The Prophet Muhammad’s Favorite Animals
Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad was sent "as a mercy to all the worlds" (Q 21:107). His compassion was not limited to humans; it embraced every creature that shares our planet. The hadith literature is filled with scenes in which the Prophet notices the distress of an animal long before the people around him do, teaches kind treatment, and links mercy toward living beings with divine mercy toward ourselves.
Five species, in particular, appear again and again in the seerah (biography) and hadith corpus: cats, camels, horses, donkeys, and goats or sheep. Each enjoyed a special moment-or many moments-in the Prophet's life, and each carries ethical lessons for us today. What follows is an exploration of those five favorite animals, the primary texts that mention them, and the values the ummah can draw from their stories.
1. The Gentle Cat
"Did the Prophet Have a Cat?" Cats are among the most beloved pets, commonly kept and cared for in many households. Few anecdotes about the Prophet are more widely repeated than the tale of a cat named Muezza that once fell asleep on the Prophet's robe; rather than disturb her, he is said to have cut the cloth around her and left her in peace. Modern hadith experts point out that this story cannot be traced to any canonical collection and is best treated as folklore rather than strict history. Yet the lesson it conveys, never disturb a resting animal without cause, mirrors rigorously authenticated teachings.
The Prophet allowed cats to roam freely in his house, declared that they "are not impure; they mix with you" (Abu Dawud 75), and even performed ablutions from water that a cat had sipped. Fiqh manuals consequently regard cats as ritually clean. For a desert society where water was scarce and zoonotic disease a real fear, this ruling was strikingly lenient and underscored the Prophet's dislike of unnecessary hardship, for humans and animals.
Today, Muslim shelters and rescue organisations often cite the cat traditions when campaigning against the abandonment of pets. By recognising the weak chain behind the Muezza story while embracing the solid legal principle that supports it, Muslims maintain intellectual honesty and reaffirm prophetic gentleness toward small, vulnerable creatures.
2. Al-Qaswa - The Camel that Chose a City
The animal that carried the Prophet on his epoch-making hijrah from Makkah to Madinah was a she-camel called al-Qaswa. Purchased for four hundred silver dirhams, she refused every tug of the reins when the emigrants reached Yathrib; instead, she knelt in an empty lot belonging to two orphan brothers. The Prophet interpreted her action as divine guidance and built his mosque on that very spot.
Al-Qaswa took part in the Badr battle, the Uhud battle, and the Farewell Pilgrimage. Several authentic hadiths describe the Prophet stroking her neck when she grew tired and reproaching companions who spoke harshly to any camel. The Quran itself invites reflection on "how the camel is created" (Q 88:17), placing the species at the centre of divine signs in nature.
Ethically, the camel episodes teach us three lessons. First, mobility in pursuit of truth-physical or intellectual-often rests on humane treatment of the "vehicles" that carry us. Second, decisions that appear to be "made by animals" (the camel kneeling) may conceal a higher wisdom. Third, even utilitarian beasts deserve names, stories, and affection; al-Qaswa was not an interchangeable mount but a companion with her place in prophetic memory.
3. Horses - Goodness Tied to Their Forelocks
Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim both record the famous line: "Goodness is tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection." Commentators explain that "goodness" includes both immediate worldly benefits (speed, endurance, beauty) and lasting spiritual reward when horses are prepared for noble causes.
The Prophet owned several horses - among them al-Sakb ("The Pouring One") and al-Murtajiz ("The Thunderer") - and he encouraged responsible breeding. He forbade mutilating a horse's face, overworking it, or withholding its feed. The hadith of Ibn Abbas concerning a donkey branded on the face (see next section) is often applied to horses as well.
Modern Muslim equestrians draw on these narrations to promote ethical training regimes, avoiding practices that cause pain merely for spectacle. The prophetic link between "Good" and "Horse" also invites broader reflection on technology: whatever "steed" drives contemporary civilisation - cars, algorithms, or literal horsepower - must be harnessed in a way that earns divine commendation, not censure.
4. The Donkey Called Yafur - Voice of the Humble
A cluster of early reports speaks of a donkey that declared, "I am Yafur, last of a line that served earlier prophets," before offering itself to Muhammad. The chains of transmission are weak, and most scholars treat the talking-donkey motif as a cautionary tale rather than literal history. Nevertheless, rigorously authenticated texts preserve the Prophet's concern for donkeys.
When he passed a donkey branded on the face, he said, "May Allah curse the one who branded it," and prohibited striking or marking any animal on the face (Sahih Muslim 2117). He also forbade eating donkey meat at Khaybar - a ruling many jurists link to the animals' role as helpers rather than livestock. The Quran, in Surah Luqman, likens obnoxious speech to "the most repugnant of voices - the braying of the donkey" (Q 31:19), reminding believers that misuse of the tongue degrades the speaker as surely as cruelty degrades the rider.
In contemporary settings - from overloading working donkeys in brick kilns to using inflammatory rhetoric online - the prophetic perspective on donkeys challenges Muslims to uplift the voiceless and to soften their own "brays." Sanctity is measured not by status but by mercy.
5. Goats and Sheep - Milk of Humility
Before prophethood, Muhammad was a shepherd, and he later remarked, "Every prophet that Allah sent was a shepherd of sheep" (Bukhari 3406). One of the most touching episodes of the hijrah features the tent of Umm Ma'bad. Struck by drought, her goat gave no milk; with her permission, the Prophet stroked its flank, invoked Allah, and the udder filled until all present had drunk and enough remained for the family.
Beyond the miracle narrative, goats represent sustenance earned through gentle labour. Anas ibn Malik reports that the Prophet would mend his sandals and "milk his goat" despite leading a community (Shamail Muhammadiyyah). Ma'qil ibn Yasar's hadith relates that when he felt compassion for a goat he intended to slaughter, the Prophet praised his mercy, assuring him that Allah is merciful toward the merciful.
For modern Muslims, these narrations revive small-scale, ethical husbandry in an age dominated by industrial farming. They also emphasise manual skills and self-reliance while reminding us that provision (rizq) is from Allah, not from exploitative practices.
Mercy as a Universal Rule
Underlying every episode above is a master principle expressed in the sound hadith: "Allah will not be merciful to one who shows no mercy to people." Jurists derive concrete rulings - no face branding, no starvation, no sport hunting purely for amusement - from that ethical foundation. Spiritual teachers go further, urging believers to cultivate an empathic imagination: if a camel's tired sigh once redirected the geographic heart of Islam, perhaps our own choices should begin by listening to the quiet signals of the living world.
Ecologists now warn that the overuse of antibiotics in factory farms breeds "super bugs," while the United Nations reports that habitat loss accelerates zoonotic spill-overs. The prophetic model offers a different narrative: dignify animals, limit exploitation, take only what is needed, and the earth will yield barakah (blessing). In this sense, the five "favorite" animals serve as living parables whose relevance only grows with each environmental crisis.
