Verily, Allah has enjoined kindness in all things
Authenticعن شداد بن أوس رضي الله عنه قال: ثِنْتَانِ حَفِظْتُهُمَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «إِنَّ اللهَ كَتَبَ الْإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ، وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذَّبْحَ، وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ، فَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيحَتَهُ».
Shaddād ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: There are two things which I learned by heart from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him); he said: "Verily, Allah has enjoined kindness in all things. So, when you kill, kill with kindness; and when you slaughter, slaughter with kindness. Let one of you sharpen his blade and spare the animal he slaughters from suffering."
Explanation
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that Allah Almighty prescribed ihsān (kindness/excellence) upon us in everything. Ihsān: It is constantly being heedful of Allah in worshipping Him, doing good, and abstaining from harming other created beings. An aspect of this is ihsān in killing and slaughtering. Ihsān in killing, for legal retribution, is to choose the easiest method which causes the least suffering to the one being killed and the quickest in taking his life. Ihsān in slaughtering animals is to show kindness toward the animal by sharpening the blade and not sharpening it while the animal is looking on, and not slaughtering an animal while another animal is looking.
Benefits
- The Hadīth shows Allah's mercy and kindness toward His creation.
- Ihsān in killing and slaughtering is to do it in the manner prescribed by the Shariah.
- The Shariah is perfect and comprises all forms of goodness, one of which is mercy and kindness toward animals.
- It is prohibited to mutilate a person after killing him.
- Anything that causes suffering to animals is prohibited.
Source · Narrated by Muslim
From the Hadith Encyclopedia (hadeethenc.com).