The Soil · About Submission

Pets & Animals

Every creature glorifies God. We are still learning how.

All the creatures on earth, and all the birds that fly with wings, are communities like you. We did not leave anything out of this book. To their Lord, all these creatures will be summoned.

[6:38]

It would be easy to think of animals as a light subject, tucked between the serious ones. The Quran does not treat them that way.

God names many creatures in His book. He describes them, uses them as signs, and sometimes builds a whole lesson around one of them. When a creature appears in the Quran, there is something to learn from it.

And there is a second reason for this page. Millions of us share our homes with animals. It helps to know what God says about them, and about the care we owe them.

Communities Like Us

God tells us what animals are, in one short verse: “All the creatures on earth, and all the birds that fly with wings, are communities like you. We did not leave anything out of this book. To their Lord, all these creatures will be summoned.” [6:38]

Communities like you. They are not just things around us. They live together, like we do, and they will be summoned to the same Lord we will. The translation's heading over this verse is ‘Animals and Birds: Submitting Creatures’.

They Already Submit

The footnote in this translation to 6:38 says that animals were among the creatures who took advantage of God's offer to repent after they had taken part in the first sin. Another footnote, on 33:72, says that the animals, the trees, the stars and others ‘took advantage of this most gracious offer’. The human being accepted the responsibility.

So animals do not have to be persuaded to be what they were made to be. God says: “Do you not realize that everyone in the heavens and the earth glorifies GOD, even the birds as they fly in a column? Each knows its prayer and its glorification. GOD is fully aware of everything they do.” [24:41]

Each one knows its prayer. We are the ones still learning ours.

Signs For Those Who Look

God keeps pointing at animals and asking us to look: “Also in your creation, and the creation of all the animals, there are proofs for people who are certain.” [45:4]

Look at the birds, He says: “Have they not seen the birds above them lined up in columns and spreading their wings? The Most Gracious is the One who holds them in the air.” [67:19] Look at the camel: “Why do they not reflect on the camels and how they are created?” [88:17]

And He takes care of every one of them: “There is not a creature on earth whose provision is not guaranteed by GOD. And He knows its course and its final destiny.” [11:6] That includes every one of us.

Questions About Animals and God

Do animals have any standing before God?

Yes. More than many of us think. God says: “All the creatures on earth, and all the birds that fly with wings, are communities like you. We did not leave anything out of this book. To their Lord, all these creatures will be summoned.” [6:38] Communities like us. And they will be summoned to their Lord. God also guarantees their food, and knows each one's path: “There is not a creature on earth whose provision is not guaranteed by GOD. And He knows its course and its final destiny.” [11:6] What God does not tell us is exactly what awaits them. So we do not fill that in. But God made them communities like us, He guarantees their provision, and He will summon them. That is how much they matter.

Do animals worship God?

Yes, in their own way. God tells us that they glorify Him and prostrate to Him. He says: “Do you not realize that everyone in the heavens and the earth glorifies GOD, even the birds as they fly in a column? Each knows its prayer and its glorification.” [24:41] And: “To GOD prostrates everything in the heavens and everything on earth — every creature—and so do the angels; without the least arrogance.” [16:49] We do not understand it. God says: “There is nothing that does not glorify Him, but you do not understand their glorification.” [17:44] The translation's heading over 6:38 calls animals and birds ‘Submitting Creatures’. They made their choice long ago, and they keep to it. We are still making ours.

Will animals be raised again, like us?

God tells us that animals will be summoned to their Lord. The Quran does not give us the details. God says: “To their Lord, all these creatures will be summoned.” [6:38] And among the events of the end, He says: “The beasts are summoned.” [81:5] Beyond that, the Quran is quiet. It does not tell us what happens to animals after they are summoned, or whether they are judged as we are. So the honest answer is that they will be gathered to their Lord, and the rest is with God. For those of us who have loved an animal and lost it, that is still something. God knows each creature's course and its final destiny [11:6]. That includes the animal we loved.

Creatures in the Quran

God names many creatures in the Quran, from an elephant to a mosquito. Each one is there for a reason. Below are twenty-eight of them: where each one appears, and what it shows us.

