A thoughtful look at how Islamic sources and classical jurisprudence understand our relationship with animals—especially cats—and practical guidance on caring for them with both compassion and conscience.
Introduction: Why animals matter in Islamic thought
In Islamic moral imagination animals are not mere background scenery. They are part of God’s created order, exhibiting signs of the Creator and carrying intrinsic worth. The Qur’an, prophetic traditions and the long tradition of juristic reflection invite believers to recognise animals as creatures with needs and, in many respects, communities of their own.
For many Muslims today the question is practical as well as theological: how should we treat companion animals (like cats), and what — if any — spiritual value attaches to looking after them? This post outlines the central texts and ethical contours, summarises the main classical positions (with particular attention to the Shāfiʿī school as requested), and offers humane, faith-consistent advice for modern caretaking.
Cats in the Islamic tradition
Cultural memory and the prophetic example
Cats occupy a notably sympathetic place in many Muslim cultures. Stories about the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) kindness to cats are widespread in popular imagination; these stories contribute to an image of felines as welcome in the domestic sphere. While popular anecdotes sometimes become embroidered over time, the broader ethical lesson remains clear in the tradition: animals respond to kindness, and mercy towards them is a praiseworthy trait.
Practical consequences often drawn from the sources
- Cats are commonly regarded in the classical Sunni schools as creatures that may be kept in the home.
- Feeding, sheltering and protecting cats are treated as morally good acts — acts that cultivate compassion and good character.
- Concerns that sometimes arise about ritual purity (aṣ-ṭahāra) are handled differently across juristic opinions; in practice many jurists permit ordinary domestic interaction with cats without special hardship.
Animals in the Qur’an and Prophetic teachings: moral foundations
The Qur’an highlights several themes that shape an Islamic ethic of animal care:
- Interdependence: the created world is an interconnected whole and animals form communities of their own.
- Stewardship (khalīfa): human responsibility implies restraint and care, not exploitation for its own sake.
- Divine compassion: God’s mercy is an ethical model; humane treatment imitates the divine attribute of mercy in limited human measure.
Prophetic traditions repeatedly emphasise mercy, warn against needless cruelty and narrate acts where kindness to an animal becomes a moral exemplar. These teachings are used by scholars to ground practical rules and spiritual reflection alike.
Jurisprudence and practice: animals, purity and permissible uses
When we move from moral guidance to legal rulings, classical scholars discuss specific questions: is animal saliva ritually pure, may certain animals be kept in the house, and what are the limits on using animals for food, work or sport? Answers vary by question and by school.
Shāfiʿī positions — summary (with the preferred position indicated)
Within the Shāfiʿī school jurists have examined each particular issue carefully. Below is a concise overview of the main positions encountered in the Shāfiʿī tradition, and the position most widely taken as preferable among classical Shāfiʿī jurists:
- On cats and ritual purity: The dominant Shāfiʿī view treats domestic cats as permissible companions and does not categorise ordinary contact with them as creating ritual impurity that would unduly burden daily worship. This is the preferred position in the Shāfiʿī school.
- On dogs: Shāfiʿī jurists generally maintain stricter rules regarding dogs than cats. Dog saliva is treated with caution in many opinions, and keeping dogs purely as pets is discouraged by much of the classical literature; however exceptions are acknowledged for legitimate needs (guarding, hunting, pastoral work).