Pets Archives - Muslim Converts

Can Muslims have cats

It is permissible to keep cats in Islam and cats are not naajis because of the following Hadith regarding cats

It is also well know that Abu Hurayrah (literally “Father of the Kitten”) was known by that name due to his love for cats.

In a report narrated in Sunan Abi Dawood and elsewhere, which says that a woman brought some hareesah (a kind of food) to Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and found her praying. (‘Aishah) gestured to her that she should put it down. Then a cat came and ate some of it. When Aishah had finished praying, she ate from where the cat had eaten and said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “They (cats) are not naajis (impure), rather they are among those who go around among you (al-tawwaafeena ‘alaykum)”. I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) doing wudoo with water from which a cat had drunk.”

It was narrated by Abu Dawood (68) from Kabshah bint Ka’b ibn Maalik, who was married to Ibn Abi Qutaadah, Abu Qutaadah entered and she poured some water for him to do wudoo’. A cat came and drank from the water, and he tipped the vessel for it so that it could drink. Kabshah said: “He saw me looking at him and he said, ‘Do you find it strange, O daughter of my brother?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “They (cats) are not naajis (impure), rather they are among those who go around among you (al-tawwaafeena ‘alaykum).” These two reports were classed as saheeh by al-Bukhaari, al-Daaraqutni and others, as was stated in al-Talkhees by Ibn Hajar, 1/15.

Buying and selling Cats

Majority of scholars view it is permissible to sell cats and some scholars are of the view that it is forbidden to sell cats. The most correct view is that it is Haram to sell cats because of the following hadith

Abu’l-Zubayr said: “I asked Jaabir about the price of dogs and cats. He said, ‘The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade that.’” (Narrated by Muslim, 1569).

Abu Dawood (3479) and al-Tirmidhi (1279) narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade the price of dogs and cats. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

Some scholars are of the view that these ahaadeeth are da’eef (weak), but their view is to be rejected.

Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo’ (9/269): As for what as al-Khattaabi and Ibn al-Mundhir said about the hadeeth being weak, this is a mistake on their part, because the hadeeth in Saheeh Muslim has a saheeh isnaad. End quote.

Al-Shawkaani said in Nayl al-Awtaar (6/227), refuting the majority who interpret the prohibition in the hadeeth as meaning that it is makrooh and that selling cats is not a noble attitude or sign of chivalry: It is obvious that this is understanding the prohibition in a way that is contrary to its true meaning for no reason. End quote.

Al-Bayhaqi said in al-Sunan (6/18), also refuting the majority: Some scholars have interpreted it as referring to cats that are wild and cannot be caught. Some claim that this applied at the beginning of Islam when cats were ruled to be naajis (impure), but when it was ruled that their leftover food and water are taahir (pure), it became permissible to sell them. But there is no clear evidence for either of these two views. End quote.

Ibn al-Qayyim stated that it is definitely haraam to sell them in Zaad al-Ma’aad (5/773) where he said: This was stated in a ruling (fatwa) by Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) and it is the view of Tawoos, Mujaahid, Jaabir ibn Zayd and all the Zaahiri scholars, and it is one of the two views narrated from Ahmad. This is the correct view, because the ahaadeeth which state that are saheeh, and there is no evidence to the contrary, so this is the view that must be adopted. End quote.

Ibn al-Mundhir said: If it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade selling them, then such sales are invalid, otherwise they are permissible. End quote from al-Majmoo’, 9/269

Do Cats invalidate ones prayer?

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Prayer is invalidated by a woman, a donkey or a dog; that may be prevented by something equal in height to the back of a saddle [placed in front of the worshipper as a sutrah or screen].” (Narrated by Muslim, 511).

According to one report, “a black dog.” The narrator said: “I said, ‘O Abu Dharr, what is the difference between a black dog and a red or yellow dog?’ He said, ‘O son of my brother, I asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) the same question, and he said, “The black dog is a devil.”’” (Narrated by Muslim, 510).

Some people mistake these hadiths to include cats and that is a Mistake, We try to have a sutra in front of us when we pray .and try to prevent anything or anyone passing between us and the sutra. Outside the sutra they can pass.

