Hadith 17

Excellence in All Things

الإحسان في كل شيء

إنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ، وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذِّبْحَةَ، وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ، وَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيحَتَهُ

Translation

Allah has prescribed excellence in all things. If you kill, kill well. If you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each of you sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to the animal he slaughters.

Narrated by

Shaddad ibn Aws

شداد بن أوس رضي الله عنه

Source

Sahih Muslim

صحيح مسلم

Explanation

Islam commands excellence (ihsan) in everything, even in matters that might seem harsh. This hadith shows mercy extends even to slaughter, minimizing animal suffering.

Key Lessons

  • 1Excellence is prescribed in all actions
  • 2Mercy extends to all creatures
  • 3Even necessary harm should be minimized
  • 4Quality matters in all deeds

Related Topics

ihsanmercyanimals