Animals in Islam: a Brief Review Seyyed HASSAn ESlAmi AfdAkAni @orn 1960) is an lranian ethicist and theologian. He stttdied Islamic philosophy, theology, andjurisprudence at Qom, Iran, Seminary, and philosophy ofreligion dt the State University ofQom. Currently, he is Associate Professor ofPhilosophy ofReligion and Ethics at the University ofReligions and Denominations. He is specialized in Islamic theology and applied ethics and has authored many articles and some books in these areas, including <Human Cloning in Catholic and Islamic Perspectivesr (2007), <The Ethics of Criticism> (2003) and <On Expedient Lies: Meaning and Examples> (2003). ffihe topic of animals, their status, importance, and I usefulness, are discussed in various Islamic texts, such as the Quran, the Hadith (or prophetic tradition), lslamic Fiqh (or jurisprudence), ethical and mystical texts, philosophical texts, and works ofliterature. I can- not discuss the whole issue here, so I will be selective and confine myself to some areas of this broad subject in Islamic thinking, beginning from the Quran as the most important text in Islamic thought. Animals in the Quran The Quran mentions animals in different ways and various contexts. To be specific, I will refer to some of the Quranic views on animals. From the Quranic view- point, all animals are created by Allah, for some goal. So, no animal should be counted useless and meaning- less. In fact, all animals, like humans, have purposeful lives, judgement day, and resurection. According to the Quran: There is not a moving creature on earth, nor a bird that.fiies with its trvo t4)ings, btrt are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book, then to their Lord they shall be gathered. (Surah 6. Al-An'am: 3B) Based on the Quranic world view, all creatures, from the simplest to the most sophisticated animals or hu- man-animals, are created to fulfll some purpose. So, the- re is nothing <vain> in the world. All creatures are signs of fine and wise design in the universe, and asserting this view the Quran asks: Do they not look at the camels, how they are created? (Surah 88. Al-Ghas hiyah : 1 7) Al1 animals are intelligent to some degree and can reason properly. Furthermore, some ofthem think about SGMOIK Bulletin 38 possible unconsciousness of humankind. For instance, when Solomon's anny entered the tenitory of the ants, one ofthe ants cried: O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Solaiman (Solomon) and his hosts should crush you, while they perceive not. (Surah 27. Al-Naml: I B) From the Quranic viewpoint, all animals worship God (Allah) and praise him in their la:rguages, even though we do not understand them. Yet, some special people have the privilege to appreciate and understand birds' language, or - according to the Quran - <Mantiq al-lair> (Sfirah 27. Al-Naml: 16). lndeed, Attar, the great Persian mystic and poet, borrowed the title of his masterpiece from the Quran. Some verses of the Quran narate conversations that occurred between humankind and animals, for example, there is a detailed conversa- tion between the prophet Solaiman (Solomon) and the hoopoe (Hodhod), his informer (Sfirah 27. Al-Naml: 20-28). Regarding verses concefiring animals, it seems that animals, in spite of some intellectual capaciry are subordinate to human beings. Humans seem to have the right to manipulate them according to Allah's com- mands. At the same time they have to treat animals in a human way. While this is the dominant interpretation of the Quranic verses, there is undoubtedly the possibility to give another, non-anthropocentric intetpretation. Animals in Islamic Law Islamic jurists (or Foqaha') try to deflne what is law- ful and what is forbidden in Islamic law, and prescri- be this for Muslims. So, they approach Islamic texts solely from a lega1 point of view. Having this ap- proach in mind, and due to the fact that Muslims are not allowed to eat flesh of all kinds of animals, the Muslim jurists attempt to answer mainly these questions: (1)