Chapter: The Prohibition of Torturing a Slave, an Animal, a Woman, or a Child without Legitimate Cause or beyond the Bounds of Proper Discipline

Allah the Exalted says: “Show kindness to parents, to close relatives, to orphans and the needy, to the neighbor who is related to you and the neighbor who is a stranger, to the companion at your side, to the traveler, and to those whom your right hands possess. Truly Allah does not love anyone who is arrogant and boastful.” (Qur’an 4:36)

1600 – Ibn ʿUmar reports that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “A woman was punished because of a cat she confined until it died, and on its account she entered the Fire. While she kept it locked up she neither fed it nor gave it water, nor did she release it so that it could eat the vermin of the earth.” Agreed upon.

Khishāsh al-arḍ—spelled with khā’ and a doubled shīn—refers to the earth’s crawling creatures and insects.

1601 – From him again: He once passed by some youths of Quraysh who had set up a bird as a target and were shooting at it, having arranged that every arrow that missed would belong to the owner of the bird. When they noticed Ibn ʿUmar they scattered. He said, “Who has done this? May Allah curse the one who has done this! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ cursed …”