Twenty-Eight Creatures

Each card shows where the creature appears in the Quran, and what it shows us.

Ant

When Solomon's army is marching, one ant warns the others to go into their homes, so they are not crushed without the soldiers even noticing [27:18]. Solomon hears her. “He smiled and laughed at her statement”, and then he asks God to help him be thankful [27:19]. A great king listened to one small ant, and it made him turn to God.

[27:18]

Bee

“And your Lord inspired the bee: build homes in mountains and trees, and in (the hives) they build for you.” [16:68] From the bee comes a drink of different colors, with healing in it for people [16:69]. The bee simply follows what God inspired it to do, and people find healing in what it makes.

[16:68-69]

Spider

“The allegory of those who accept other masters beside GOD is that of the spider and her home; the flimsiest of all homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew.” [29:41] A web looks like a shelter until the weather comes. So does anything we rely on instead of God.

[29:41]

Elephant

A whole sura begins: “Have you noted what your Lord did to the people of the elephant?” [105:1] God caused their schemes to backfire [105:2] and sent swarms of birds upon them [105:3]. They became like chewed-up hay [105:5].

[105:1]

Camel

“Why do they not reflect on the camels and how they are created?” [88:17] And a camel was once a test. Sãleh told his people: “here is GOD's camel, to serve as a sign for you. Let her eat from GOD's land, and do not touch her with any harm” [7:73]. They killed her, and they were destroyed [91:14].

[7:73]

Heifer

Moses told his people that God commanded them to sacrifice a heifer. They answered: “Are you mocking us?” [2:67] Then came question after question about which cow. The longest sura in the Quran is named after this animal. The translation's footnote says the name reflects how important it is to obey God without delay.

[2:67]

Horse

“And (He created) the horses, the mules, and the donkeys for you to ride, and for luxury.” [16:8] God lists the pleasure of these animals among His gifts, not only their usefulness.

[16:8]

Donkey

“Walk humbly and lower your voice—the ugliest voice is the donkey's voice.” [31:19] It is advice from a wise father to his son. A simple lesson: be humble, and speak gently.

[31:19]

Dog

The dog of the people of the cave lies with them through their long sleep: “their dog stretched his arms in their midst” [18:18]. Even the people who guessed their number counted him with them [18:22]. And the Quran says nothing against him. God also makes lawful what trained dogs catch for us [5:4].

[18:18]

Wolf

Jacob was afraid for Joseph: “I worry lest you go away with him, then the wolf may devour him while you are not watching him.” [12:13] His sons later used that very fear as their story [12:17]. The real danger to Joseph was not a wolf.

[12:13]

Lion

People who turn away from God's reminder are pictured this way: “Running like zebras. Who are fleeing from the lion!” [74:50-51] They run from the reminder, as if it could hurt them.

[74:50-51]

Sheep

David and Solomon judged a case about a crop that was destroyed by someone's sheep. God says: “We witnessed their judgment.” [21:78] Nothing is too ordinary for justice.

[21:78]

Goat

Goats are named among the eight kinds of livestock, in a passage against people who made up their own food bans. God tells the Prophet to ask them: “Tell me what you know, if you are truthful.” [6:143]

[6:143]

Pig

The meat of pigs is one of the four foods God forbids, in a short and exact list [2:173]. And in the same verse, God forgives anyone who is forced to eat it without meaning to sin.

[2:173]

Ape

Of a community that kept breaking the Sabbath: “When they continued to defy the commandments, we said to them, ‘Be you despicable apes.’” [7:166] It is a warning about knowing God's law and deliberately defying it.

[7:166]

Snake

Moses threw down his staff before Pharaoh, “whereupon it became a profound snake” [26:32]. It was the same staff he leaned on and used to herd his sheep [20:18]. Earlier, God had told him to throw it down [20:19], and it turned into a moving serpent [20:20].

[26:32]

Frog

One of the signs sent to Pharaoh's people: “the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, and the blood—profound signs. But they maintained their arrogance.” [7:133] The signs were clear. They still would not listen.

