Care for Animals: Prophetic Guidance

“A man was walking on a road in scorching heat; he saw a well and went down into it to quench his thirst. When he climbed up again, he saw a dog panting with thirst and said to himself: ‘This dog is as thirsty as I was.’ He went down into the well again, filled his shoe with water, and climbed up, holding it between his teeth. He gave it to the dog to drink, and God rewarded him for this and forgave his sins.”
“The Prophet was then asked: ‘O Prophet, do we get a reward for being good to animals?’ And the Prophet answered: ‘Any good done to a living creature gets a reward.’ On another occasion, he said: ‘A woman was punished for a cat she had imprisoned until it died. Because of this cat, she went to hell. She did not give it food or drink while she confined it, nor did she enable it to eat its prey.'”
The Prophet said: ‘Whoever kills a sparrow or a bigger animal without respecting its right to exist will be accountable to God for it on the Day of Judgment.’
(Taken from Tariq Ramadan, The Messenger: The Meanings of the Life of Muhammad)