Cats hold a special place to the Muslims, since Prophet Muhammad is very fond of cats.
One story mentioned that a cat saved Prophet Mohammad from being bitten by a deadly snake.
There was also a story of the Prophet cutting off his shirt sleeve rather than disturbing his sleeping cat when it was time for prayers. When people at the mosque noticed him wearing a torn sleeved robe, they asked "Holy Prophet, why is your garment torn?"
The Prophet simply replied that his cat is sleeping soundly upon the sleeve of his robe and rather than disturbing the cat, he cut the sleeve and put on what remained of his garment. The Prophet is so kind to animals that he would not pull the garment or awaken the cat, instead he rather cut his robe and let the cat sleep undisturbed.
It is a well-known fact that the Prophet is a cat lover and respect animals. Muslims are taught to follow his exemplary behaviour on kindness to animals.
A companion of the Prophet was given the name Abu Hurairah. The name Abu Hurairah means 'father of the cats'. Abu Hurairah was given this name because where ever he goes, he always had a kitten with him.
In Hadith (Muslim religious text) of Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 56, Number 673, narrated by Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "While a dog was going round a well and was about to die of thirst, an Israeli prostitute saw it and took off her shoe and watered it. So Allah forgave her because of that good deed."
In another Hadith text, the Prophet told his companions of a woman who would be sent to Hell for having locked up a cat; not feeding it, nor even releasing it so that it could feed herself."
During a journey the Prophet left his companion for a while. During his absence, his companion saw a bird called hummara and took two young ones away from the mother bird. The mother bird was circling above in the air, beating its wings in grief, when the Prophet came back and said: "Who has hurt the feelings of this bird by taking its young? Return them to her". The Prophet companion then replaced the offspring in the same bush.
During another journey, somebody picked up some birds eggs. The bird's painful note and fluttering attracted the attention of the Prophet, who asked the man to restore the eggs to the nest.
The Prophet also mentioned "To catch birds and imprison them in cages without any special purpose is considered abominable." Hence if you have birds living in cages, set them free.
On the way to a battle, the Prophet army marched towards Makkah (now known as Mecca) to conquer it, they passed a female dog with puppies. The Prophet not only gave orders that the mother dog and puppies should not be hurt or disturbed, but posted a man to see that this was done.
One of the sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad is: "If you must kill, kill without torture." (La taqtolu bi'l-idha'i). While pronouncing this dictum, he did not name any animal as an exception - not even any noxious or venomous creature, such as scorpions and snakes.
Prophet Muhammad and Islam religion not only preached to the people to show kindness to each other but also to all living souls. Animals are to be respected and treated humanely.
Prophet Muhammad forbade blood sport (like cock fighting, animal fighting) which is cruelty to the animals. The Prophet also forbade his Muslim followers not to hunt for game sports, like shooting birds and animals with bows and arrows. The killing of animals for sporting purposes like hunting is strictly forbidden.
In a demonstration of unparalleled care towards animals no matter their size or significance, a companion of the Prophet name Adiyi bin Hatim used to take crumbs of bread and other foods and deposit them at the entry to ant holes so the ants could feed. This rare gesture of kindness was performed in realisation of the fact that ants also formed a neighbourhood with human beings.
Prophet Muhammad forbade the practice of cutting tails and manes of horses and of keeping horses saddled unnecessarily. It was forbidden to kick horses with oneâs feet unnecessarily while riding them. The Prophet also wrote to those who had been given responsibility to look after the rights of animals to highlight that it was forbidden to tighten the rein of a horse. It is forbidden to stay long on the back of an animal (Horse, Donkey, and Camel) when it is not in motion. The Prophet is reported to remarked on this cruelty as "Do not turn your animals into chair".
The Prophet also prohibit branding animals with hot iron bars. Once the Prophet passed by an animal that was marked in this way and said: "May Almighty Allah curse the person who marked this animal".
The Prophet mentioned that beast of burden like camels, ox, donkeys, horses, elephants etc. are not allowed to carry load that is too heavy and should be well fed and watered. Whenever the Prophet saw any animal over-loaded or ill-fed he would approached the owner and said, "Fear Allah in your ill treatment of animals."
The Islamic Shariah law very strongly forbids the overloading of animals. Among the laws governing overloading of animals, there are also laid down rules on the renting of animals to carry goods with penalties for any one renting an animal if found overloading the animal.
It was reported in a hadith (Muslim religious text) that once the Prophet entered a garden and saw a camel. When the camel saw the Prophet it started crying with tears coming out of its eyes. The Prophet approached the camel and rubbed off the tears asking, "Who is the owner of this camel". The owner replied "It is mine, Oh Prophet of Allah". The Prophet then said "Donât you fear Allah in these animals which the Almighty made you owners? Indeed your animal complained to me that you starve and overwork it".
