Can Bread Be Given to Animals Instead of Being Discarded?
Answered by Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad
Question
What is the ruling on giving bread to animals instead of discarding it?
Answer
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Blessings and peace be upon the Master of the Messengers, his Family, and all his Companions.
Respecting the Blessings of Allah (Most High)
A Muslim is obligated to preserve Allah’s blessings by respecting them and refraining from disrespecting or wasting them. Allah (Most High) warns against ingratitude for His blessings, one form of which is throwing food into the trash. Allah says:
“And Allah sets forth the example of a society which was safe and at ease, receiving its provision in abundance from all directions. But its people met Allah’s favors with ingratitude, so Allah made them taste the clutches of hunger and fear for their misdeeds.” [Quran, 16:112]
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) also emphasized this. ‘Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) narrated:
“The Messenger of Allah entered one day and saw a piece of bread lying on the ground. He picked it up, wiped it, and ate it. Then he said: ‘O ‘Aisha, treat the blessings of Allah with respect, for they rarely leave a household and then return to them.’” [Ibn Maja; Tabarani]
Feeding Bread to Animals
As for feeding bread to animals, it is not prohibited. In fact, doing so brings reward and merit. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“In every moist liver (living creature) is a reward.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
We ask Allah to sustain His blessings upon us and grant us the ability to be grateful for them. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.
[Shaykh] Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad
Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad, born in Damascus, Syria, in 1965, pursued his Islamic studies in the mosques and institutes of Damascus. A graduate of the Islamic University of Medina in 1985, he holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from Bahauddin Zakariya University in Pakistan.
He has extensive experience developing curricula and enhancing the teaching of various academic courses, including conducting intensive courses. Shaykh Awad has taught Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Quranic sciences, the history of legislation, inheritance laws, and more at several institutes and universities such as Al-Furqan Institute for Islamic Sciences and Majma‘ al-Fath al-Islami in Damascus.
He is a lecturer at the Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih Waqf University in Istanbul, teaching various Arabic and Islamic subjects, and teaches at numerous Islamic institutes in Istanbul. Shaykh Awad is a member of the Association of Syrian Scholars, a founding member of the Zayd bin Thabit Foundation, a member of the Syrian Scholars Association, and a member of the Academic Council at the Iman Center for Teaching the Sunna and Quran.
Among his teachers from whom he received Ijazat are his father, Shaykh Muhammad Muhiyiddin Awad, Shaykh Muhiyiddin al-Kurdi, Shaykh Muhammad Karim Rajih, Shaykh Usama al-Rifai, Shaykh Ayman Suwaid, Shaykh Ahmad al-Qalash, Shaykh Muhammad Awwama, and Shaykh Mamduh Junayd.