[7:133]

Locust

Locusts appear twice. They are one of the signs sent to Pharaoh's people [7:133]. And on the Day of Resurrection, people “come out of the graves like scattered locusts” [54:7].

[54:7]

Fly

“O people, here is a parable that you must ponder carefully: the idols you set up beside GOD can never create a fly, even if they banded together to do so.” [22:73] Not a universe. A fly. And if a fly takes something from them, they cannot even get it back.

[22:73]

Mosquito

“GOD does not shy away from citing any kind of allegory, from the tiny mosquito and greater.” [2:26] Those who disbelieve asked what God meant by such an allegory. God guides many by it and misleads many by it, and He misleads by it only the wicked.

[2:26]

Great fish

Jonah left his mission, and “the fish swallowed him, and he was the one to blame” [37:142]. From inside, he called on God: “There is no god other than You. Be You glorified. I have committed a gross sin.” [21:87] And God saved him [21:88].

[37:142]

Birds

“Have they not seen the birds above them lined up in columns and spreading their wings? The Most Gracious is the One who holds them in the air.” [67:19] Something we see every day, held up by God.

[67:19]

Raven

After one of Adam's sons killed his brother, God sent a raven to scratch the soil and show the killer how to bury his brother. He said: “Woe to me; I failed to be as intelligent as this raven” [5:31]. A bird taught a man, and he was filled with remorse.

[5:31]

Hoopoe

Solomon inspected the birds and asked: “Why do I not see the hoopoe? Why is he missing?” [27:20] The hoopoe came back with news from Sheba that Solomon did not have [27:22]. A king with a great kingdom noticed one small bird.

[27:20]

Quail

God sent manna and quails to the Children of Israel in the desert: “Eat from the good things we provided for you.” And He says of their rebellion: “They did not hurt us (by rebelling); they only hurt their own souls.” [2:57]

[2:57]

Fish

Moses and his young companion carried a fish on their journey. At the meeting place, “they forgot their fish, and it found its way back to the river” [18:61]. When they realized it, Moses said: “That was the place we were looking for.” [18:64]

[18:61]

Livestock

“And in the livestock there is a lesson for you: we provide you with a drink from their bellies. From the midst of digested food and blood, you get pure milk, delicious for the drinkers.” [16:66] Pure milk, from the middle of all that.

[16:66]

Mule

Named with the horses and donkeys, for riding and for luxury, in a verse that ends: “Additionally, He creates what you do not know.” [16:8] God keeps creating things we do not know.

[16:8]

Questions About the Creatures

Why does the Quran mention so many animals?

Because God uses them to teach us. They are signs, and they are examples. God says: “Also in your creation, and the creation of all the animals, there are proofs for people who are certain.” [45:4] Animals are part of the evidence that points to Him. He also uses them as examples we can picture. A spider's web for the weakness of false gods [29:41]. A fly that no idol could ever create [22:73]. And He tells us not to be surprised by small examples: “GOD does not shy away from citing any kind of allegory, from the tiny mosquito and greater.” [2:26] So when we meet an animal in the Quran, it is worth slowing down. God put it there for us.

What does the spider in the Quran teach us?

It teaches us how weak anything is that we rely on instead of God. God says: “The allegory of those who accept other masters beside GOD is that of the spider and her home; the flimsiest of all homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew.” [29:41] A spider's web can look strong and neat. But it cannot stand against wind or rain. God compares it to the people who take other masters beside Him. Whatever they lean on can look like shelter, until the storm comes. The translation gives this verse the heading ‘The Spider’, and a whole sura carries that name. The lesson is simple: our only true shelter is God.

What can we learn from the ant and the bee?

From the ant, we learn to care for others. From the bee, we learn to follow what God has given us. When Solomon's army came near, one ant warned all the others: “O you ants, go into your homes, lest you get crushed by Solomon and his soldiers, without perceiving.” [27:18] Her warning was for her whole community. And Solomon, hearing her, turned to God with thanks [27:19]. Of the bee, God says: “And your Lord inspired the bee: build homes in mountains and trees, and in (the hives) they build for you.” [16:68] The bee follows that inspiration, and from it comes a drink “wherein there is healing for the people” [16:69]. Both of them simply do what God made them to do. That is what we are learning too.

