What Is the Ruling on Cremating Animals?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

What is the ruling on cremating animals?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

It is strictly prohibited to cremate animals or any living creature. This is because the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said,“…Indeed, no one punishes with fire except for the Lord of the fire.” [Ahmad]

This ruling is general. Thus it applies to humans, animals, insects, etc… whether alive or dead. It is, by extension, strictly prohibited to cause harm to any individual using fire.

The Prophet of Mercy – The Religion of Mercy

Allah Most High says, “We have sent you ˹O Prophet˺ only as a mercy for the whole world.” [Quran; 21:107]

The mercy of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) encompasses all creation: humankind, jinn kind, animals, etc… As followers of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace), we must be conduits of mercy in the world. For this reason, it is strictly prohibited to cause harm to any living creature unrightfully, whether human or animal.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “A woman was once punished due to a cat that she confined till it died; because of it, she entered the Hellfire. She didn’t feed it or give it a drink while she confinement of it. Nor did she let it eat from the critters of the earth.” [Muslim]

All creation must be given its due respect, and we are charged with fulfilling the rights of the creation. Just as it is sinful to violate the rights of another human, it is sinful to violate the rights of animals.

Hope this helps

Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.

Arabic References:

133 – (2242) حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَسْمَاءَ بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ الضُّبَعِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا جُوَيْرِيَةُ يَعْنِي ابْنَ أَسْمَاءَ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ: «§عُذِّبَتِ امْرَأَةٌ فِي هِرَّةٍ، سَجَنَتْهَا حَتَّى مَاتَتْ، فَدَخَلَتْ فِيهَا النَّارَ، لَا هِيَ أَطْعَمَتْهَا وَسَقَتْهَا، إِذْ هِيَ حَبَسَتْهَا، وَلَا هِيَ تَرَكَتْهَا تَأْكُلُ مِنْ خَشَاشِ الْأَرْضِ»
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