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Islamic Voodoos

CHAPTER 4

Animals and Insects Voodoos

 

The Qur'an contains a Sura named an‑Anam or Cattle (Sura 6). This is a Meccan Sura. Reportedly, Allah revealed this Sura one year before the Hijrah (Muhammad’s migration to Medina). Muslim historians claim that the Meccan pagans forced Muhammad to leave Mecca after thirteen years of preaching of his new religion without much success. He had to seek help from strangers. According to ibn Kathir Allah revealed this Sura in Mecca at night, in the presence of 70 000 angels. An interesting verse in this Sura is 6:38. In this verse, Allah says that He has omitted nothing in the Qur’an, and all creatures, including birds with wings, form communities like human beings. These creatures (that is, animals, birds, cattle, fishes, insects…and so on) will also be resurrected. The implication of this verse is that all animals will face the judgment of Allah on the resurrection day. They will be born again, just like the resurrection of human beings.

Other Suras in the Qur'an named after animals or insects are: The Cow (Sura 2), The Ant (Sura 27), The Bee (Sura 16), The Spider (Sura 29), and The Elephant (Sura 105). Let us briefly explore a few interesting features of these Islamic creatures, especially the Islamic animals.

Islamic Animals and Insects are Muslims; they have their Messengers

Perhaps all animals are Muslims but obviously some Muslims are more equal than others. A pig was hanged near the looted and burned Serbian house at the outskirts of Obilic, Kosovo

Were we to believe what Allah says in the previous verse (6:38), then we must admit that animals including, birds, worms, fishes, and insects are Muslims. To confirm that Allah is serious about animals being Muslims, He says in verse 35:24 that there is no community on whom He did not send a messenger. Ash Shifa, the famous book of Qadi ‘Iyad ibn Musa al‑Yahsubi, and revered by the Islamic community as one of the most holy description of Muhammad and the Qur'an, confirms that Allah does indeed send messengers to animals. Qadi Iyad writes that animals, such as monkeys, pigs, riding beasts, and so on, had a warner and a prophet (Ash Shifa, p.426). The Qur'an is not clear about the species of animal‑prophet; that is, whether a human male is the prophet of the animal kingdom or whether each animal species has its own type as a prophet. More specifically, whether or not the monkeys’ prophet is another monkey, tigers’ prophet is another tiger, pigs’ prophet is another pig, and horses’ prophet is another horse…and so on.

Islamic‑ Beast Prophet

In verse 27:82 Allah even says that He will send a beast (a very grotesque, terrifying animal) as a prophet for mankind. Allah will create a beast from earth to talk to the unbelievers after Allah had punished them. Ibn Abbas confirms that the beast will come with the mast of Moses. Jalalyn says the beast will preach in Arabic. Ibn Kathir provides a good description of this Muslim beast. He writes:

It was also recorded by Ibn Majah. Ibn Jurayj reported that Ibn Az-Zubayr described the beast and said, "Its head is like the head of a bull, its eyes are like the eyes of a pig, its ears are like the ears of an elephant, its horns are like the horns of a stag, its neck is like the neck of an ostrich, its chest is like the chest of a lion, its colour is like the colour of a tiger, its haunches are like the haunches of a cat, its tail is like the tail of a ram, and its legs are like the legs of a camel. Between each pair of its joints is a distance of twelve cubits. It will bring out with it the staff of Musa and the ring of Sulayman. There will be no believer left without it making a white spot on his face, which will spread until all his face is shining white as a result; and there will be no disbeliever left without it making a black spot on his face, which will spread until all his face is black as a result, then when the people trade with one another in the marketplace, they will say, `How much is this, O believer' `How much is this, O disbeliever'. And when the members of one household sit down together to eat, they will know who is a believer and who is a disbeliever. Then the beast will say: `O so-and-so, enjoy yourself, for you are among the people of Paradise.' And it will say: `O so-and-so, you are among the people of Hell.’

Allah Transmutes Humans into Animals

Sometimes Allah transmutes humans into animals. In verse 6:74, we learn that Abraham admonished his father (Terah or Azar) for worshipping idols. Ibn Kathir writes that on the resurrection day Allah will turn Abraham’s father into a male hyena covered with dung, and throw him into hellfire.

