Short answer
Yes. Islam teaches kindness to every living creature. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) told of a man whose sins God (﷾) forgave because he gave water to a thirsty dog. The man climbed down a well, filled his shoe, and let the dog drink. People asked if there is a reward for kindness to animals. The Prophet (ﷺ) said there is a reward for serving any living creature. He also warned that a woman went to the Fire (Hell) for starving a cat she had tied up. Even an animal killed for food is owed mercy. The Prophet (ﷺ) told Muslims to sharpen the blade and spare the animal suffering. The Qur'an says animals and birds live in communities like ours, and all will be gathered to their Lord.
Animals in the teaching of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Qur'an
- A man who gave water to a thirsty dog was forgiven his sins.
- There is a reward for serving any living creature.
- A woman who starved a cat she had tied up went to the Fire.
- Sharpen the blade, and spare the animal suffering.
- Animals live in communities like ours, and all are gathered to their Lord.
Full explanation
Reward for mercy, punishment for cruelty
Two sayings of the Prophet (ﷺ) set the rule plainly. A man was forgiven his sins for bringing water to a dog dying of thirst. A woman was punished for letting a cat starve. So kindness to an animal can earn forgiveness, and cruelty to one is a sin.
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) told of a thirsty man who drank from a well, then saw a dog licking mud from thirst. He climbed down again, filled his shoe with water and gave the dog a drink, and God thanked him and forgave him. Asked whether there is reward for kindness to animals, the Prophet said there is reward for kindness to every living thing.
Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said a woman entered the Fire because of a cat she kept tied up, neither feeding it nor letting it go to find its own food.
Mercy even in slaughter
The Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah (﷾) has prescribed excellence in everything, including the killing of an animal for food. From this, Muslim scholars teach several rules. The blade is sharpened out of the animal's sight. One animal is not killed in front of another. The animal is not frightened or dragged. Allah's (﷾) name is spoken over the animal, and the cut is swift. It goes through the windpipe, the gullet (the food pipe) and the great blood vessels of the neck. The spinal cord is not cut before the animal has died.
Shaddad ibn Aws reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah has prescribed excellence in everything. So when you slaughter, slaughter well: sharpen the blade and spare the animal suffering.
Animals in the Qur'an
The Qur'an says every creature that walks or flies lives in communities like human communities. It says all of them will be gathered to their Lord. So animals are not objects in Islam. They are creatures that God (﷾) knows and will call back.
“There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.”
Perspectives
The Islamic perspective
Animals are owed kindness, and none may be made to suffer without need. The Prophet (ﷺ) promised reward for kindness to any living creature. He warned of punishment for cruelty. He commanded that even an animal killed for food be killed with the least suffering.
The Prophet (ﷺ) taught that a man was forgiven for giving water to a thirsty dog. He said there is a reward for serving any living creature.
The Prophet (ﷺ) taught that a woman was punished in the Fire for starving a cat she had tied up.
The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded that slaughter be done well, with a sharp blade, sparing the animal suffering.
Muslim scholars derive from this command that the animal must not see the blade sharpened or see another animal killed. They also say it must not be frightened or dragged, or have its spinal cord cut before it has died.
The Qur'an describes animals and birds as communities like human ones, all to be gathered to their Lord.