Abu Juhayfah said: “I heard my father narrating that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led them in prayer in al-Bat-ha’, and in front of them was an ‘anzah (a short spear, iron-tipped at its lower end). He prayed two rak’ahs for Zuhr followed by two rak’ahs for ‘Asr, and a woman and a donkey passed in front of him.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 495).

Amr ibn Shu’ayb narrated from his father that his grandfather said: “We stopped with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in Thaniyyat Adhaakhir and the time for prayer came, so he prayed facing a wall which lay in the direction of the qiblah, and we were behind him. A lamb came and tried to pass in front of him and he kept pushing it back until its belly was pushed up against the wall, then it passed behind him.” (narrated by Abu Dawood, 708; al-Albaani said in Saheeh Abi Dawood, it is hasan saheeh, 652).

Treatment of Cats in Islam

Some people can be very cruel towards animals.

I recently read a story in the newspaper of an 8 year old non-Muslim boy From Britain microwaving his neighbours Cat which left the poor cat with severe internal organ injuries.

Many years ago when I was Studying at A British university I would heard stories about drunk non-Muslim students grabing Ducks from the University pond and placing them in oven or microwave (whilst they are alive) and laughing.

There are other stories were you read some times about a non Muslims hanging his her cat by the tail on the watching line. Resulting in the poor cat screaming and dying. Allah has put inside people’s hearts compassion and mercy for everything. Some people loose that and if they do not fear Allah then then nothing will prevent them from committing their cruelty.

As Muslims we must treat animals with kindness because Allah demands that we treat Animals with kindness and the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him has warned us of severe consequences in the hereafter of mistreating Animals

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A woman entered Hell because of a cat which she tied up and did not feed, nor did she let it loose to feed upon the vermin of the earth.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3140; Muslim, 2242)

We should also teach our children this hadith make sure they fear Allah and understand the consequences of bad treatment of people and animals.

However those animals which are harmful to us we can kill

Narrated by Hafsa who said Allah’s Apostle said, “It is not sinful (of a Muhrim) to kill five kinds of animals, namely: the crow, the kite, the mouse, the scorpion and the rabid dog.” (Bukhari Volume 3, Book 29, Number 54)

Narrated by Aisha who said Allah’s Apostle said, “Five kinds of animals are harmful and could be killed in the Haram (Sanctuary). These are: the crow, the kite, the scorpion, the mouse and the rabid dog.” (Bukhari Volume 3, Book 29, Number 55 )

Some people are mistaken into thinking that we must keep cats. Things which we must do are those things which we have been ordered to do by Allah or his Prophet (peace be upon him).

We have not been ordered to keep cats but we are allowed to keep cats and if we do keep cats as pets then it becomes compulsory on us to make sure they do not go hungry.

Either we feed them or we should allow them to go outside and hunt for their food.

Detailed Article on Dogs

Is it permissible to keep a dog to guard houses, alleys and the like?

There are two points of view. The first is that it is not permissible, because of the apparent meaning of the ahaadeeth, which clearly state that keeping dogs is forbidden except for farming, hunting and herding. The more correct view is that it is permissible, by analogy with those three cases, knowing that the reason that is understood from the ahaadeeth is necessity. End quote.

The view that was classed as saheeh by al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him), that keeping a dog to guard the house is permissible, was also classed as saheeh by Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Sharh Saheeh Muslim. He said:

The correct view is that it is permissible to keep a dog to guard the house, because if it is permissible to keep a dog in order to benefit from it, as in the case of hunting, it is more appropriate that one be allowed to keep a dog in order to ward off harm and protect oneself. End quote.

Impurity of Dog Saliva

The dog itself is not impure but its saliva is impure.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The purification of the vessel of one of you, if a dog licks it, is to wash it seven times, the first time with soil. Narrated by Muslim, 279.

And according to another report by Muslim (280): If a dog licks the vessel of one of you, let him wash it seven times and rub it with soil the eighth time.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

With regard to dogs, there are three views among the scholars:

1 That they are taahir (pure), even their saliva. This is the view of Maalik.

2 That they are naajis (impure), even their hair. This is the view of al-Shaafai and is one of the two views narrated from Ahmad.

