Re: Animal-Rights Activist
I wonder why animals were not made the vicegerents of Allah (SWT) on this Earth? Why was it us? What ability or concern would an animal have regarding its own species and whether its future generations will last? None - animals are dumb ... they are incapable of thinking any further than their next meal or the next physical need arises. Humans are different. We can contemplate a delicate balance between species and today technology can quickly disturb that balance. We live in a world today where the elephant bird and the dodo are extinct - extinct due to humans. Wouldn't it have been amazing to have seen these animals? Isn't it concerning to know that our modern lifestyles can not just reduce numbers of animals but kill them entirely?
We need animals and other life forms more than we realise ... not only do they provide for us food, but they are a source of comfort and leisure. They have been provided to us for our enjoyment but to take care of them and show them mercy ... then perhaps we can be shown Mercy when its our time. We can learn from animals and much more ... but to be careless about life due to our luxuries is disappointing.
Let's look to the example of those pious before us who took care of cats and wrote poetry about the birds ... look at all those Surahs in the Qur'an mentioning the animals and see how Solomon (AS) conversed with them.
Are we that blind to realise that this natural calling to take care of animals stems from our need to take care of one another ... Let's walk softly on the Earth ... it's a Sunnah and the Earth is like a mother to us ...
Taking care of animals does not need to be done instead of taking care of humans ... we as the highest creation on this planet should take care of both humans and animals, plants and birds and fish ... even the mountains, hills and rivers should be preserved as much as we can ... there is no crisis bigger than the crisis of losing ones humanity.