On a recent shopping trip, I happened to pass by a pet shop, where a big monkey in a small cage outside the entrance broke my heart. I gathered up the guts to enter the shop, only to leave in tears, deeply saddened by what I had seen. Poor, helpless animals imprisoned in tiny cages without even enough space to turn around; their sad, pleading eyes haunted me as I fought the urge to set them free, assured that none would be able to explain for what crime they had been incarcerated in such inhumane and unnatural 'habitats'. I wondered if the pet shop owner ever thought about what it would be like to be paralyzed; in the same way as he had kidnapped birds and put them in little cages. Maybe only a fellow animal lover would really understand what I felt that day, yet the importance of kindness to animals is something every Muslim should understand as a part of his way of life.Where are the people of the Sunnah? (traditions of the Prophet Muhammad) Has Allaah plucked the mercy from the hearts of people to make them so cold that they lack an ounce of sympathy for one of Allaah's beautiful creatures, although they see it so helpless and pitiful? I remembered Abu Hurayrah, a close companion of the Noble Messenger of Allaah, who narrated more Hadeeths (traditions) than any other companion. He was known for being very sympathetic and loving towards animals. Though his name was ‘Abdur Rahmaan, he was known as Abu Hurayrah (meaning father of the kitten) because of a small cat that he used to feed and care for and carry with him everywhere he went.