One day, the Prophet ﷺ discovered a bird deprived of part of its body, left alive to serve as a target. His indignation gave rise to one of the clearest rules in Islamic tradition regarding the respect owed to animals.
In Arab society before the advent of Islam, certain cruel practices toward animals were common, notably the habit of keeping a living animal tethered to use it as a target for shooting, or cutting off its limbs while it still breathed. It was in this context that hadiths report the firm intervention of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to put an end to such acts.
The incident of the mutilated bird
It is reported, according to an authentic hadith, that the Prophet ﷺ one day passed by a group of people who had tethered a living animal and were practicing target shooting on it. Seeing this, he strongly disapproved of this practice and forbade using a living being as a target, whether a bird or any other animal. This account appears among the hadiths reported in Sahih Muslim, where it is mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ cursed whoever uses a living being as a target for shooting.
In another hadith reported by Sahih al-Bukhari, it is related that Ibn 'Umar, passing by young people who had tethered a hen and were shooting arrows at it, was deeply indignant and recalled that the Prophet ﷺ had cursed whoever acted thus toward a living animal, specifying that this was a form of mutilation (muthla) formally condemned.
A general prohibition on mutilation
Beyond this specific episode, several hadiths establish in general terms the prohibition of mutilation, whether concerning human beings or animals. It is reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that the Prophet ﷺ forbade the mutilation (al-muthla) of any living creature. This rule also applied to the slaughter of animals for food: it was required that the blade be well sharpened and that unnecessary suffering to the animal be avoided, as reported in a hadith from Sahih Muslim in which the Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah has prescribed kindness (ihsan) in all things. If you kill, kill well; if you slaughter, slaughter well. Let one of you sharpen his blade and spare suffering to the animal he slaughters."
These teachings show that Islam established, from its very beginning, clear limits concerning the way animals are treated, even in situations where their death is permissible, such as for food. Suffering inflicted without necessity, cruel entertainment, or gratuitous mutilation are clearly disapproved of by these texts.
A timeless lesson
These hadiths are not limited to a historical anecdote: they set forth an enduring moral principle. Respect for animal life, even when its use is lawful, requires an attitude of restraint, compassion, and responsibility. The companions of the Prophet ﷺ, such as Ibn 'Umar, themselves took care to transmit and uphold this teaching after the Prophet's ﷺ passing, showing how seriously this rule was taken in the nascent community.
This tradition reminds us that kindness toward animals is not a secondary option, but a profound ethical requirement. Whether it is a bird, poultry, or any other living creature, every creature deserves to be treated with regard and without unnecessary cruelty. By retaining this teaching, we are invited, even today, to cast an attentive and gentle eye on the animals around us, and to refuse any form of suffering that would not be strictly necessary.
