It is presumed that the dodo became flightless because of the ready availability of abundant food sources and a relative absence of predators on Mauritius. Though the dodo has historically been portrayed as being fat and clumsy, it is now thought to have been well-adapted for its ecosystem.

The first recorded mention of the dodo was by Dutch sailors in 1598. In the following years, the bird was hunted by sailors and invasive species, while its habitat was being destroyed.

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Knowledge is Allahs deposit on the earth and scholars are His trustees of it. Therefore, he who acts according to his knowledge, has really delivered His deposit

the dodos has been depicted with brownish-grey plumage, yellow feet, a tuft of tail feathers, a grey, naked head, and a black, yellow, and green beak. It used gizzard stones to help digest its food, which is thought to have included fruits, and its main habitat is believed to have been the woods in the drier coastal areas of Mauritius. One account states its clutch consisted of a single egg.

Subfossil remains show the dodo measured about 62.6–75 centimeters (2.05–2.46 ft) in height and may have weighed 10.6–17.5 kg (23–39 lb) in the wild. The dodo appearance in life is evidenced only by drawings, paintings, and written accounts from the 17th century. Since these portraits vary considerably, and since only some of the illustrations are known to have been drawn from live specimens, the dodos exact appearance in life remains unresolved, and little is known about its behavior.

Imam Ali (PBUH) said: The worth of every man is in his attainments.

The closest living relative of the dodo is the Nicobar pigeon. A white dodo was once thought to have existed on the nearby island of Réunion, but it is now believed that this assumption was merely confusion based on the also-extinct Réunion ibis and paintings of white dodos.

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said: He who propagates religious affairs without having required competency does a disservice to the religion rather than serving it.

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Teachers and students both share in rewards but other people are deprived of them.

Imam Ali (PBUH) said: The tears do not dry up save for the hearts being hard, and hearts do not harden but because of the abundance of sins.

The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, which is east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The dodo closest relative was the also-extinct and flightless Rodrigues solitaire. The two formed the subtribe Raphina, a clade of extinct flightless birds that are a part of the group that includes pigeons and doves (the family Columbidae).