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"This she-camel of God is a sign to you" Dimensions ofAnimals in Islamic Tradition and Muslim Culture RICHARD FOLTZ It is frequently claimed that one position or an­ Muslims ofdiverse cultural backgrounds would other represents "true" Islam. Nevertheless, show both similarities and differences. This in­ there exists no unified Islamic or Muslim view deed turns out to be the case. ofnonhuman animals. It is also important to ac­ knowledge that, while the terms are often dif­ ficult to disentangle for those both within and Nonhuman Animals in Islamic Texts without the tradition, "Islamic" and "Muslim" are certainly not synonymous, since attitudes Islam (literally, "submission"), as an ideal is un­ held by individuals or collectives who happen to derstood by believers as the state God wills for be "Muslim" may not be "Islamic." 1 His creation (khalq). This is apprehended by the There are currently about 1.2 billion Mus­ Sunni majority through the revealed scripture lims, and they can be found in nearly every of the Qur'an, the life example of the Prophet country. The vast majority-about 85 percent MulJ.ammad (the sunna, as attested in lJ.adtth -are not Arab but belong to other ethnic and repofts), and the shari 'a, a comprehensive code linguistic groups. The largest concentration of of life as articulated in the legal texts of the Muslims, 33 percent. can be found in South so-called Classical period (eighth to tenth cen­ Asia. The nations with the largest Muslim popu­ turies CE). ShI'ttes also follow the teachings of lations are Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and their Imams, and Sufis (who can be Sunni or India. By contrast the Middle East contains 25 ShtI) defer to the authority of their spiritual percent ofthe world's Muslim population. Since guides (shaykhs, orpirs). The actual practices and Muslim identities and worldviews are in all cases attitudes of Muslims have always been shaped made up of multiple sources, one would predict by Islamic sources in combination with extra­ that attitudes toward nonhuman animals among Islamic cultural ones. Islamic sources tend to be RICHARD FOLTZ embodied in authoritative texts, while cultural in atonement for transgressions committed dur­ in them when y sources often are not. ing the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj). Also surviv­ nings and wher Much ofIslam's textual tradition is originally ing are beliefs in metamorphosis (maskh), sev­ in the morning: 8 in Arabic, which for many centuries played a eral examples of which occur in the Qur'an. [many] a place 1 role analogous to the scholarly lingua franca in Some heterodox Muslim groups retained a be­ unable to reach Christian Europe. The Arabic word used in the lief in metempsychosis (tanasukh). Six chapters selves. And [it Classical texts to refer to animals, including hu­ of the Qur'an are named for animals: the Cow mules and asse~ mans, is hayawiin (pI. hayawiiniit).2 This term (2), the Cattle (6), the Bee (16), the Ant (28), [their] beauty: : appears only once in the Qur'an, however, where the Spider (29), and the Elephant (105). which [today] y it refers rather to the "true" existence of the Islam is what contemporary ecologists would afterlife.3 For nonhuman animals the Qur'an in­ probably call a strongly anthropocentric reli­ Yet despite th stead uses the term dabba (pI. dawiibb).4 gion, although Muslims might prefer to see their scribed as similar Human beings are often described in Ara­ worldview as "theocentric." Within the hier­ most all respects. 1 bic texts as "the speaking animal" (hayawiin al­ archy of Creation, Muslims see humans as occu­ nonhuman anim~ niitiq), although the Qur'an itself acknowledges pying a special and privileged status. The Qur'an (nafi). Some Mm that nonhuman animals also have speech: says, "Hast thou not seen how Allah has sub­ nonhuman anim jected (sakhkhara) to you all that is in the with humans on And [in this insight] Solomon was [truly] Da­ earth?" 9 The term khalifa (lit., "successor"), Qur'an states tha vid's heir; and he would say: "0 you people! We which in the Qur'an is applied to humans, is if this praise is I have been taught the speech of birds, and have generally defined by contemporary Muslims as guage.15 The QUI been given [in abundance] of all [good] things: "vice-regent," as in the verses that state "I am not an animal in this, behold, is indeed a manifest favor [from setting on the earth a vice-regent (khalifa)," and on two wings, bUl God]!"5 "It is He who has made you his vice-regent on sg. umma) like u earth." 