Pigs may not fly in heaven

[This post first appeared on the Guardian Cif Belief section, in answer to the question: Do animals have souls.]
Muslims’ complex relationship with animals in this life makes for uncertainty in the next

A cursory look at Islamic scriptures would indicate that the souls of animals do not carry on into the afterlife. Islam however, has plenty to say on animals and our relationships with them.

Animals are viewed as creatures that are deemed to be in a state of constant worship. In terms of their place in the earthly hierarchy, they are mentioned with humans and jinn. (Jinn being creatures of energy, not genies, who live in lamps, are voiced by Robin Williams and frustratingly do not allow unlimited wishes as the first wish). The difference however is that whilst humans and jinn have free will, animals do not.

This has an impact on how creatures are to be judged. In Islamic teachings, on the day of reckoning, all creatures will rise up and have justice for any wrong that was done to them, including animals. However, only humans and jinn will be judged on their actions and go on to the afterlife.

This then brings on the question that every small child asks on the death of a pet. Mummy, will I see kitty in heaven? I remember asking this when our own family cat went missing and the reply was, “Allah is generous and infinite in his mercy, so if you want kitty in heaven, Allah will provide.”

But what about animals in this life? Muslims have a multi-faceted relationship with animals. We eat them, we sacrifice them, we are allowed to hunt them for dinner and some we keep as pets. Others are seen as ritually unclean while many are viewed as benign but not suitable for human consumption. There was a heated discussion in my family recently regarding pigs, which only came to an end after we were reminded that Allah does not make mistakes, and therefore our porcine friends have their purpose too.

In general, I tend to see the Muslim view of animals as a simple choice: curry or kebab? We like them; we know our relationship with them is temporary; we will enjoy them while we can. As to whether we will enjoy them in the afterlife, I was taught that in heaven if you want any animal as food, you just think of it and it will appear in your hand ready cooked. It was not clear whether this included, God forgive me, a bacon sandwich.

Much as Muslims love their meat, it is however unfair to reduce our view of animals to one of basic consumption and even for this, there are precise rules governing animal slaughter to ensure the animal is caused minimal distress. The broad principle is that we are instructed to be kind to animals. An illustration of this is the story of the Prophet Muhammad who loved his cat so much that when it fell asleep on the sleeve of his robe he cut off the sleeve rather than disturb the cat. In another narration we hear of how a man was granted paradise for giving water to a thirsty dog.

This level of compassion towards animals has admittedly yet to translate into a mass movement in animal welfare. As Nazry Bahrawi mentioned on these pages, human beings are considered vice-regents on earth, and are therefore accountable for how they behave towards the earth and its inhabitants. To my mind, all of this adds up to one thing; if you want kitty or kebabs in heaven, be kind to animals on earth.