Even in the temporal life, Allah performs this human‑animal transmutation. Verse 2:65 (also see 5:60, 7:163, and 7:166) say that some Jews (Children of Israel) desecrated the Sabbath, so Allah turned them into apes and swine. Elaborating this incredible feat, ibn Kathir writes that they (the Jews) began using deceitful means to avoid honouring the Sabbath by placing nets, ropes, and artificial pools of water for fishing before the Sabbath. When the fish came in abundance on Saturday as usual, they were caught in the ropes and nets for the rest of Saturday. During the night, the Jews collected the fish after the Sabbath ended. When they did that, Allah changed them from humans into monkeys, the animals having the form closest to humans; the young people turned into howling monkeys with tails while the older people were turned into swine. They lived on earth only for three days. They did not eat, drink, or had offspring.

Confirmed by Ibn Abbas, this transmutation happened during the time of David.

Infidels are worse than Islamic Animals

Allah has a great fascination for Islamic animals, especially Islamic cattle. In a number of verses (such as 2:171, 7:179, 8:22, 62:5), Allah maintains that the non‑Muslims are worse than Islamic animals. Explaining 62:5, ibn Kathir writes that the Jews are worse than donkeys. In connection with 8:55, Jalalyn and ibn Abbas say that Allah considered the Banu Qurayzah Jews worse than cattle. Ibn Kathir adds more salt to the injury. He says that the unbelievers who do not embrace Islam, and who break treaties are the worst moving creatures on earth. Muslims should punish them harshly and inflict heavy casualties among them.

Ibn Kathir provides the reason why Allah considers the infidels worse than animals. He writes, in connection with verse 25:44:

They are worse than grazing cattle. Cattle only do what they were created to do, but these people were created to worship Allah alone without associating partners with Him, but they worship others with Him, even though evidence has been established against them and Messengers have been sent to them.

We might wonder what the Islamic animals, particularly Islamic cattle are. Allah provides the answer in 6:143, 36:71–73, 39:6, and 42:11.

In these verses, Allah says that He had created the domestic cattle with His own hands (Allah has hands) for the convenience of human (36:71–73). Because of this purity of Allah’s creation, Islamic animals, Ibn Kathir writes that you can drink cattle urine as medicine. This means the urine of camels, cows (bulls included), goats, and sheep are Islamic medicine.

In 6:143 Allah says that He created eight pairs—two (a male pair and a female pair) from sheep (i.e., two male sheep and two female sheep, total four) and two pairs (male and female) of goats (i.e., two male goats and two female goats, total four), and made halal both the male and female and the foetus in the womb of the female. In 39:6, Allah says that He created human beings from a single person, then created mates of like nature, and sent down eight heads of cattle in eight pairs (sheep, goat, camel and oxen; i.e. in total, four sheep, four goats, four camels and four oxen; that is, sum total number of Islamic beasts is sixteen).

Therefore, Islamic cattle mean camels, sheep, cows, and goats. In verse 45:3–4 Allah says that these scattered animals are His signs on earth.

Islamic Animals Have the Ability to Talk Like Humans

It is interesting that in a few ahadith we learn that many Islamic animals have the ability to talk with human beings. Here are a few samples:

• Muhammad, Abu Bakr, and Umar believed that a cow could talk like a human… (Sahih Bukhari, 3.39.514)
• A wolf talked to Unais… (Sahih Bukhari, 3.39.517)
• A cow and a wolf spoke; Muhammad and Umar believed it… (Sahih Bukhari, 4.56.677)
• A weary camel told Muhammad that it was hungry…( Sunaan Abu Dawud, 2.14.2543)
• Muhammad and Abu Bakr believed that cows and wolves could speak the tongue of human beings… (Sahih Muslim, 31.5881)
• An Islamic wolf spoke to a herdsman… (Ash Shifa, p.172)
• Muhammad talked to a lizard and it answered him in a clear tongue…(Ash Shifa, p.171)

Ibn Ishaq (p.93) writes that the belly of a slaughtered cow talked.

