Kindness to Animals and Nature: Teaching Kids the Sunnah

Your four-year-old crouches over a line of ants on the pavement, completely absorbed. Then, before you can stop him, he stamps on them. Or your seven-year-old begs for a kitten, promising she’ll look after it “every single day”.

Children have a natural fascination with animals and the outdoors. That curiosity is a perfect doorway for teaching rahmah (mercy), one of the most central qualities in Islam. The sunnah is full of stories about animals, and children love them.

Mercy to all creation

Evidence · Hadith

الرَّاحِمُونَ يَرْحَمُهُمُ الرَّحْمَنُ ارْحَمُوا أَهْلَ الأَرْضِ يَرْحَمْكُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ

“The merciful are shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Show mercy to those on the earth, and the One in the heavens will show mercy to you.” Narrated by ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAmr (RA).

“Those on the earth” includes people, animals, and the creatures we can barely see. The Qur’an tells us that animals and birds are communities, like us:

Evidence · Qur’an

“And there is no creature on [or within] the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you…”

For a child: “Ants have families and homes, just like we do. Allah made them and cares about them.”

Four sunnah stories

These short stories are perfect for bedtime. Tell them in your own words, then ask: “What would you have done?”

1. The thirsty dog

Evidence · Hadith

“A man was walking along when he became very thirsty. He found a well, climbed down and drank. When he came out, he saw a dog panting and eating mud because of thirst. He said, ‘This dog is as thirsty as I was.’ He went back down, filled his shoe with water, held it in his mouth as he climbed up, and gave the dog a drink. Allah thanked him for it and forgave him.” The Companions asked, “Is there a reward for us in serving animals?” He said, “Yes, there is a reward for serving any living being.” Narrated by Abu Hurayrah (RA).

The same hadith is in Sahih Muslim (2244). Ask: “How did the man know the dog was thirsty?” (He remembered how he felt.) That’s empathy: imagining how another creature feels.

2. The cat

Evidence · Hadith

“A woman entered the Fire because of a cat which she tied up, neither feeding it nor letting it free to eat from the creatures of the earth.” Narrated by Ibn ʿUmar (RA).

With young children, focus on the lesson rather than the punishment: “Animals in our care depend on us completely. Allah wants us to feed them, give them water and let them be free to do what animals do.”

3. The mother bird

Evidence · Hadith

We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on a journey. We saw a bird with her two chicks and took the chicks. The mother bird came and fluttered her wings. The Prophet ﷺ came and said, “Who has distressed this bird by taking her young? Return her young ones to her.” Narrated by ʿAbdullah ibn Masʿud (RA).

In the same narration, he ﷺ also objected when he saw an ant colony that had been burned. Ask: “How do you think the mother bird felt?”

4. The crying camel

The Prophet ﷺ entered a garden where a camel saw him, made a yearning sound and its eyes flowed with tears. He went over, stroked its head until it calmed down, and asked who owned it. When a young man came, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Don’t you fear Allah regarding this animal that Allah has placed in your care? It has complained to me that you keep it hungry and tire it out” (Sunan Abi Dawud 2549 · Sahih, al-Albani).

Ask: “What did the Prophet ﷺ do first?” (He comforted the camel, then spoke up for it.)

Caring for the earth

Allah tells the angels that He is placing a khalifah (a steward or successor) on the earth (Al-Baqarah 2:30). The Prophet ﷺ also said:

Evidence · Hadith

“The world is sweet and green, and Allah is placing you in it as successors to see how you act…” Narrated by Abu Saʿid al-Khudri (RA).

For children: “Allah gave us the earth to look after, like a garden we’re borrowing. He wants to see how well we look after it.”

And planting is a gift that keeps giving:

Evidence · Hadith

“No Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, a person or an animal eats from it, except that it is counted as charity for him.” Narrated by Anas ibn Malik (RA).

Activities

• A bird feeder or water bowl. Fill it together and watch who visits. “Every sip is sadaqah!”
• Plant something. A tree, a pot of herbs on the windowsill, sunflower seeds. Remind them that every bird or bee that benefits is a charity.
• A bug hotel. Sticks, pinecones and leaves in a corner of the garden or balcony.
• “Leave it better” walks. Take a bag and gloves to the park and pick up litter.
• Save water. Turn the tap off during wudu and teeth-brushing, and talk about why.
• Nature journal. Draw one creature a week and write “Subhan Allah” next to it.

Pets and Islam

Many Muslim families keep pets, and caring for an animal can teach responsibility and mercy.

• Cats have a special place. A Companion said of a cat drinking from his wudu water that the Prophet ﷺ said it is not impure and is one of those that go around among you (Sunan Abi Dawud 75 · Hasan Sahih, al-Albani).
• Birds and small animals. The Prophet ﷺ knew a little boy’s pet bird by name and asked him about it (Sahih al-Bukhari 6129 · Sahih).
• Dogs. The Prophet ﷺ discouraged keeping a dog except as a guard dog or for hunting (Sahih al-Bukhari 5480 · Sahih). Scholars differ on details, such as other working or assistance dogs, and on matters of purity. Whatever your family decides, children should always be kind to dogs, as the story of the thirsty dog shows.

For more on noticing Allah’s gifts, see teaching children gratitude. The prophets’ stories are full of animals too, from Nuh’s ark to Sulayman and the ant; see stories of the prophets for kids. For more hands-on ideas, try Islamic activities for preschoolers at home.