Q: Will all animals, birds and creatures along with humans be gathered on Judgment Day? From the viewpoint of belief in immortality of soul, where will their souls rest?
A: Since information about the particulars of Hereafter in detail cannot be acquired except through revelation, which is based either on Quran and sayings of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and as neither have specified anything related to animals, a general belief is sufficient. The Holy Quran says:
وَإِذَا الْوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتْ
"And when the wild animals are made to go forth, "(At-Takwir, 81:5)
Some commentators have said that this verse is about what is to happen before Judgment Day and it conveys that wild animals will come out of their abodes and get mixed up with other animals. It is mentioned in Surah Anam:
وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ ۚ مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ
"And there is no animal that walks upon the earth nor a bird that flies with its two wings but (they are) genera like yourselves; We have not neglected anything in the Book, then to their Lord shall they be gathered.” (Al-An’aam, 6:38)
It is mentioned in these verses that the animals will be gathered, but it is not said how it will be effected and how they will be dealt with; and what their end will be. This information is also not available in reliable traditions in detail. Hence, a general belief in it is enough.
Allamah Majlisi in his Haqqul Yaqeen, quotes some narrations and says: Apparently it is understood that some animals will be gathered and that they will seek justice in the matter of the oppression meted out to them by human beings and that some animals will be gathered for some other purposes and some like the she-camel of Prophet Salih (a.s.), the dog of the People of the Cave, wolf of Prophet Yusuf (a.s.) and the donkey of Balam Baaoor will enter Paradise. Reliable narrations do not indicate the gathering of all animals.
Therefore, most Shia scholars have talked about this in general terms without going in detail. It is mentioned in Tafsir Minhaj that after gathering and dispensing justice, the concerned animals will be turned into dust and will not remain alive. But those animals that give pleasure to human beings, like peacock and its like will remain alive and then adds that what is more correct is that they will not remain alive.
But the other creations like angels and jinns and satans will doubtlessly be gathered. The angels will go to Paradise and jinns and satans, except those who had believed, will go to Hell. However, there is a difference of opinion about the abode of the believing ones from them. Some have said that they will live in Paradise, but in a place lower than that of men. Some say that they would live in Araaf. The first words seem to be more likely, especially through verses of Surah Rahman, which speak of the bounties of Paradise. There is an address to both: ji nns and human beings.
Sayyid Abdul Husayn Dastghaib