In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, created all beings for His worship.
This includes humans, jinn, angels, animals, plants, and inanimate objects.
Allah, the Exalted, fashioned them by nature to affirm His oneness and acknowledge His divinity.
And to confess their poverty, their need, and their submission to Him, the Glorified and Exalted.
Yet, we find something truly astonishing regarding this human being.
In his turning away and his distance from sincere servitude to Allah, the Exalted.
And his preoccupation with the pleasures and desires of this world.
For this human, regrettably, is among the least of creatures in his servitude to Allah, the Exalted.
Even though that is the very purpose for which Allah created all of creation.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
And because animals are creatures of Allah, the Exalted.
They glorify and prostrate themselves before Allah.
He also says:
Among the wondrous manifestations of the servitude of animals.
I recall the story of the wolf, which Imam Ahmad narrated with an authentic chain of transmission.
On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
A wolf attacked a sheep and seized it.
The shepherd pursued it and snatched the sheep back from it.
The wolf said to the shepherd, "Do you not fear Allah?"
"You snatch from me a provision that Allah has driven toward me."
The shepherd exclaimed, "How strange!"
"A wolf speaking to me with the speech of humans!"
The wolf replied, "Shall I not tell you of something even more amazing than that?"
"Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is in Yathrib."
"He informs the people of the news of what has already passed."
He said: The shepherd then proceeded to drive his sheep until he entered Medina.
He gathered them into one of its corners.
Then he came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and informed him.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, gave orders, and it was announced:
"Prayer is a gathering."
He then went out and said to the shepherd, "Tell them."
So he told them.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"He has spoken the truth; by Him in whose hand is my soul."
Here is a wolf that believes in the prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon him.
And it speaks with the speech of humans.
To confirm the sincerity of its servitude to Allah, the Exalted.
So learn, O humans.