The Qur'an also confirms that Prophet Solomon had the ability to understand the languages of animals, and insects, including ants (27:19). Sura 27 (The Ants) is a testimony to this incredible act of Islamic Solomon.

Allah Loves Animals’ Blood; Islamic Slaughter of Animals is the most Gruesome

Allah loves animal slaughter. He has a great thirst for animal blood. Allah even suggests torturing an animal before a Muslim slaughters it Islamically. Here are a few ahadith to gauge Allah’s love to inflict cruelty to domestic animals.

• Blood of animals is very dear to Allah…(Sunaan ibn Majah, 4.3126)
• After slaughter dip sandals in the animal’s blood… (Sunaan ibn Majah, 4.3105, 3106)
• Before killing the animal hide the knife… (Sunaan ibn Majah, 4.3172)
• Yearly slaughtering of an animal is compulsory… (Sunaan ibn Majah, 4.3125)
• Garland a goat before slaughtering it… (Sunaan ibn Majah, 4.3096)
• Torture a camel before slaughtering it… (Sunaan ibn Majah, 4.3097)
• Ride on the animal before slaughtering it… (Sunaan ibn Majah, 4.3103, 3104)
• If a sacrificial she-camel gives birth to an offspring while she is being marched for slaughter, then the offspring should also be slaughtered along with the mother…(Malik’s Muwatta, 20.43.144)
• If a sacrificial animal has an offspring then sacrifice the young one with the mother; you can ride on it, and you can even drink its milk before killing the animal…(Malik’s Muwatta, 20.43.145)
• Garland the sacrificial camel or the cow with two sandals about its neck and brand it by causing blood to flow from its side… (Malik’s Muwatta, 20.57.191)
• If a sacrificial animal is injured then throw its garlands in its blood, and then let the people eat its meat; the owner cannot eat its meat…(Malik’s Muwatta, 20.45.154, 155)
• When a she camel is slaughtered what is in its womb is also included in the slaughter if the foetus is perfectly formed and its hair has begun to grow; if it comes out of its mother’s womb then it (the newly born baby animal) should be slaughtered so that blood flows from its heart…(Malik’s Muwatta, 24.4.8, 9)
• If the sacrificial animals are tired then slaughter them, dye their hoofs in their blood and put them on the sides of their humps, and do not eat their meat… (Sahih Muslim, 7.3054, 3056)

Islamic Animals Will Punish the Zakat Defaulters

Hayena is halal

Allah uses His animals to extract zakat from human. Here is what Allah says regarding the Muslims who refuse to pay the Islamic income tax (zakat).

• Camels and sheep will punish their owners if their owners did not pay zakat due on them...(Sahih Bukhari, 2.24.485, 539)
• If you do not pay zakat on your camels then they will punish you mercilessly…(Sahih Muslim, 5.2166, 2167)
• Your cattle will punish you if you did not pay zakat due on them… (Sahih Muslim, 5.2170)
• Camels, sheep, and cows will trample you if you do not pay zakat… (Sunaan ibn Majah, 3.1785, 1786)

Some Islamic animals follow the sharia laws. For example, in Sahih Bukhari (6.60.254), we read that a group of monkeys stoned a she‑monkey for committing illegal sexual intercourse. Some animals are, however, breakers of sharia laws. Thus, in ibn Majah (4.3230) we read that lizards are adulterous.

Some Wild Beasts are Halal

Lastly, besides the Islamic cattle mentioned before, Allah has also made halal the meat of the following wild beasts.

• It is permissible to eat locusts…(Sahih Muslim, 21.4801)
• Locusts are games of the sea; you may eat them… (Sunaan ibn Majah, 4.3222)
• Locust are Allah’s troops, you may eat them… (Sunaan ibn Majah, 4.3219, 3220)
• Eating a hyena’s meat is halal… (Sunaan ibn Majah, 4.3236)
• Muhammad permitted the eating of hyena meat… (Sunaan Tirmidhi, 830)
• It is permissible to eat horsemeat… (Sahih Muslim, 21.4804)
• Muhammad did not eat the flesh of a lizard but he did not prohibit its eating…(Sahih Muslim, 21.4783, 4784, 4787)

 

>>>> Continued in Chapter 5