Is keeping birds in cages permissible?

The questioner : ... My Shaykh, with a final, brief question: is keeping birds in cages permissible or not?

The Shaykh : Have you not seen the caged bird at my place?

The questioner : I know the answer, but he wants to hear the answer from you?

The Shaykh : ... He has already heard it.

The questioner : And if he loves to hear the evidence, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : The evidence is that the Messenger (peace be upon him) said, as Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit us in our house. I had a young brother who had a small bird. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would come to us and play with this boy. Then the small bird died. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say to this boy afterwards: .
The Shaykh: The *nughayr* is the name of that small bird, like a bulbul, for example. The young boy’s kunya was Abu 'Amir. This is one of the Islamic etiquettes that the majority of Muslims have neglected, especially the non-Arabs. The non-Arabs do not know the kunya because they are still raised on their non-Arabic customs. Using a kunya is first an Arab custom, then it is an Islamic custom that the Messenger (peace be upon him) approved and encouraged. Even Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) one day: “O Messenger of Allah, all your wives have kunyas.” He said to her: - Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr -. So she was given the kunya Umm Abdullah, even though she had not given birth. Lady Aisha did not carry a child from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), nor did she leave him any children; yet her kunya was Umm Abdullah. This is an Arab custom that the Messenger (peace be upon him) approved, and the practice of the righteous Salaf followed accordingly. Among that is this young boy whose kunya was Abu 'Amir. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to play with him and say, after his small bird died: .
The Shaykh: The scholars and jurists derived many rulings from this hadith, among which is what relates to our topic: that it is permissible to keep a bird in a cage. The evidence is that the Messenger (peace be upon him) did not disapprove of what he saw at Abu 'Amir’s place. He did not say to him, or to his brother Anas, or to his mother, that this is keeping the small bird confined and restricting its freedom, which is not permissible. He did not do any of that. Rather, when it died, he consoled him with it, saying to him: .
The Shaykh: It is very strange that some people ask: Is it permissible to keep an animal confined and restrict its freedom? O people, all of us live our lives by keeping animals. We keep cows, sheep, birds, and everything, because Allah created for us everything on earth.

The questioner : ... about keeping the self ... of the sons of Adam.

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : They ask about keeping the sons of Adam.

The Shaykh : Yes, that is the important point. So it is now clear that there is nothing wrong with it, because the Messenger (peace be upon him) approved it.
The Shaykh: Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. I bear witness that there is no deity but You. I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.