Mighty as Pet

Kazi Md. Mukitul Islam

Islam strongly enjoins Muslims to treat animals with compassion and not to abuse them. The animals, together with all creatures, are believed to praise God, even if this praise is not expressed in human language. Recognizing the love, he named his famous companion as Abu Hurayrah (R) or father of cat.  Affirming that, keeping and raising animal is something that is permitted in Islam and there is nothing wrong with it.
Keeping pet in the house simulates modern trend nowadays. It is another symbol of being civilized. In USA about 67% household keep pets. Due to financial disability, people in our parts of the world barely afford to keep them. Normally, a pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person’s enjoyment. The main difference between a pet and a wild animal or to livestock is that, the later is kept for economic or productive reasons and former for pleasure. From President to a gatekeeper, almost all the classes of people keep pet. However, when fortune smiles to the owners, some of it falls upon their pet too. In addition, this is the only way for a pet to get recognized and famous, unlike being rare of its kind. The Times magazine in the latest addition, articulated 10 of the most famous pets of the world.
Checkers: (Richard Nixon)
Checkers did not live to see Richard Nixon become president, but the black and white cocker spaniel helped make it all possible. In 1952, when allegations of an illegal slush fund arose while then-Senator Nixon was running for vice-president, Tricky Dick delivered a nationally televised address to defuse the scandal. It would become known as the “Checkers” speech.. The speech was a hit, Nixon remained the Republican vice presidential candidate.

Socks: (Clinton)
A black and white cat. When 11-year old Chelsea Clinton left a piano lesson one day in 1991, Socks literally jumped into her arms — and Chelsea wouldn’t let go. The Clinton.s adopted the cat, who eventually moved with them from the Arkansas Governor’s mansion to the White House. Socks passed away on February 20, 2009 after a long bout with jaw cancer.
The Royal Corgis : (King George VI)
The Royal Corgis, often seen trailing beside Her Majesty’s feet — were first introduced by King George VI in 1933. An instant hit with the royal household, the Queen kept up the Corgi tradition by owning three to four at any one time. Slightly spoiled, these stubby- legged hounds get the full royal treatment with their very own Corgi Room and an extensive menu of rabbit and beef served up by a gourmet chef. Not bad for a dog’s life!

Caesar’s Giraffe: (Julius Caesar)
In 48 BC, the celebrated Roman consul Julius Caesar embarked on a successful campaign in the East where he eventually ended up entwined in the arms of the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra. Before leaving his paramour, he decided to bring back a menagerie of exotic animals including lions, panthers and green monkeys. Most beguiling of all was one strange, long-necked half-camel, half-leopard (as the Romans saw it) creature: a giraffe.

Bo-bama : (Barack H. Obama)
Perhaps one of the most powerful and renowned dog these days. Upon becoming the 44th President, Barack Obama revealed that he’d promised a dog to his daughters, Sasha and Malia. The Portuguese water dog was a gift from the late Senator Edward Kennedy and his wife Victoria. Tomatoes are Bo’s favorite food and he doesn’t know how to swim. The Washington Post was granted exclusive access to Bo and revealed, “Bo’s a handsome little guy. Well suited for formal occasions at the White House.

Putin’s Tiger: (Vladimir Putin)
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin may not come across as a big cat lover. However, on his 56th birthday in 2008, when he received a two-month-old 20-pound pet tigress named Mashenka, the world saw the former KGB agent’s softer side. The cub spent at least three days sleeping in a wicker basket at his home before being given to a zoo in Southern Russia. But Putin’s love for the endangered species also extends to his political maneuvers. Not only did he bring together 13 countries at a November conference endorsed by WWF last year, but he also rose over $330 million in funds to preserve the soon to be extinct species.
Churchill’s Cats: (Winston Churchill)
While many bits of trivia might be known about World War II-era British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, his love of felines isn’t necessarily one of them. Nevertheless, he owned several cats. During his time as PM, his best-known cat was a grey called Nelson. There were even rumors that Nelson sat in with his master during Cabinet meetings, and Churchill once told a colleague that Nelson was doing more than he was for the war effort.

Larry: (David Cameron)
Talk about rags to riches. Until January, Larry was a stray tomcat roughing it on the streets of London. But shortly after a London animal shelter rescued him, the four-year old kitty to hunt down mice in the offices and meeting rooms of the Prime Minister. Larry has wasted little time cozying up to Britain’s most powerful politician. According to his former keeper, “They got on famously. There are cat hairs all over David Cameron’s nice suit.”

Toy Poodles: (King Louis XVI)
Aside from the fact that he was beheaded during the French Revolution along with his wife Marie Antoinette, King Louis XVI is also often remembered as the monarch who was fond of his toy poodles. The affection, though, was one shared with the entire French royal court. The miniature dogs were often given ornate haircuts and carried around like trophies.
Wild Animals: (Ramzan Kadyrov’s)
Ramzan Kadyrov became president of Chechnya in 2007, following his appointment by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has at various points in his life owned as pets a tiger, lion, wolf and a bear. The origins of his animals are unclear. For example, a Kadyrov aid told the Guardian newspaper that the leader nursed the once-dying tiger back to health, while Kadyrov claimed to have received it as a gift.

Rearing dog and other animals as a pet has some special rulings and as well as some codes of conduct. With regard to the conditions and guidelines on keeping animals, these include the following:
The animal that is kept should not be a dog. It is not permissible for a Muslim to keep a dog, unless he needs this dog for hunting, guarding livestock or guarding crops. Al-Bukhaari (2145) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever keeps a dog, a qiraat (is an amount that is known to Allah) from his good deeds will be deducted every day, except a dog for farming or herding livestock.”
Not going so far with regard to this matter that it reaches the stage of blameworthy extravagance. (not spend too much )
The animal must be treated kindly. If a Muslim keeps an animal, he must provide it with proper food and drink, and not cause it any harm or injury. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has told us of a woman who went to Hell because of her neglect of a cat which she detained and it died of hunger; she did not feed it or let it go and eat of the vermin of the earth.
A simple animal can be the decider of our heaven or hell. Person has to be careful while treating animals in general and even more serious to the animal of his ownership. As Muhammad (S) is also reported (Narrated by Ibn Omar and Abdallah bin Al-As) to have said: “There is no man who kills [even] a sparrow or anything smaller, without its deserving it, but God will question him about it [on the judgment day],” and “Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself.” May Allah bless us all.