Quranic theme
Beasts
7 verses
Every creature that crawls across the dirt and every bird that flies with its wings exists in a structured society. The text does not treat beasts merely as a silent backdrop to human history; they are deliberate, active creations scattered entirely across the earth. In their physical forms and behaviors, they carry distinct signs intended specifically for people who possess sure faith (45:4). The Creator of the heavens and earth designed the animal kingdom with the same foundational biological imperatives given to humanity, pairing them with mates from among themselves so that their populations may continually multiply (42:11).
Are animals considered societies? When observing a crawling beast or a flock crossing the sky, a person is instructed to recognize parallel civilizations. The verses explicitly define both the creatures on the ground and those in the air as "communities like yourselves" (6:38). They are not isolated biological accidents, but organized groups operating under the decree of the One who created every kind of thing (43:12). Because they are classified as communities, their existence is treated with formal weight. The divine Record catalogues their lives meticulously, missing absolutely nothing of their time on earth.
Do beasts worship their Creator? The obedience of animals forms part of a massive, continuous congregation that encompasses the entire physical universe. The sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, and the animals are all listed together as entities that submit inherently to God (22:18). In this framework of universal obedience, beasts stand in stark contrast to humanity. While animals submit by their very nature, human beings remain divided; many humans submit willingly, but many others earn well-deserved punishment (22:18). The beasts are held up as an example of unblemished submission to the One who does whatever He wills.
Why does humanity have power over them? Human dominion over animals is repeatedly framed as a granted privilege rather than an innate right. God directs attention to livestock, asking if people cannot see that these specific animals were made by "Our hands" (36:71). Human control over massive, powerful beasts is a specific, engineered allowance from the Creator. This control manifests in daily survival and mobility. Beasts are provided as mounts for riding, functioning as land-based vessels grouped conceptually alongside the ships given for human travel across water (43:12).
Sustaining these shared populations of humans and animals requires continuous intervention from the sky. When rain falls from above, its explicit dual purpose is to revive a dead land and to provide an essential drink for the many animals and people He brought into being (25:49). Both the master and the ridden beast rely entirely on the same life-giving water originating from the Creator, who stands apart from all creation as the All Hearing, the All Seeing, with nothing like Him (42:11).
The animals share humanity's earthly origin, their daily sustenance, and their ultimate destination. They are not simply discarded when their utility to people comes to an end. The same absolute ledger that tracks human history encompasses the crawling creatures and the winged birds, having missed nothing out of the Record, until the moment they are finally gathered to their Lord (6:38).
Verses
All 7 verses, in mushaf order.
وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَـٰٓئِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّآ أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُم ۚ مَّا فَرَّطْنَا فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ مِن شَىْءٍ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ
all the creatures that crawl on the earth and those that fly with their wings are communities like yourselves. We have missed nothing out of the Record- in the end they will be gathered to their Lord.
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ وَٱلنُّجُومُ وَٱلْجِبَالُ وَٱلشَّجَرُ وَٱلدَّوَآبُّ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ ٱلْعَذَابُ ۗ وَمَن يُهِنِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن مُّكْرِمٍ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَآءُ ۩
Do you not realize [Prophet] that everything in the heavens and earth submits to God: the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, and the animals? So do many human beings, though for many others punishment is well deserved. Anyone disgraced by God will have no one to honour him: God does whatever He will.
لِّنُحْـِۧىَ بِهِۦ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتًا وَنُسْقِيَهُۥ مِمَّا خَلَقْنَآ أَنْعَـٰمًا وَأَنَاسِىَّ كَثِيرًا
so that We can revive a dead land with it, and We give it as a drink to many animals and people We have created.
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَا لَهُم مِّمَّا عَمِلَتْ أَيْدِينَآ أَنْعَـٰمًا فَهُمْ لَهَا مَـٰلِكُونَ
Can they not see how, among the things made by Our hands, We have created livestock they control,
فَاطِرُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًا وَمِنَ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ أَزْوَٰجًا ۖ يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِۦ شَىْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ
the Creator of the heavens and earth.’ He made mates for you from among yourselves––and for the animals too––so that you may multiply. There is nothing like Him: He is the All Hearing, the All Seeing.
وَٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْأَزْوَٰجَ كُلَّهَا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْفُلْكِ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ مَا تَرْكَبُونَ
who created every kind of thing, who gave you ships and animals to ride on
وَفِى خَلْقِكُمْ وَمَا يَبُثُّ مِن دَآبَّةٍ ءَايَـٰتٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ
in the creation of you, in the creatures God scattered on earth, there are signs for people of sure faith;