Treatment of Animals in "The Island of Animals"

Treatment of Animals in "The Island of Animals"

Passage

This quote comes from "The Island of Animals," one of the tales in the 10th century collection "The Epistles of the Brethren of Purity." In the story, humans ship wrecked onto an island, and quickly began mistreating the animals who lived there, as well as destroying their homes. The animals, outraged by this treatment, went to the jinn king of the island and demanded protection from the humans. The two parties went back and forth, each claiming superiority over the other, until the jury brought forth a wizened man, knowledgeable in many religions. The man stated that because humans are the only ones who were blessed by God with reason and whose actions in life will be judged in the afterlife, they are inherently superior to animals. The jinn considered this, and stated the above quote. Through this story, the message is two-fold: first, animals may have been created to assist humans and are thus subordinate, but humans are not permitted to mistreat them, and will be judged by God if they do; second, it highlights the importance of those in power being merciful and just towards their subjects.

"Epistles of the Brethren" of Purity in Classical Arabic Stories: An
Anthology

Columbia University Press

Original: 10th century (3rd to 4th century AH)

Translation: 2010 (1431 AH)

Translation: Fayez Suyyagh

Edits: Salma Khadra Jayyusi