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#cats

also: ##cat, #cat
amayasnep
@amayasnep

Important cat lore: Muezza معزة

There are many hadiths attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his family which entreat cats with the highest respect. The Prophet (PBUH) advised the people that cats are to be treated like members of the family.[1]

The general cleanliness of cats is perhaps the reason why the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) considered cats to be a Tahir animal and are allowed to be kept in the home.[1][2] In the Fiqh of Purification, performing wudu with the remnant water from which a cat has drunk is disliked, but allowed.[3] In a hadith recorded by the 9th century Islamic scholar Muhammad al-Bukhari, ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (PBUH) reported that the Prophet (PBUH) had said a women was cast into hell for torturing a cat, forbidding it see the light of day and starving it to death.[4]

There are various stories attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) which are not mentioned in any hadith that speak of Muezza (معزة), the Prophet's favourite cat.[5]

One morning the Prophet (PBUH) awoke to the sounds of the adhan, the first Islamic call to prayer of the day. When preparing to attend prayer, he discovered his cat Muezza was sleeping on the sleeve of his prayer robe. He was so devoted to Muezza's well-being that he gently cut off the sleeve of his prayer robe so as to not disturb her slumber.

One day Muezza bowed before the Prophet (PBUH) in gratitude for some sort of favour. He then pet the cat from head to tail three times, bestowing upon her and all other cats the enviable ability to land on their feet.

It is believed that Muezza was so beloved by the Prophet (PBUH) that when he gave a sermon within his home, he would hold her in his lap.

There are countless other stories surrounding cats and their relationship with Muslims. You can read more about cats in Islamic culture here: Muslim Heritage, The Guardian, Wikipedia

Arabic vocabulary

  • Fiqh (فقه): Islamic jurisprudence; the human understanding of the divine Islamic law as revealed in the Quran and the sunnah (the teachings and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his companions).
  • Hadith (حديث): 'discourse', 'report'.
  • Imam (إمام): leader of prayer at a mosque; community leader.
  • PBUH (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ): 'Peace Be Upon Him'; Islamic honorific applied after uttering the name of the Prophet, members of his family, and his companions.
  • Tahir (طاهر): 'pure', 'clean', 'immaculate', 'free from sin'.
  • Wudu (الوضوء): Islamic ritual purification of the body before prayer.

Citations

  1. al-Munajjid, Shaykh Muhammad Saalih. “Ruling on keeping cats”. Islam Question and Answer, 2002. Accessed 27 March 2024. Web.
  2. al-Munajjid, Shaykh Muhammad Saalih. “Pure and Impure Animals in Islam”. Islam Question and Answer, 2023. Accessed 27 March 2024. Web.
  3. Salah, Yamen. “Fiqh of Purification”. Institute of Arabic and Islamic Sciences, 2016. Accessed 27 March 2024. Web.
  4. "Hadith: A woman was tormented because of a cat which she had kept locked up until it died..." Sahih al-Bukhari 3318. Project of Prophetic Hadith Encyclopedia and Its Translations. Accessed 27 March 2024. Web.
  5. Geyer, Georgie Anne. “When Cats Reigned Like Kings: On The Trail Of The Sacred Cats”. Pg. 4, 28. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2004. Accessed 27 March 2024. Web.

Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert on Islam or Islamic culture. I just think this is neat!