Cats

Assalamu alaikum,

Thanks for starting this topic, Sister Herjihad, perhaps it will be a thread without arguement or nastiness, insha'allah!  Mishmish, I have to agree, though there is no proof, that cats seem to be able to see and sense things that we do not!

Thanks for posting the ahadith about cats, Brother Mockba!  I knew there were some, but I always have trouble finding them.  When my dear friends children were bugging her to get a cat, she knew nothing about them and was very reluctant.  I told her to look in her ahadith collection, and she did find some.  After much research and reading and studying the subject, she and her husband agreed to get two cats, one for each of the children!  Almost a year later, they have no regrets.

Brother Suleyman, I am no expert, though, having had many cats all my life, I do know a bit about them!  What fanscinates me about cats is their intuition.  For example, whenever I raise my voice or cry, my cat runs right up to my face and studies me intently.  She does not like it when I am upset and knows my mood better than me!  She also senses when it is a good time to quietly go sleep out of the way or when my husband or I need her to cuddle on our lap.

Cats are (for the most part) intelligent, inquisitive, clean, great fun to have around and help keep our planet from being overrun by rodents!  Though I keep my cat indoors, there are two neighbourhood cats who keep my garden free of mice and voles, alhamdulillah!  So far, the chipmunks and black squirrels have managed to keep safe from them!

Here is a funny story ~ they say that grass is good for cats to eat, for their digestion.  Having an indoor cat, I thought it best to buy her a pot of cat grass so she could nibble it when she pleased.  To our chagrin, she is afraid of that pot of grass!

Most of all, I love that my cat prays salat with me.  She gets very upset if I go to pray and shut her out of the room!  When I listen to the Qur'an on CD, she enjoys it as well!  I view cats as one of Allah's great blessings He bestows on us!

I recall reading a story about a cat sleeping on the Prophet's (pbuh) clothing. When prayer time came, instead of disturbing the cat, he cut his clothes around her.  Has anyone else seen this story?  I would love to know if it is a real hadith or not.

Peace, ummziba.

Bismillah

Hadith - Bukhari 3:553, Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar [Also in Muslim, Narrated Abu Huraira]

Allah's Apostle said, "A woman was tortured and was put in Hell because of a cat which she had kept locked till it died of hunger." Allah's Apostle further said, "(Allah knows better) Allah said (to the woman), 'You neither fed it nor watered when you locked it up, nor did you set it free to eat the insects of the earth.' "


Hadith - Muwatta 2.13

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Talha from Humayda bint Abi Ubayda ibn Farwa that her maternal aunt Kabsha bint Kab ibn Malik, who was the wife of the son of Abu Qatada al-Ansari, told her that once Abu Qatada was visiting her and she poured out some water for him to do wudu with. Just then a cat came to drink from it, so he tilted the vessel towards it to let it drink. Kabsha continued, "He saw me looking at him and said, 'Are you surprised, daughter of my brother?' I said, 'Yes.' He replied that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, cats are not impure. They intermingle with you .' "

Yahya said that Malik said, "There is no harm in that unless one sees impurities on the cat's mouth."


Hadith - Muslim, Narrated 'Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin  

Dawud ibn Salih ibn Dinar at-Tammar quoted his mother as saying that her mistress sent her with some pudding (harisah) to Aisha who was offering prayer. She made a sign to me to place it down. A cat came and ate some of it, but when Aisha finished her prayer, she ate from the place where the cat had eaten. She stated: The Messenger of Allah said: It is not unclean: it is one of those who go round among you. She added: I saw the Messenger of Allah performing ablution from the water left over by the cat.


Hadith - Dawud, Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah

The Prophet forbade payment for cat.

Note:  The name of Abu Hurayrah, a major authority on hadith, literally translates to "cat man" or "father of cats".  Both Abu Hurayrah and the Prophet enjoyed the presence of cats.

Courtesy of Muttaqun.com

Bismillah,

I love cats.  They are beautiful, soft, furry and lovable!  I think they see Jinn.  What do you think?