Be Gentle to Them: Animal Welfare and the Protection of Draft Animals in the Ottoman Fatwā Literature and Legislation

• Published in: Religions (Basel, Switzerland ) Vol. 11; no. 10; p. 538
• Main Author: Kızılkaya, Necmettin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-10-2020
• Subjects: 19th century; 8th century; animal protection; Animal welfare; Culture; draft animals; Ebussuūd Efendi; Fatwā; Islam; Islamic culture; Jurisprudence; Knowledge; Methods; Muslims; Ottoman Legislation; Quran; Religion; Schools; Sufism; Theology; Ottoman Empire
• ISSN: 2077-1444; 2077-1444
• DOI: 10.3390/rel11100538

Animal studies in the Islamic context have greatly increased in number in recent years. These studies mostly examine the subject of animal treatment through the two main sources of Islam, namely, the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad. Some studies that go beyond this examine the subject of animal treatment through the texts of various disciplines, especially that of Islamic jurisprudence and law. Although these two research approaches draw a picture on the subject of animal treatment, it is still not a full one. Other sources, such as fatwā books and archive documents, should be used to fill in the gaps. By incorporating these into the pool of research, we will be better enabled to understand how the principles expressed in the main sources of Islam are reflected in daily life. In this article, I shall examine animal welfare and animal protection in the Ottoman context based on the fatāwā of Shaykh al-Islām Ebū’s-Suʿūd Efendi and archival documents.