Animals mentioned in the Quran: The topic of “Animals in the Quran” examines how Islam views animals. They are occasionally described in the Quran in terms of their legality or illegality, like pigs, for instance. Animals are also employed in other contexts, such as the telling of a historical story about a nation or group of people, or as metaphors or similes to convey a reality. The devotion and worship of animals by Kafirs are topics covered in the Quran as well.
Facts from the Quran About Animals
14 animals are listed in the Quran.
1) The Quran includes references to various types of creatures, including birds, reptiles, insects, and four-legged animals.
2) Six surahs in the Quran are named after animals, namely Baqarah, An‘aam, Nahl, Naml, Ankabut, and Fil.
3) The Quran also mentions certain halal animals such as cows, calves, camels, and birds (with some species being considered halal in Islam and others not).
4) On the other hand, the Quran identifies several haram animals including elephants, monkeys, pigs, ants, spiders, gnats, and honeybees.
Animals in the Quran: An Introduction
Animals play a significant role in both human life and the natural world. They play a significant role in the cycle of life and are a part of it. We shall look at a few of the animals mentioned in the Quran in this article, along with the various situations in which they are used.
Which Animals are mentioned in the Quran?
Here is a list of every animal mentioned in the Quran:
Cow
Calf
Donkey
Elephant
Camel
Monkey
Pig
Honey
Bee
Ant
Birds
Spider
Mosquito
Locust
Lion
What is the Quran’s view on animals?
As you are aware, the Quran makes mention of different kinds of animals. Several animals have indeed been mentioned in varying contexts. Several animals are referenced in the Quran on occasion, either in regard to whether eating them is permissible or for other purposes, or as a metaphor to explain something or to impart a lesson. We shall now examine a few verses and several animals mentioned in the Quran to discover what the Quran says about them.
Birds mentioned in the Quran.
Birds have traditionally been used in the Quran as one of the animals without reference to a specific species and in a variety of settings. The following is one of them:
The Destruction of an Army by Birds
وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ ﴿3﴾
And send bird swarms to attack them.
Abraha, the ruler of Yemen, led an army of elephants in his quest to destroy the Ka’bah. The Quraysh evacuated Makkah after seeing this army because they believed they lacked the strength to confront them.
Only Shaybah ibn Uthman and Abdul Muttalib were left behind as a result.
Abraha went to the Ka’bah intending to destroy it when the Ababil birds attacked the army and started throwing stones at them which they were carrying in their beaks. As a result, the army was wiped out.
They are also mentioned in relation to the Prophet Ibrahim. He seeks inner peace, and God instructs him to kill a bird, call to it, and have it return as a whole.
The hoopoe in relation to Prophet Solomon is one case where a bird is addressed by name. The bird alerts the Prophet about the worship of idols by the Queen of Sheba and her subjects.
Insects mentioned in the Quran.
In the Quran, many insects are referred to as being related to animals, usually in the context of a metaphor and to convey a lesson.
The Spider
مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّـهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا ۖ وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنكَبُوتِ ۖ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿41﴾
The spider that takes a home is the metaphor for people who choose guardians over Allah, and had they known, the spider’s home is in fact the weakest of all homes.
It has been compared to a spider choosing or creating a home when describing how polytheists choose guardians for themselves independent from God. The weakest of homes, a spider’s web is simply a house in name.
The polytheists’ selected guardians, in a similar manner, are merely guardians in name because they neither bring benefit nor harm; they do not control life, death or resurrection.
Ants
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَتَوْا عَلَىٰ وَادِ النَّمْلِ قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَانُ وَجُنُودُهُ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ ﴿18﴾
When they came to the Valley of Ants, an ant said, ‘O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts should trample on you while they are unaware.’
As the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) and his army were out one day, they went into an area where ants were living. One of the ants noticed this and warned the other ants to retreat inside their burrows in order to avoid being crushed by Prophet Solomon’s army. As the Prophet heard what they had to say, he grinned and thanked God for all the blessings He had given him, including prophethood, the ability to comprehend animal communication, a sizable kingdom, an army of jinn, humans, and birds, among other things. He expressed gratitude to God for benefiting his parents as well.
This demonstrates that animals have some type of reasoning as well, and they are able to identify harmful and corrupt behavior in one another. Also, they communicate with one another through instructions and prohibitions.
The Gnat
إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يَسْتَحْيِي أَن يَضْرِبَ مَثَلًا مَّا بَعُوضَةً فَمَا فَوْقَهَا ۚ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّـهُ بِهَـٰذَا مَثَلًا ۘ يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثِيرًا وَيَهْدِي بِهِ كَثِيرًا ۚ وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِ إِلَّا الْفَاسِقِينَ ﴿26﴾
Indeed Allah is not ashamed to draw a parable whether it is that of a gnat or something above it. As for those who have faith, they know it is the truth from their Lord; and as for the faithless, they say, ‘What did Allah mean by this parable?’ Thereby He leads many astray, and thereby He guides many; and He leads no one astray thereby except the transgressors.
For the purpose of assisting people in comprehending reality, the Quran places a high value on parables. The usage of animals in the Quran is an example of how parables are used to convey meaning. According to the scripture, God does not deflect or become passive when speaking in parables, any more than a person who is frightened to speak in parables would become passive.
Regarding these parables, people can be divided into two groups:
The followers who are aware that these parables are real and are intended to clarify a situation
Yet people who reject the truth and don’t believe in God question what God is trying to say with this story.
And as we can see from the verse’s response, it can both lead some people in the right direction and lead others astray. Both have their roots in the people, and it is their decision.
The Honeybee
وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ ﴿68﴾
And your Lord inspired the bee [saying]: ‘Make your home in the mountains, and on the trees and the trellises that they erect.
