Islam faith and cats
Prophet
Muhammad (s.a.w) was tender and kind
towards cats. He appreciated cats. Hazrat Muhammad (s.a.w)'s favourite cat
was called Muezza. There is a well-known story regarding the Prophet
Muhammad (s.a.w) and
Muezza.
When the call to prayers
was heard, Muezza was asleep on one of the sleeves of the Prophet’s (s.a.w) robes. The
Prophet (s.a.w) wanted to wear the robe
to go to prayers. Rather than disturb Muezza, Muhammad (s.a.w) cut off the sleeve
to leave Muezza in peace. Prophet (s.a.w) then stroked the cat three times, which, it is said,
granted Muezza seven lives and the ability to land on his feet at all times (as
you might know, cats have a self-righting mechanism,a righting reflex, which is
a complex series of movements when a cat falls and which protects the cat from
breaking her back).
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)
was so attached to his cat that when he gave sermons he let Muezza rest on his
lap and he also drank from water previously drunk by his cat. He also did his
ablutions from the same water that was drunk by a cat. He seemed to treat his
cat in the same way as cat lovers do today but even cat lovers might think
twice about drinking the same water that had been drunk by a cat for fear of
transmission of disease from the cat’s saliva (but see below).
Islam teaches Muslims to
treat cats well and that the cat is a creature to be cherished and loved.
Mistreating a cat is regarded as a severe sin in Islam.
Cats according to the Qur`an and Sunnah
An example as to how
Muslims are punished for mistreating cats can be found in the `ahadith (oral
traditions telling the story of the Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w) and which have been
recorded in writing). When a woman kept a cat locked up and failed to feed the
cat until the cat died, the woman was tortured and "put to hell.”
It is believed that you
will suffer no harm if you drink from the cat’s water provided no impurities
are seen in the cat’s mouth. In another story from the `ahadith, it is stated
that a when a cat ate a pudding put down during prayers, the person who was in
charge of the pudding ate from the same place as the cat and Prophet (s) said
this was alright as the cat is not unclean and is "one of those who go
around amongst us".
Islam teaches Muslims that, in relation to a cat:
1.) The cat should not be
sold for money or other traded goods.
2.) Cats saliva is
harmless unless the cat has "visible impurities" in the mouth.
3.) Muslims are free to
live with cats but they must treat cats well, providing the cat with enough
water and food and giving "roaming time" (a degree of freedom of
movement)
'A good
deed done to an animal is as meritorious as a good deed done to a human being,
while an act of cruelty to an animal is as bad as an act of cruelty to a human
being'