10 According to this view, while non­ Classical period, Arabs in pre-Islamic times practiced animal human Creation is subjugated to human needs, mised from this v cults, various meat taboos, sympathetic magic the proper human role is that of conscientious where states tha' (istimtar) and possibly totemism. Some tribes steward and not exploiter,u The earth was not nity (umma) wit! had animal names, such as the Quraysh created for humans alone: ''And the earth has He having lived amo ("shark"), which was the tribe of the Prophet spread out for all living beings (aniim)." 12 Every­ human 'animals: Mu\:lammad, and the Asad ("lion").6 Certain thing in Creation is a miraculous sign of God (d. 1062) denied animals, including camels, horses, bees, and (aya), inviting Muslims to contemplate the Cre­ Allah are only al others, were believed to carry blessing (baraka), ator. Nonhuman animals fall into this category, the ability to spe~ while others, such as dogs and cats, were asso­ as in the following verse: but his rebuttal ciated with the evil eye. Genies (jinn) were be­ explicitly states t lieved sometimes to take animal form. .. This she-camel of God is a sign to you; so their own langua The Qur'an proscribed many pre-Islamic leave her to graze in God's earth, and let her come The Qur'an e practices related to animals,? which neverthe­ to no harm, or you shall be seized with a griev­ of the needs of less survived in some cases. Also notable is the ous punishment.13 moving creature persistence of blood sacrifices, such as that per­ for its sustenanc formed on the Feast of Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha) Nevertheless, the Qur'an specifies that cer­ mans alone: '~ which commemorates the prophet Abraham's tain animals were created for the benefit of hu­ all living creatur willingness to sacrifice his son (Isma'il, not Isaac, mans: even receive div in Islamic tradition). Many Muslims also make which states: ''A blood sacrifices in fulfillment of vows (nazr), And He has created cattle for you: you derive bee, saying: 'mal seven days after the birth of a child (aqiqa), or warmth from them, and [various] other uses; and in the trees, an( on the tenth day of the month of Dhu'l-hijja from them you obtain food; and you find beauty has thus been all 151 "THIS SHE-CAMEL OF GOD IS A SIGN TO YOU mmitted dur­ in them when you drive them home in the eve­ tators that humans are unique only in that they '. Also surviv­ nings and when you take them out to pasture possess volition (taqwa), and are thus respon­ (maskh), sev­ in the mornings. And they carry your loads to sible for their actionsP 8 the Qur'an. [many] a place which [Otherwise] you would be etained a be­ unable to reach without great hardship to your­ . Six chapters selves. And [it is He who horses and Meat-Eating and Slaughter lais: the Cow mules and asses for you to ride, as well as for the Ant (28), [their] beauty: and He will yet create things of Islamic dietary laws are derived both from the (105). 4 which [today] you have no knowledge.l Qur'an and from the Classical legal tradition. ,logists would The overwhelming majority of Muslims eat ocentric reli­ Yet despite this hierarchy, hwnans are de­ meat; indeed, meat-eating is mentioned in the :er to see their scribed as similar to nonhuman animals in al­ Qur'an as one of the pleasures of heaven.23 The :lin the hier­ most all respects. Unlike in Christianity, in Islam Qur'an explicitly allows the eating of animal nans as occu­ nonhuman animals are considered to have souls flesh, with certain exceptions: s. The Qur'an (nafs). Some Muslim scholars have opined that lIah has sub­ nonhuman animals will be resurrected along o you who have arrained to faith! Be true to your lat is in' the with humans on the Day of Judgment. The covenants! Lawful to you is [the flesh of] every "successor") , Qur'an states that all creation praises God, even beast that feeds on plants, save what is men­ o humans, is jf this praise is not expressed in human lan­ tioned to you [hereinafter]: but you are not al­ 'f Muslims as 15 guage. The Qur'an further says that "There is lowed to hunt while you are in a state ofpilgrim­ t state "1 am not an animal in the earth, nor a flying creature age. Behold, God ordains in accordance with his khalifa)," and on two wings, but they are communities (umiim, will.24 ice-regent on sg. umma) like unto you." l6 A jurist from the , while non­ Classical period, Ahmad ibn Habit, even sur­ On the other hand the Qur'an prohibits the lUman needs, mised from this verse that since the Qur'an else­ eating of animals that have not been ritually :onscientious where states that "there never was a commu­ slaughtered, as well as the eating of blood, and ~arrh was not nity (umma) without a warner [i.e., a prophet] pIgS: :eatth has He having lived among them," 17 then perhaps non­ 'm)."12 Every­ human animals also have prophets.

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