3 Their hair is taahir but their saliva is naajis. This is the view of Abu Haneefah and of Ahmad in the other report narrated from him.

This is the most correct view. So if the wetness of the dog’s hair gets onto one’s garment or body, that does not make it naajis. End quote.

Majmoo al-Fataawa, 21/530.

A dogs Saliva touching a person or a persons cloths does not invalidate his wudhu as it is not one of those things that break the wudhu/

Selling Dogs

1 Abu Juhayfah said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade the price of a dog. Bukhaari (1944)

2 Abu Masood al-Ansaari said the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade the price of a dog, the wages of a prostitute and the fee of a fortune teller. Bukhaari (2083) and Muslim (2930)

3 Abd-Allah ibn Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah forbade the price of a dog, and if a person comes asking for the price of a dog, then fill his hand with dust. Al-Haafiz said: Its isnaad is saheeh; it was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood. (3021)

4 Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The price of a dog, the fee of a fortune teller and the wages of a prostitute are not permissible. Al-Haafiz said: its isnaad is hasan. Al-Albaani classed it as saheeh in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

Thus the price of a dog is among the most evil of earnings and is something vile.

Those who regard it as permissible to sell hunting dogs quote as evidence the hadeeth narrated by al-Nasaai (4589) from Jaabir ibn Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade the price of dogs and cats, except for hunting dogs.

This exception in the hadeeth except for hunting dogs is daeef (weak).

Al-Nasaai said, after quoting the hadeeth: This is munkar (a type of weak hadeeth).

Al-Sindi said in Haashiyat al-Nasaai: It is daeef according to the consensus of the muhadditheen (scholars of hadeeth).

Al-Nawawi said in Sharh Muslim:

With regard to the ahaadeeth that have been narrated about the prohibition on the price of a dog except for hunting dogs, and that Uthmaan gave twenty camels in compensation to a man for a dog that he killed, and the report from Ibn Amr ibn al-Aas about paying compensation for destroying a dog all of these are daeef according to the consensus of the hadeeth scholars. End quote.

Muslims do not hate dogs we simply cannot keep dogs except for hunting. Our Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him has warned us about being cruel to animals. He told us about a person who was cruel to her cat because the cat scratched her and due to her severe cruelty towards the cat she was placed in hell by Allah. Thus warning us and forbidding us from being cruel towards animals.

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A woman entered Hell because of a cat which she tied up and did not feed, nor did she let it loose to feed upon the vermin of the earth.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3140; Muslim, 2242)

In addition to this the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him related to us stories about how a person was kind to an animal and he entered paradise Thus teaching us the value of kindness to even animals,

Abu Huraira said Allah’s Apostle said, “While a man was walking on a road. he became very thirsty. Then he came across a well, got down into it, drank (of its water) and then came out. Meanwhile he saw a dog panting and licking mud because of excessive thirst. The man said to himself “This dog is suffering from the same state of thirst as I did.” So he went down the well (again) and filled his shoe (with water) and held it in his mouth and watered the dog. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him.” The people asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals?” He said, “(Yes) There is a reward for serving any animate (living being) .”(Bukhari Volume: 8, Book Number: 73, Hadith Number: 38)

Thus Muslims do not hate dogs but we just do not keep them inside our homes nor as pets. So if we were to see a dog hungry or thirsty we should give it food and water. if we see it with an injured leg then we should try to fix its legs and so on.

A dog has its value but its value is not above humans. We Muslims value humans above animals.

Unlike many non Muslims who value sometimes animals sometimes equal to humans and sometimes above Humans.

For instances Hindus worship cows and even other animals such as monkeys, rats etc. They take these animals as Gods. Worshiping things which cannot even protect themselves.

Similarly in the west some people value the life of a dog more than a Child. Many times you will hear women in the west praised for the large number of dogs they rear but they are looked down upon if they have many children. This was especially the case in the 90’s and 80’s.

We found bizzare incidents were rich non Muslims in the west left whole estates to their dog. What exactly is the dog going to do with millions of pounds?

