Is It Permissible to Castrate Animals to Stunt Their Growth or Make Them Docile?

Answered by Ustadh Salman Younas

Question: There is a practice in the west in which farmers remove the testicles of bull cattle at a young age so that they become docile and manageable for work. They grow to great sizes; much larger than they would’ve been had they not been altered. Because many people consume their meat and prefer it for its tenderness, I am asking if this is an example of changing the creation of Allah?

Answer: assalamu `alaykum

It is permissible to castrate an animal if done for a sound purpose, such as to stunt their growth or make them docile. Otherwise, it is impermissible. [Ibn `Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

This is indicated by the fact that the Prophet (Allah bless him) slaughtered two castrated rams, as narrated by Ibn Majah and Imam Ahmad in his Musnad with a sound chain.

This was also the position held by many of the leading scholars of the generation after the Companions, such as Hasan al-Basri, `Ata ibn Abi Rabah, Ibn Sirin, and so forth. [Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra]

With this said, such a procedure should be done in a manner that causes as little harm to the animal as possible, keeping in line with the general dictates of the law regarding harming animals, while making sure that it does not lead to the animal perishing.

Wassalam
Salman

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani