Story Mercy towards animals

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In the Arabia of Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ time, some young men had taken to practicing archery or stone-slinging by aiming at living animals, sometimes tethered so they could not escape. This cruel pastime, unremarkable in the eyes of many, would nevertheless receive clear and final condemnation from Islam.

A bird tethered as a target

It is reported in an authentic hadith transmitted by Imam Muslim that the Companion Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) once passed by a group of Quraysh youths who had tethered a bird and were practicing shooting arrows at it, with whoever missed giving an arrow to the bird's owner. Upon seeing them do this, the young men scattered at once, frightened by Ibn 'Umar's presence. He then declared to them firmly: "Who did this? The curse of Allah be upon whoever did this! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ cursed whoever takes a living being as a target."

This was not mere personal disapproval: Ibn 'Umar was transmitting directly a teaching of the Prophet ﷺ himself. This hadith, reported in Sahih Muslim, thus established a clear prohibition: it is not permissible to turn a living animal into an object of entertainment for practicing marksmanship, regardless of the weapon used.

Why such firmness?

This prohibition fits within a broader principle of Islam: animals are Allah's creatures who feel pain and fear, and their lives cannot be sacrificed for mere pleasure or training. Unlike hunting for food, which obeys precise rules, or ritual slaughter, which demands swiftness and compassion toward the animal, targeting a living animal solely for practice serves no necessity: it is neither for sustenance nor for self-defense, but only for amusement, at the cost of suffering to a sentient being.

It is also reported in another hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari that the Prophet ﷺ forbade the mutilation of animals or using them as living targets (al-muthla), reminding that every creature possesses a dignity of its own, even when, in other circumstances, it is destined for human consumption.

A universal lesson

This prophetic tradition teaches that mercy extends beyond human relations: it reaches every sentient life. In firmly condemning a practice that seemed harmless to some at the time, Islam establishes a timeless principle: one does not toy with the suffering of a living being, however small.

Ibn 'Umar's response also shows the importance, for every Muslim, of speaking up for what is right when witnessing injustice, even toward an animal, and of faithfully passing on the Prophet's ﷺ teaching to future generations.

Today still, this teaching calls each person to vigilance: reject all gratuitous cruelty toward animals, whether in games, pastimes, or entrenched habits, and remember that every creature, from the smallest bird to the largest animal, deserves respect and gentleness. Kindness toward living beings is not a secondary matter in faith, but a true sign of an upright heart.