Gifts From God

God gave us animals as gifts, and He tells us so again and again: “And He created the livestock for you, to provide you with warmth, and many other benefits, as well as food.” [16:5]

They carry our loads: “And they carry your loads to lands that you could not reach without a great hardship. Surely, your Lord is Compassionate, Most Merciful.” [16:7] They give us pleasure too: God created horses, mules and donkeys “for you to ride, and for luxury” [16:8].

And God asks: “Would they not be appreciative?” [36:73]

Limits on Taking a Life

God allows us to eat from livestock and from the sea. But He also sets limits.

During the pilgrimage, hunting is forbidden: “O you who believe, do not kill any game during pilgrimage.” [5:95] And God tells us it is a test: “GOD will test you with some game within reach of your hands and your arrows (during pilgrimage). GOD thus distinguishes those among you who observe Him in their privacy.” [5:94]

When animals are offered at the pilgrimage, God commands us to mention His name over them, and to share the meat: “you shall eat therefrom and feed the poor and the needy” [22:36]. And God reminds us: “Neither their meat, nor their blood reaches GOD. What reaches Him is your righteousness.” [22:37]

A Camel as a Test

The Quran tells of a whole community that was tested through one animal. God says: “We are sending the camel as a test for them. Watch them and be patient.” [54:27] God's messenger Sãleh told them: “here is GOD's camel, to serve as a sign for you. Let her eat from GOD's land, and do not touch her with any harm, lest you incur a painful retribution.” [7:73]

The test was simple: leave her alone, let her eat, and let her drink on her day [54:28]. “They disbelieved him and slaughtered her. Their Lord then requited them for their sin and annihilated them.” [91:14]

They did not believe God's messenger, and they defied God's sign. Harming His camel showed it.

Questions About Using Animals

Is hunting for sport permitted?

Hunting for food is permitted. We have not found anything in the Quran that supports killing only for fun. God makes lawful what trained dogs and falcons catch for us, with His name mentioned over it [5:4]. And “All fish of the sea are made lawful for you to eat.” [5:96] But God also sets limits. During the pilgrimage, all hunting is forbidden, and there is a real penalty for killing game on purpose [5:95]. God calls it a test of who observes Him in private [5:94]. The permissions the Quran gives for hunting are about food, and God forbids hunting during the pilgrimage.

Is it wrong to eat meat?

No. God gave us livestock for food, and He tells us so plainly. God says: “GOD is the One who created the livestock for you; some you ride, and some you eat.” [40:79] God forbids only a few kinds of meat, like the meat of pigs, and animals dedicated to other than Him [2:173]. And He commands us to mention His name over what we eat [6:118-121]. If someone chooses not to eat meat, that is their own choice. But no one may say God forbids it: “O you who believe, do not prohibit good things that are made lawful by GOD” [5:87].

Are there animals I should not keep?

Not by name. The Quran does not give a list of animals we may not keep. What it forbids is eating certain meat, and that list is short [2:173]. So the real question is whether we can care for it well. Can it live the way it was made to live, in the space we have? Can we give it the food it really needs? Some animals, especially wild ones, need more space and care than a home can give. God tells us that animals are “communities like you” [6:38]. Taking one into our home is taking on a real responsibility. And every bit of good we do in it counts: “Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it.” [99:7]

Caring for the Animals in Our Homes

Watching animals is a joy. Keeping one is a responsibility. None of what follows is complicated. But all of it shows whether we take that responsibility seriously when no one is watching.

Nothing is too small to count: “Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.” [99:7-8]

Eight Simple Duties

For anyone who keeps an animal. These are simply what caring well looks like, not extra rules from God.

Before you take one on

An animal depends on you for its whole life. Ask honestly whether you can feed it, house it, exercise it and pay for its care, not just while it is small and sweet.

Food and water, always

Fresh water every day. Enough food, of the right kind. A busy week does not change this.

