The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and Loving Animal-People

It is the Land of the Heart, and in Islam the Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him, always resides there, along with numerous loving animal-people companions of all shapes and sizes. And in the wise teachings of the Holy Qurʾān, animal-people are no different from humans: “There is not an animal in the earth, nor a flying creature flying on two wings, but they are peoples like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book (of Our Decrees). Then unto their Lord they will be gathered.” ~ Holy Qur’an 6:38

During the Hijrah, the True One (Peace Be Upon Him) and His devout follower Abū Bakr AS-SSiddiq fled Mecca for Medina in the night to avoid the assassins who were hunting them. At one point they took refuge in a cave, but soon afterwards their pursuers found the cave. The assassins did not enter the cave to look for them, however, for in the short time since the Beloved (Peace Be Upon Him) and Abū Bakr AS-SSiddiq had entered the cave, a spider-person had spun a silvery web across the opening of the cave, and a pair of dove-persons had nested at the entrance. Together they made it appear that no one had entered the cave for a long time, thus protecting the Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, from the sharp iron swords of the assassins.

The Beloved Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was credited with taking care of a cat-person companion Himself. According to Hadīth, the cat-person companion of the Beloved (Peace Be Upon Him), was called Muezza, and he was known to rest on the lap of the Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, when He gave lectures. Not only is His love for animal-people clear in the Prophet Muhammad’s (Peace Be Upon Him) actions, but the Hadīth also warns of the punishments that await those who are cruel to people from the animal kingdom.

From these stories we can see that in the Land of the Heart, even a seemingly small action, like that of the spider-person weaving his web of protection and the dove-persons nesting at the entrance to help the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) hide, or quenching the thirst of a dog-person, can have profound ramifications, so it’s important to make the most of every opportunity, however small, to show kindness towards Allah’s creations.