Can I be Angry at Roosters Waking Me Up?
Answered by Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra
Question
In my neighborhood, people keep roosters as pets, and they often get into crowing battles. It goes on forever, sometimes at 2 or 3 AM, and disrupts my daily functioning. During a lockdown, they disturbed my online teaching too. Can I ask my neighbors to try and silence their birds or send them away? Is seeing angels the only time a rooster crows?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
Yes, you can ask your neighbors to try to silence their roosters – there is nothing wrong or disrespectful to religion in that.
Yes, it is reported that the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “When you hear a rooster crow, then ask Allah for His bounty, for it has seen an angel…” [Bukhari]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Do not berate the rooster, for it wakes people up for prayer.” [Abu Dawud; Ahmad]
Hearing the crowing is a chance for us to make supplication and connect to the Creator. However, I do not see that this means that every single time a rooster crows, it is for this reason alone. Nor does this mean the rooster becomes a sacred symbol such that it cannot be managed as an ordinary pet or livestock – with prophetic mercy and excellence.
Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdullah Anik Misra
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Shaykh Abdullah Misra was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1983. His family hails from India, and he was raised in the Hindu tradition. He embraced Islam in 2001 while at the University of Toronto, from where he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration. He then traveled overseas in 2005 to study the Arabic language and Islamic sciences in Tarim, Yemen, for some time, as well as Darul Uloom in Trinidad, West Indies. He spent 12 years in Amman, Jordan, where he focused on Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith Sciences, Prophetic Biography, and Islamic Spirituality while also working at the Qasid Arabic Institute as Director of Programs. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies (Alimiyya, Darul Uloom) and authorization in the six authentic books of Hadith and is currently pursuing specialized training in issuing Islamic legal verdicts (ifta’). He holds a certificate in Counselling and often works with new Muslims and those struggling with religious OCD. He is an instructor and researcher in Sacred Law and Theology with the SeekersGuidance The Global Islamic Seminary. Currently, He resides in the Greater Toronto Area with his wife and children. His personal interests include Indian history, comparative religion, English singing, and poetry.