In the 90’s United nations ran by non Muslims was giving lots of meat to its dogs in Iraq whilst it was starving and preventing enough food going to Iraqi children as a result 1 million Muslim Iraqi babies died of Malnutrition. The USA sectary of State was asked why the UN dogs were getting so much meat and the Iraqi children so little meat. She replied that the UN dogs had a difficult job to do.

Allah tells us that everything in this world was created for us. They serve some purpose. For instance we were not created for cows but they were created for us for various purposes. We were not created for bird, fruit, flowers, oxygen, thunder lightening etc etc but they were created for us for their various purposes. Some are their for our entertainment, some are their for our survival, some for as signs of a blessing to come (rain) and as a warning that we are weak and can be harmed and killed. Some are as a test of our obedience to creator..

As I said in the beginning of this article. Allah had chosen to make some things pure and some impure. He did not invite His creation for consultation as to which things should be pure or impure. Or which should be halal or haram. Allah does not need a reason to give us a reason as to why he chose something to be pure and something to be impure.

The whole is of Islam is we submit to the will of our creator. And in return Allah will InshaAllah give us the ultimate present, everlasting true peace and true happiness in the hereafter.

Allah doesn’t have to give us a reason for forbidding us from something.

Our Father Adam and Mother Hawa (Eve) were forbidden to eat from a tree in heaven but they became tempted to eat and sinned and were sent down to earth, a place which is full of struggles and pains.

However, they recognised their mistake of being disobedient to Allah and repented and were forgiven. This elevated them to above even the status of Angels because they were given the choice of doing continuing to sin or be obedient slaves of their creator. They made the right choice by repenting and being obedient slaves of Allah.

We being humans and children of Adam and Hawa (Eve) can also elevate ourselves above the rest of creation by choosing to acknowledge worship Allah (our creator) alone and to obey him by doing what He tells us to do and stay away from that which he tells us to stay away from.

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More hadith on this subject

Narrated Abu Mas’ud:

The Prophet forbade the utilization of the price of a dog, the earnings of prostitute and the earnings of a foreteller 44: (Bhukhari Volume: 7, Book Number: 71, Hadith Number: 656)

Narrated Abu Juhaifa:

The Prophet forbade the use of the price of blood and the price of a dog, the one who takes (eats) usury the one who gives usury, the woman who practises tattooing and the woman who gets herself tattooed.(Bhukhari Volume: 7, Book Number: 72, Hadith Number: 829)

Narrated Abu Talha :

The Prophet said, “Angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or there are pictures.”(Bhukhari 7, Book Number: 72, Hadith Number: 833)

Narrated Salim’s father:

Once Gabriel promised to visit the Prophet but he delayed and the Prophet got worried about that. At last he came out and found Gabriel and complained to him of his grief (for his delay). Gabriel said to him, “We do not enter a place in which there is a picture or a dog.”(Bhukhari Volume: 7, Book Number: 72, Hadith Number: 843)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah’s Apostle said, “While a man was walking on a road. he became very thirsty. Then he came across a well, got down into it, drank (of its water) and then came out. Meanwhile he saw a dog panting and licking mud because of excessive thirst. The man said to himself “This dog is suffering from the same state of thirst as I did.” So he went down the well (again) and filled his shoe (with water) and held it in his mouth and watered the dog. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him.” The people asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals?” He said, “(Yes) There is a reward for serving any animate (living being) .”(Bhukhari Volume: 8, Book Number: 73, Hadith Number: 38)

Narrated ‘Adi bin Hatim:

I asked Allah’s Apostle about Al Mirad (i.e. a sharp-edged piece of wood or a piece of wood provided with a piece of iron used for hunting). He replied, “If the game is hit by its sharp edge, eat it, and if it is hit by its broad side, do not eat it, for it has been beaten to death.” I asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! I release my dog by the name of Allah and find with it at the game, another dog on which I have not mentioned the name of Allah, and I do not know which one of them caught the game.” Allah’s Apostle said (to him), ‘Don’t eat it as you have mentioned the name of Allah on your dog and not on the other dog.” (Bukhari Volume: 3, Book Number: 34, Hadith Number: 270)

Category: Pets

Pets in Islam

Cats