The Prophet of Allah,(PBUH )used to prohib it overworking animals, starving or harming them

‘“The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, made me ride behind him one day, and then he entered a garden that belonged to a man from the Ansaar (the residents of Ma- deenah) and saw a camel. When the camel saw the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, it started weeping. The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, approached it and patted the top of its head until it calmed down. Then he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, asked: “Who is the owner of this camel? To whom does this camel belong?” A young man from the Ansaar came and said: “It belongs to me, O Messenger of Allah.” Thereupon the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “You should fear Allah with regard to this animal that Allah gave in your possession; it complained that you starve it and overburden it with work.”1

that the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, came upon an emaciated camel (due to hunger) and said: “Fear Allah regarding these dumb animals. Ride them when they are in good condition and eat them when they are in good condition.”2

that the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, passed by some people whilst they were stand- ing on the backs of their animals. The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Ride them [your animals] in kindness [don’t overbur- den them] and dismount them when you do not need to ride them. Do not use them as chairs to sit on whilst on the streets or in the markets. Perhaps a ridden animal would be better [in the scale of Allah] than the one riding it, as it remembers Allah more frequently than he does.”5

that Prophet Muhammad, sal- lallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Beware of using the backs of your ani- mals as pulpits [making them stand for long periods only to talk or bar- gain in markets whilst on their backs]. Allah has subjected them to you so that it carries you to places that you would only reach with extreme hardship. Allah made the earth for you to walk on and stand on, so do your dealings on it.”6