Room to be what it is

An animal kept so tightly that it cannot move, dig, fly or hide the way it was made to is being harmed, even if it is fed.

Save for the vet

Put money aside before an emergency comes, so its care does not depend on what you happen to have that day.

Be gentle, even when tired

Handle and train your animal without cruelty, even when you are tired or it has just broken something. That is where our character really shows.

Never abandon it

An animal let go because it became inconvenient usually cannot survive in the wild. If you truly cannot keep it, find it a good home, and see it through.

Teach the children

How a child treats an animal helps teach them how to treat anyone weaker than them. Teach them kindly and on purpose.

At the end

Old age and illness are part of caring for an animal. Think ahead about what a gentle ending looks like, and be there for it.

Questions People Ask About Their Pets

Does the Quran permit keeping dogs in the home?

Yes. Nothing in the Quran forbids it, and two passages point the other way. The dog of the people of the cave stayed with them through their long sleep: “their dog stretched his arms in their midst” [18:18]. He stays right beside them, and the Quran says nothing against him. God also makes lawful what trained dogs catch for us: “Lawful for you are all good things, including what trained dogs and falcons catch for you.” [5:4] An animal we may train and work with is not an animal we are forbidden to live with. Much of what people have heard about dogs comes from outside the Quran. And a footnote on food in this translation, at 5:3, gives the general rule: anything not specifically prohibited in the Quran must be considered lawful.

Is it wrong to spend money on an animal when people are in need?

Usually it is not one or the other. We can care for both. We have duties to people in need. Charity is commanded, not optional [2:110]. And we also have duties to an animal we chose to take into our home. That responsibility does not disappear because there is another good cause somewhere else. The better question is about balance. If our animal's comfort has become very costly while our giving has stayed very small, that is worth looking at honestly. But the answer is to give more, not to neglect the animal in our care. God provides for every creature: “There is not a creature on earth whose provision is not guaranteed by GOD.” [11:6] If He has given us enough to care for an animal, that is a blessing to thank Him for, and to share with people in need too.

Does God see how I treat my animal?

Yes. God sees everything, and that includes how we treat the creatures who depend on us. Speaking of the birds He holds up in the air, God says: “The Most Gracious is the One who holds them in the air. He is Seer of all things.” [67:19] And nothing we do is too small to count: “Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.” [99:7-8] Feeding a hungry animal, or neglecting it, is part of that. God also tells us that animals are “communities like you”, and that they will be summoned to their Lord [6:38]. So the everyday kindness we show an animal, when no one else is looking, matters.

A Weekly Animal-Care Check

Take two minutes once a week. It catches most things.

Fresh water every day this week?
The right food, in the right amount, not just whatever was easiest?
Real exercise or play, not just time in the same room?
Any change in behavior, appetite or movement that a vet should see?
Did I lose my temper with it this week? What caused it?
Is its space too small, too dirty, or too dull?
Did I thank God for it, even once?

What the Quran Says About Animals

The nine passages this page rests on.

All the creatures on earth, and all the birds that fly with wings, are communities like you. We did not leave anything out of this book. To their Lord, all these creatures will be summoned.

[6:38]

Communities like us, summoned to their Lord

Do you not realize that everyone in the heavens and the earth glorifies GOD, even the birds as they fly in a column? Each knows its prayer and its glorification. GOD is fully aware of everything they do.

[24:41]

Each knows its prayer

Also in your creation, and the creation of all the animals, there are proofs for people who are certain.

[45:4]

Proofs in their creation

There is not a creature on earth whose provision is not guaranteed by GOD. And He knows its course and its final destiny. All are recorded in a profound record.

[11:6]

God provides for every creature

And He created the livestock for you, to provide you with warmth, and many other benefits, as well as food.

[16:5]

A gift from God

They derive other benefits from them, as well as drinks. Would they not be appreciative?

[36:73]

A question worth asking ourselves

And your Lord inspired the bee: build homes in mountains and trees, and in (the hives) they build for you.

[16:68]

The bee, following what God inspired

The allegory of those who accept other masters beside GOD is that of the spider and her home; the flimsiest of all homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew.