Animals as Entertainment According to Islam

Are circuses, zoos, and animal rides haram? What about other forms of animal entertainment?

Humans use animals for entertainment in many ways, from circuses, horse and camel rides, zoos, and animals in movies. Are they Islamic?

Humans Do Not Own Animals

Just as we don’t own the fruits that we farm, the water that we wash in, or the soil that we stand on, we don’t own the animals around us. Animals are part of Allah’s creation just as much as plants, trees, rocks, and humans are. All belong to Allah SWT and are a sign for those who believe.

Allah SWT subjected all of His creation to us so that we could take care of it as responsible stewards. Many Muslims misunderstand this principle and use it to justify their choices that exploit animals and the environment for pleasure or convenience.

He subjected the seas to us so does that mean we can pollute them with plastic because it’s more convenient than recycling? Can someone torture and kill an animal because they take pleasure in it? The point here is that we know these verses don’t allow us to do whatever we please with the planet and animals.

The Quran reminds us that Allah SWT has endowed us with the privilege and duty to care over all of His creation. This responsibility requires us to use only what is necessary for survival.

Most importantly, the Quran does not command or compel us to use animals for food, clothing, or transport—it only reminds us to do so in a halal way but also to be grateful that Allah gave us the ability to use them if we need to.

Animals are Believers

The Quran tells us that everything in the heavens and on Earth worships Allah, from trees to mountains to birds and other animals. All life is sacred, even if we don’t understand why as the Quran reminds us.

Animal Rides from an Islamic Perspective

Horseback and camel rides are common entertainment in many tourist destinations, however, the animals involved often endure harsh conditions, exhausting schedules, and inadequate care. Islam emphasizes compassion and mercy towards all of Allah’s creation, which stands in stark contrast to the suffering that animals endure for these rides.

In Petra, Jordan, donkeys, horses, and camels at famous tourist sites in the ancient city are frequently beaten, whipped, and forced to carrying tourists in extreme heat with little to no shade or water. [1] Investigations by animal protection organizations revealed handlers in Petra viciously beating exhausted animals with ropes, pipes, and rocks. Many of the animals had fly-infested, open wounds from chains and bridles. [2]

Meanwhile in Cairo and Giza, owners often beat their horses and camels, force them to haul tourists without food, water, or shade, and neglect severe injuries and bloody wounds. [3] Many of these animals simply collapse when they’re too exhausted to go on. In many of these situations, owners have been observed beating helpless animals on the ground in desperate attempts to force them to get up and go on. [4]

In American cities like New York City, horses are forced to pull heavy carriages in the middle of busy, crowded streets with cars and other loud noises around them. Stories of spooked or exhausted horses collapsing in city streets in New York City and elsewhere often cause widespread criticism of the horse-drawn carriage industry that its banned in numerous cities like Chicago.

Fear God in these mute animals, and ride them when they are fit to be ridden, and let them go free when … they (need to) rest.
Narrated by Abu Dawud

We are blessed with the ability to use animals for transport in times in which we have no other option such as in early Islamic periods in Arabia when caravans had to transport large amounts of items over long distances in harsh conditions. In contrast, nowadays we force animals to give us a ride for fun or convenience when we have technology that allows us to get around without them.

Photo Opportunities with Animals

Photo opportunities with captive animals, especially “exotic” species, seems like a popular pastime for tourists but the animals pay the price. Intelligent, sensitive, and complex animals like falcons, tigers, and bears are kept in captivity, deprived of their natural habitats, and subjected to stress, anxiety, and confusion caused by humans constantly handling them. Investigations in major tourist sites in Asia, America, and elsewhere have revealed that tigers, bears, and other exotic animals are drugged and sedated so that tourists can take photos with them. Tigers and other big cats often have their sensitive and important claws removed, a procedure that is akin to severing your fingers above the knuckle.

In places like Dubai, falcons are brought along on loud and hectic desert excursions so tourists can take pictures with them. During these trips, these magnificent birds are temporarily blinded with hoods to calm down and tethered to their owner, unable to fulfill their God-given urge to fly. Photo opportunities with captive animals are completely unnecessary and simply an act of extravagance.

Are Circuses Haram?

No animal naturally or willingly balances on a ball, jumps through fire, dances, or parades in a line. Circuses that use animals often employ cruel and abusive training methods such as coercion, punishment, and confinement, leading to immense physical and psychological suffering for the animals involved. We already know that animal cruelty is not Islamic and that the Prophet himself condemned many different practices in his time such as cutting, maiming, and branding animals because they are cruel. The stress, physical abuse, and unnatural living conditions animals used for circuses endure are at odds with Islamic principles.

References

[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42692743
[2] https://investigations.peta.org/fly-infested-wounds-on-animals-forced-to-carry-tourists-in-petra/
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/13/world/middleeast/egypt-pyramids-animal-abuse.html
[4] https://investigations.peta.org/egypt-working-animals