The creation of the honeybee and the production of honey by it is one of the evidence of God’s Unity and Tawheed. The term “awha,” which in this context means “inspiration,” indicates that God has given the honeybee sole duty for carrying out this task and that other insects are unable to do so.
One of the evidence for Tawheed, the influence of God’s will on the world and His provisions for life, is this inspiration and fundamental and instinctual knowledge.
Animals with four legs in the Quran
The Quran refers to a category of animals that includes four-legged animals like donkeys, camels, cows, and calves.
The Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) and the stories that have been related about him in the Quran have received the majority of mentions of the cow and calf. for instance, during the 40-day absence of Prophet Musa (a.s.), which included the butchering of the cow, their interrogation, and their worship of the calf. The related article on this prophet, therefore, has a discussion on these animals.
Moving further, we’ll talk about the camel and the donkey.
The Donkey
مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ حُمِّلُوا التَّوْرَاةَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَحْمِلُوهَا كَمَثَلِ الْحِمَارِ يَحْمِلُ أَسْفَارًا ۚ بِئْسَ مَثَلُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّـهِ ۚ وَاللَّـهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿5﴾
The example of those who were charged with the Torah, then failed to carry it, is that of an ass carrying books. Evil is the example of the people who deny Allah’s signs, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing lot. [62: 5]
Prophet Moses received the Torah as a revelation, and he transmitted its principles and regulations to the Israelites. Some of them, though, deserted him and disobeyed its orders. God compares humans to donkeys because they carry loads and books yet are unaware of the teachings and truths they convey. They only experience fatigue as a result of bearing the weight of the books.
The Quran uses the example of the Jews to remind Muslims of the importance of religion, the need to be God-fearing, the need to revere and respect Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his household), the importance of not downplaying what he brought, and the danger of experiencing God’s wrath as it did the Jews.
If they don’t, they’ll also be compared to donkeys who haul burdens but receive no reward for doing so.
The Camel
أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى الْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ ﴿17﴾
Do they not observe the camel, [to see] how it has been created
The camel is yet another animal mentioned in the Quran.
In this verse, those who contest God’s authority are urged to consider how the camel was made and how God brought it into being in this peculiar form from a barren, lifeless area. Not only is this form odd, but so are its limbs, faculties, and behaviors. Man has taken control of this large body and uses it to carry objects, as well as its skin, flesh, and milk.
The Pig
قُل لَّا أَجِدُ فِي مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ مُحَرَّمًا عَلَىٰ طَاعِمٍ يَطْعَمُهُ إِلَّا أَن يَكُونَ مَيْتَةً أَوْ دَمًا مَّسْفُوحًا أَوْ لَحْمَ خِنزِيرٍ فَإِنَّهُ رِجْسٌ أَوْ فِسْقًا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّـهِ بِهِ ۚ فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿145﴾
Say, ‘I do not find in what has been revealed to me that anyone be forbidden to eat anything except carrion or spilt blood, or the flesh of swine—for that is indeed unclean—or an impiety offered to other than Allah.’ But should someone be compelled, without being rebellious or aggressive, indeed your Lord is all-forgiving, all-merciful.
The pig or swine is one of the animals that are haram for consumption or other uses.
The word “rijs” (رجس), which refers to filth and uncleanliness, is used in the verse to explain why eating pigs is forbidden.
Various Other Animals
Several animals are mentioned in the Quran as well. As in the above-mentioned Abraha story, where he amassed an army of elephants to destroy the Ka’bah, or the monkey or the locust. However, since they are only briefly mentioned in this page without any further explanation, we have not included them.
Animals and Worship in the Quran
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالطَّيْرُ صَافَّاتٍ ۖ كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ ﴿41﴾
Have you not regarded that Allah is glorified by everyone in the heavens and the earth, and the birds spreading their wings. Each knows his prayer and glorification, and Allah knows best what they do
All that is in Heaven and the earth and all that is between glorifies God, according to this verse and other verses. The Quran also mentions animals as praising and worshipping God.
The Arabic word ‘tasbeeh’ (تسبیح) indicates to think of God as flawless and infallible from all that is worthless and from flaws. Some interpreters think that when the passages talk of the tasbeeh (glorification) of God, they are referring to existential tasbeeh. In other words, their very being serves to demonstrate God’s will, wisdom, knowledge, and justice.
Others, however, hold the view that all of creation is tasbeeh and is capable of some level of reasoning and knowledge. Our ears, however, are unable to understand their voices.
The Creation’s Speech
We were given speech by Allah, who also granted speech to all things, so it is not impossible for things to talk because it will happen on Qiyamah. Even stones have humility and knowledge, and they tumble from mountains because of fear of God. Some stones tumble out of fear of Allah.
Prophet Solomon was able to communicate with birds and understand ants. The hoopoe discovered the population’s deviation and arrived to inform him of it. In passages, God also addressed the mountains, saying, “O mountains, chime in with me!” 29 30
In addition to these occasions, the Quran and narrations both mention worshipping other species.
In the Narrations
A narration claims that Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (peace be on him) said, “This bird is occupied in worshipping and praising God,” upon hearing the sound of a sparrow.
Animals mentioned in the Quran: A Synopsis
The Quran uses animals in a variety of ways, sometimes to describe events in the lives of the Prophets and other times as metaphors or similes to make a point more understandable. Sometimes they are described in terms of which ones are allowed or forbidden.
Since animals are mentioned as praising and glorifying God, which implies thinking and knowledge, it is implied that they have intelligence and knowledge.
These were the Animals mentioned in the Quran. Read more Islamic Blogs or Follow us on social media for daily Islamic reminders.