It is Wajib (necessary) upon every individual owning animals to spend on them, providing food and everything else required for their good up keep. The tenets of the Islam Shariah law towards animals rights make it obligatory for any individual to take care of any crippled animal like a blind cat that appears at their doorsteps.
Islam expressly lays down rights for animals entitling them to the right of love and mercy.
Cruelty to animals in Islam is treated with grave contempt and the harshest of penalties, the fire of hell is accorded any individual whoever dares to be cruel to animals.
It is mentioned in a Hadith: Animals do pray to God as other creations do.
The Prophet was asked if acts of charity even to the animals were rewarded by God. He replied: '"Yes, there is a reward for acts of charity to every beast alive."
The Prophet stated "Verily, there is heavenly reward for every act of kindness done to a living animal".
Be kind to animals and heaven awaits you.
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Off the cuff by Aminah -
Muslim Hadith (religious text) version of "Let Sleeping Cats Lie" is very different from the English proverb of "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie"!
Prophet Muhammad love cats very much, that the Prophet cut his shirt sleeve as to not to disturb his cat sleeping.
Follow the teachings of the Wise Prophet and use it as your guideline on animal care:
"Every individual owning animals should spend time on them, providing food and everything else required for their good up keep."
Do not abandon your cats, kittens, pets and look after the well being of your sick pets. Pet ownership is a life-long commitment.
The Prophet has said that acts of charity are included to the animals and hence were rewarded by God. He stated: '"Yes, there is a reward for acts of charity to every beast alive."
Henceforth if you see a hungry stray, feed it and watered it. Show compassion towards the strays.
The Prophet stated "Verily, there is heavenly reward for every act of kindness done to a living animal". Be kind to animals and heaven awaits you.
Cruelty to animals in Islam is treated with grave contempt and the harshest of penalties, the fire of hell is accorded any individual whoever dares to be cruel to animals.
Whatever is your religion, remember this: Animals do pray to God as other creations do.
Thanks, Aminah. A very insightful sharing. Let's all share our cultural and religious good values (those that advocates treating animals with respect and care).
Hopefully, these good values will allow us to rethink how we treat our animal friends.
The religion of Islam has always viewed animals as a special part of God's creation.
The Holy Qur'an (Koran), the Hadith (Muslim religious text), and the history of Islamic civilization offer many examples of kindness, mercy, and compassion for animals.
Here are more sayings on kindness to animals from Prophet Muhammad, the Hadith and the Holy Qur'an (Koran):
God's kindness towards his creature is more than a mother's towards her babe.
If you put your whole trust in God, as you ought, He most certainly will give you sustenance, as He doth the birds; they come out hungry in the morning, but return full to their nests.
All God's creatures are His family; and he is the most beloved of God who doeth most good to God's creatures.
Whoever is kind to His creatures, God is kind to him; therefore be kind to man on earth, whether good or bad; and being kind to the bad, is to withold him from badness, thus in heaven you will be treated kindly.
Prophet Mohammead repeatedly forbade cruelty to animals, saying in the Hadith popular tradition, "Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself."
He who is not kind to God's creatures, and to his own children, God will not be kind to him.
Similarly, Mohammed taught "A good deed done to a beast is as good as doing good to a human being; while an act of cruelty to a beast is as bad as an act of cruelty to a human being."
Prophet Muhammad mentioned "Verily God hath one hundred loving kindnesses; one of which he hath sent down amongst man, animals, and every moving thing upon the face of the earth: by it they are kind to each other, and forgive one another; and by it the animals of the wilds are kind to their young; and God hath reserved ninety-nine loving kindnesses by which he will be gracious to His creatures on the last day."
It is mentioned in The Koran ( Verse 6:38) "There is not an animal on Earth, nor a bird that flies on it's wings, but they are communities like you. Nothing have We omitted from the Book, and they all shall be gathered to God in the end."
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The following is excerpted from a story by Jelaluddin Rumi, 13th century Sufi mystic and poet. A Sufi is a member of an Islamic religious group which tries to achieve unity with God by living a simple life and by praying and meditating.
When your compassion and concern extends to another creature, do not trust its care to those who do not have the same concerns.
A Sufi had been travelling and after he stopped at an Inn for the night, and had meditated for a while, he told the servant who took care of the animals to be sure that he mixed a lot of barley with the straw that was to be his donkey's supper. "And please make sure you wet the (uncooked) barley with warm water. He's an old donkey and has trouble chewing." Then the Sufi asked "Did you remove his saddle gently and put salve on the sore he has? Did you currycomb his back--he loves that." The instructions continued and the servant became annoyed. He ended the conversation with the claim that he had taken care of thousands of animals, with no complaints, and that everyone who stayed at the Inn was "treated as family." The Sufi went to sleep but had terrible nightmares about his donkey being attacked by wild beasts and falling, helplessly, into a ditch. And although the details of the dream were wrong, what it conveyed of danger to the donkey was true. "His donkey was being totally neglected, without care, food or water all night long." The caretaker had spent the whole night carousing with his friends. The moral of this story: "Do the careful, donkey-tending work yourself. Don't trust that to anyone else." The nightmares the Sufi had, testified to his doubts about the animals well-being but he was tired and it was late, so he slept. When your compassion and concern extends to another creature, do not trust its care to those who do not have the same concerns. From The Essential Rumi, Castle Books, Edison, NJ, translated by Coleman Barks, copyrighted by him, 1995.
