Animals Mentioned In The Quran by Tinytapps

Animals Mentioned in the Quran


Over two hundred verses deal with animals and birds and six chapters (Suras) of the Holy Quran are named after them.

Within the stories of the Prophets and events related in the Holy Quran, we uncover references to animals and birds. The Holy Quran has either flashed a certain episode of their lives or has propelled them on the platform of some events.

1. Elephant – Chapter 105 – Al Fil is about an event that took place in Mecca about 570 A.D., during the year of Prophet Muhammad’s birth, where elephants and flocks of birds were involved. The moral of this event is, Abraha found to his cost, that man cannot be intoxicated by power and material possessions. His profane attack on the Holy Kaa’ba brought about his own undoing.

2. The Ants – Chapter 27 – Al Naml is about the times of Prophet Suleiman (King Solomon). Verse 16, reveals that Prophet Suleiman knew the language of birds and reference is also made to the communication between birds through their chirping and singing.

Verses 20-26, the Hoopoe, a pious and royal bird belonging to Prophet Suleiman, after an absence from his muster of birds, came back revealing information on the Queen of Sheba and her whereabouts.
Hence, various degrees of intelligence, skill and development through order, discipline, justice and teamwork are demonstrated by stories involving birds and ants as team players.

3. Cattle- Chapter 6- An’am- this chapter partly deals with the ascription of all life, activity and existence including all animals, birds, reptiles, insects and so on, to the Will and Plan of Allah.

4. The Bee-Chapter 16- An Nahl- is a narration of how all the wonderful things on earth are due to Allah’s artistry, teachings, power and wisdom, like the flight of birds in mid-air.

5. The Spider-Chapter 29-Al Ankabut- is about how ignorant men build their hopes, dreams and lives around unsustainable material world which, like the spider’s web, is destroyed by forces of nature, animals and men, off and on.

6. Heifer - Chapter 2- Al Baqara- verse 40-121- event took place in the tribe of Banu Israel in the era of Prophet Musa (Moses). The lesson here is however hard men try to hide their crimes Allah brings them to light in unexpected ways.

By allegorical interpretation, quoting animals and birds in many verses, the Quran depicts the harmony that exists in all creation…a relative multi-dimensional balance that couldn’t have been possible without the Divine Will.

-SAJEDA JAMAL

Reference The Holy Quran, translation by A. Yusuf Ali