Sunan Abi Dawud 5268
‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd Allah quoted his father as saying : When we were on a journey with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he had gone to releive himself, we saw a Hummarah with two young ones. We took the young ones. The Hummarah came and began to spread out its wings. Then the prophet (May peace be upon him) came and said : who has pained this young by the loss of her young? Give her young ones back to her. We also saw an ant-hill which we had burned. He asked? Who has burned this? We replied : we have. He said: it is not fitting that anyone but the lord of the fire should punish with fire.
- The context of this narration emphasizes several important lessons. Firstly, it highlights the Prophet’s compassion and concern for all living beings, including animals. He demonstrated this by recognizing and rectifying the distress caused to the Hummarah by taking away her young ones. Secondly, the narration teaches the companions, and by extension, the Muslim community, the principle of respecting and preserving all aspects of Allah’s creation. It admonishes against causing unnecessary harm or destruction to living beings, even small creatures like ants. The Prophet’s statement that it is not fitting for anyone except the Lord of the Fire to punish with fire serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting the boundaries and laws set by Allah.
Overall, this narration emphasizes the values of compassion, respect for creation, and adherence to the limits set by Allah. It encourages believers to be mindful of their actions and to treat all living beings with kindness and care.
