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The Prophet ﷺ Who Forbade Using Animals as Targets
One day, the Prophet ﷺ passed by a group of men who had tied up a bird and were practicing shooting at it. His reaction was immediate and unequivocal, leaving a valuable lesson on the respect owed to every living creature.
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One day, the Prophet ﷺ was walking along a path in Medina when he came upon a group of young men gathered around an animal. Drawing closer, he saw they had tied up a live chicken and were using it as a target for their shooting, amusing themselves by aiming at the poor creature immobilized before them.
The Prophet's ﷺ Anger at This Practice
Witnessing this scene, the Prophet ﷺ did not remain silent. He expressed his disapproval firmly and questioned those responsible for this act, asking who could have done such a thing to this creature. He then stated, according to what is reported in Sahih Muslim, that God curses whoever takes a living being as a target in such a manner. This firm word shows how grave this practice was considered in the eyes of Islam, for it inflicts needless suffering on a defenseless animal, unable to flee or protect itself.
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This hadith is reported in several similar formulations, all converging on the same principle: it is forbidden to immobilize an animal, whatever kind, to make it a target for training or entertainment. The suffering inflicted then has no justification, neither for food nor for any useful purpose; it amounts to sheer gratuitous cruelty, and this is precisely what the Prophet ﷺ condemned with the utmost severity.
A Broader Principle on Respect for Animals
This teaching is not limited to the anecdote of the tied-up chicken. It fits within a far larger body of prophetic traditions emphasizing the need to treat animals with gentleness, even when it comes to slaughtering them for food. It is reported in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet ﷺ also commanded to sharpen the blade well and to ease the animal's suffering at the moment of slaughter, so as to spare it any unnecessary pain. The common thread running through these teachings is clear: even in the face of necessity, mercy must always guide the behavior of the believer toward God's creatures.
It is also reported, in several compilations, that the Prophet ﷺ mentioned the fate of a woman punished for confining a cat without feeding it or allowing it to seek its own food, leaving it to die of hunger. This account, reported notably in Sahih al-Bukhari, completes the teaching on the prohibition of making an animal suffer for shooting: in either case, it is the creature's inability to defend itself or escape its fate that makes the act particularly condemnable.
These examples show that the prophetic tradition never separated faith from compassion toward the animal world. On the contrary, it made it a tangible measure of the believer's behavior, reminding us that man's strength and dominion over creatures gives him no right to inflict unnecessary suffering upon them.
This story invites us today to examine our own behavior toward the animals around us. Whether a domestic animal, a farm creature, or a wild being encountered by chance, respect for its life and concern for its well-being remain values deeply rooted in this teaching. Caring for animals, avoiding any act of gratuitous cruelty, and showing gentleness toward them are not mere options, but rather concrete marks of the mercy each believer is invited to cultivate each day.