Islam or not, does it really matters whether our pets go to heaven or not after they die because most importantly, they live on in our hearts and that's what it matters.
I agree that we really do not know if pets or even human who die goes to heaven or hell or to the rainbow bridge. Other than NDE's, I don't think there is hard evidence of returnees after death to confirm what's in place after we expired our last breath.
However, we do know the joy of caring for a cat right now, especially one who has been rescued and is now safe in the refuge of our home.
We also experience the happiness of bringing happiness to the cats or other animals. This "heavenly" joy can be savoured right now and here.
We have to realise too, that one day we will part. We can hope that we the human carers will leave after our animal companions have died but we can make provision for their care in case we die first.
Death is certain but the timing is uncertain.
Live each day without regrets, as it were our last day.
I don't consider myself very knowledgeable in Islam, as there are many things to learn from the holy scriptures of Al-Koran (Muslim Holy Book).
Sometime I do my research on Islamic religious matters from the Koran, sometime I ask the mosque Immam (priest), sometime I email or phone MUIS (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura - the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore) religious teachers, and sometime I search in the internet.
However be careful when you go to the internet on Islamic religious subjects. Some so-called Muslims sites - don't be surprised are run by Christians and Jews, which explained why they belittled the Holy Prophet Muhammad or changed religious texts, and as you read further they trying to change your Muslim faith.
And yet there are some Muslim sites that are not run by the mainstream Islamic Sunni faith, but Shia (Shiâite) faith, therefore the teachings are very different from our Sunni teachings. Auzubillah-min-zalik! Heaven Forbids!
Cats-Mama, just like you, I am also not well verse on numerous texts of the Holy Koran (also know as Quran)
Pertaining your query "whether pets go to Heaven when they die. Are there any mention of this in the Holy Book."
I found a text mentioning of animals gathering in the Hereafter and meeting God. Refer to text in the Holy Koran surah Al-An'am, Surah 6 ( Verse 6:38) "There is not an animal on Earth, nor a bird that flies on it's wings, but they are communities like you. Nothing have We omitted from the Book, and they all shall be gathered to God in the end."
Verse from Surah 6:38 Al-An'am indicates that animals after their death, meeting God in the Hereafter ...
As every Muslim knows it, Heaven is the place in the Hereafter where Believers will eternally reside. Please refer to my Message 1- it's mentioned in the Hadith (Muslim religious text) : Animals do pray to God as other creations do.
Do not believe in anything (simply) because you have heard it.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
Do not believe in anything because it is spoken and rumoured by many.
Do not believe in anything (simply) because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
But after observation and analysis when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conductive to the good and benefit of one and all then accept it and live up to it.
I have just read your new post...and briefly screened through the responses... and would like to let U know that this is a healthy way of sharing with others on the importance of radiating Compassion and Lovingkindness towards animals and also the importance of proper, loving care of one's pets.
"May I Ease the Sufferings in the Lower Realms
And in the many Directions and Dimensions of the Universe,
May I guide all Wanderers in Samsara to the Pure Bliss of Awakening
dear Aminah, my baby cat passed away yesterday, and knowing that he's in a good place and that he's happy will give me comfort.i cant stop my self from crying, and all i want is to make sure he's happy so that i could grieve calmly. i am a muslum and i realy need to know if cats go to heaven, or if i will ever meet him again and cuddle him. yesterday i prayed the "fatiha" on his grave, is that okay?
dear Aminah, my baby cat passed away yesterday, and knowing that he's in a good place and that he's happy will give me comfort.i cant stop my self from crying, and all i want is to make sure he's happy so that i could grieve calmly. i am a muslum and i realy need to know if cats go to heaven, or if i will ever meet him again and cuddle him. yesterday i prayed the "fatiha" on his grave, is that okay?
thank u
Comment deleted at the request of the thread owner.
Ms.Aminah i'm glad you are showing our prophet's mercy toward animals . but i'm sorry to tell you that the story of "Prophet cutting off his shirt sleeve rather than disturbing his sleeping cat" is not true .. if you searched in the internet in Arabic-Islamic websites you'll find what i'm talking about =) ..The True Hadeeths are the Hadeeths from Bukhari or Muslim .
