We hear what U.S.A talk about human rights. So, I want to know the animals' rights in Islam.

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Islam is the religion of mercy; it is from Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful. He Says addressing His Messenger Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, {And We have sent you (O Muhammad not but as a mercy for the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).} [Quran 21:107].

Such great Divine Mercy exceeds the human being to embrace animals and even each and everything in this universe. Islam favors animals with a special care. Here is an explanation of such a truth.

1) Islam prohibits to torture or to commit an aggression against animals. Ibn 'Umar reported that "Once he passed by some Quraish young men who had made a living animal target and were shooting arrows at the bird which they had tied down. They had arranged with the owner of the bird that all the arrows that missed the target would become his property. When they saw Ibn 'Umar they scattered. Ibn 'Umar asked: who has done this? May Allah's curse be upon the person who did this. The Prophet has cursed the man who makes a living animal a target for shooting”. [Bukhari and Muslim]

Anas saw some young men who had made a living hen target and were shooting arrows at it, then he said: “The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, has forbidden making an animal a target for arrow shooting (till death)”. [Bukhari and Muslim]

2) Islam prohibits to harm animals through brand or punch on their faces and provocating animal fights.

Jabir reported that once a donkey which had been tattooed on its faces passed by the Prophet who said: “Have you not learned that I have cursed the one who brands his/her donkey on its face or beats its face?! He prohibited such an action”. [Abu Dawood] Another Hadith from Ibn 'Abbasread: “Allah's Messenger has banned to make animals fight one another”. [Al-Tirmithi and Abu Dawood]

3) Islam prohibits to frighten animals. Ibn Masoud said: “We were on a journey with Allah's Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He went to answer the call of nature. We saw a lark along with two nestlings, so we took its young, then the lark came by flittering its wings (i.e. agitated). Thereupon, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Who has afflicted this lark on account of its nestlings? Give them back”. [Ahmad and Abu Dawood]

4) Islam instructs to deal with animal kindly while slaughtering it. So, one has to have a sharp knife, to sharpen it far from animals and slaughter not one animal in front of the other.

Shaddad Ibn 'Aus reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Verily Allah has prescribed al-Ihsan (i.e. performing an action in a perfect manner) towards everything. Thus, if you kill (anyone for some genuine reason), kill (him-her) humanely; when you slaughter (an animal), slaughter (it) well. And everyone of you should sharpen his blade to give rest to the animal he slaughters”. [Imam Muslim]

In 'Abbas reported that a man made a sheep lie down to slaughter it while he was sharpening his blade, so the Prophet said: “Would you like to make it die twice? You should have sharpen your blade before making it lie down”. [Al-Hakim]

Another narration reads that 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab saw a man while slaughtering an animal, and another animal was looking at it. So, ‘Umar beat the man with his baton”. [Al-Baihaqi in his book of al-Sunan]

5) Islam orders owners of animals not make them carry unbearable loads, to provide them with food and drink and to avoid use of unwell animals.

‘Abdullah Ibn Ja'far reported that the Prophet entered a garden of one of al-Ansar (Muslims of al-Madina, the Helpers) and suddenly a camel - while seeing the Prophet - started to grumble sadly and its eyes shedding tears. So, the Prophet came near it and rubbed over the back of its ears. Then, he said: “Who is the owner of this camel?” One of al-Ansar answered: 'It is mine. O Allah's Messenger'. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallm, said: “Fear Allah concerning this beast, which Allah has made you its owner. It complains that you starve and make it tired”. [Ahmad and Abu Dawood]

Thus, Fuqaha of Islam have stated that if the owner of an animal does not give the animal its rights, he is forced to do that through courts; otherwise, he is forced to sell it.

6) Islam states that Allah, the Great and Almighty, forgives the previous sins for those treat animals kindly.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet said: “There was a dog moving around a well whom thirst would have killed. Suddenly, a prostitute from the prostitutes of Bani Israil happened to see it and she drew water in her shoe and let it drink, and she was pardoned because of this”. [Reported by Imams Bukhari and Muslim]

Ibn Umar reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “A woman was punished because she had kept a cat tied up until it died and (as a punishment for this offence) she was thrown into Hell. She had not provided the cat with food or drink, and had not freed the cat. So that she could eat the insects of the earth”. [Bukhari and Muslim]

Allah knows best.