The dairy industry forces female animals to endure repeated pregnancies, since cows, goats, camels, and other mammals only produce milk after they give birth (like humans). Farmers must quickly take the mothers' babies away after birth so the babies don't drink the milk that the farmers intend to sell to humans.
In laboratories around the world, humans torture and kill mice, rabbits, monkeys, dogs, cats, and other animals for curiosity-driven medical experiments and chemical, drug, and product tests. Experiments on animals earn the experimenters big salaries but fail to produce relevant and applicable results for human health. 95% of drugs that prove safe and effective in animal tests fail in human trials due to their dangers or lack of effectiveness. 

​For example, the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) has acknowledged that 95% of drugs that prove safe and effective in animal tests fail in human trials due to their dangers or lack of effectiveness. Animals in laboratories spend their entire lives locked up in tiny cages unable to do anything but wait in fear of the next painful procedure that humans will perform on them.

​Meanwhile in classrooms worldwide, teachers force students to cut up and dissect frogs, cats, and other animals to learn about their bodies instead of using modern, synthetic models or advanced computer programs.

​Humans use fear and pain to force wild animals like primates, big cats, bears, and more to perform unnatural tricks and behaviors in circuses, movies and television, and roadside zoos. Camels, horses, and other animals are forced to carry tourists on their backs or pull carriages in the sweltering sun often without water, shade, or rest at tourist attractions around the world.
For many people around the world, it is entirely possible to live a healthy, happy, and pious lifestyle without causing harm to animals.
As Muslims who are committed to justice and kindness, isn't it our obligation to consider how our daily actions cause harm to Allah's creation?
And do good, for Allah certainly loves the good-doers.
Quran 2:195

Easy Ways that Muslims Can Do Good for Animals

Eat Plant-Based Meals: ​Meals made from plants can fulfill all of our nutritional needs and satisfy our desires. Plant-based foods are rich in protein, fiber, and essential nutrients necessary for our well-being. Chickpeas, lentils, beans, rice, legumes, nuts, seeds, nd soya are all examples of plant-based proteins that many of us already consume. 
Wear Cruelty-Free Materials: Opt for clothing, shoes, and accessories made from plant-based or synthetics materials such as organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, and leather made from pineapple and other fruit leaves. Never purchase fur, leather, wool or other animal-derived materials. 
Use Cruelty-Free Products: Never buy cosmetics, cleaners, or any other consumer product that was tested on animals. Look for labels such as "vegan" or "cruelty-free" on cosmetics, personal care items, and household products.
Choose Animal-Free Entertainment: Enjoy movies and television shows that use CGI and other technology instead of real animals. Visit legitimate animal sanctuaries instead of roadside zoos, marine parks, and circuses. Never pay for rides or pictures with camels, horses, and other animals at tourist traps.
Oppose Animal Experiments: It has been shown that more than 90% of basic research, mostly involving animals fails to lead to treatments for humans and more than 95% of new drugs that test safe in animals, fail in human trials. A variety of alternative methods to animal testing exist, including in vitro models such as cell cultures and tissues, microdosing, organ-on-a-chip technology, computer modeling, human-based clinical studies, and advanced imaging techniques. Support organizations and institutions that utilize or invest in alternatives to animal experiments. Urge your government to use taxpayer funds for experiments that do not involve animals. 
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A man felt very thirsty while he was on the way, there he came across a well. He went down the well, quenched his thirst and came out. Meanwhile he saw a dog panting and licking mud because of excessive thirst. He said to himself, "This dog is suffering from thirst as I did." So, he went down the well again and filled his shoe with water and watered it. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him. The people said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals?" He replied: "Yes, there is a reward for serving any animate (living being)."  

Sahih al-Bukhari 2466