In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Soya, our first female cat, gave birth to her first 4 kittens about 15 weeks ago. It was quite an exciting moment for my family.
My children named them Buttercup (female), Caramel (male), Waffle (male) and Peanut (male) based on their color. Buttercup and Caramel were born close together. Waffle and Peanut were born much later, with Peanut being the youngest. All of them have unique personalities and such comfort to the eyes. Peanut grabbed my attention the most because he likes to stay close to me and is more communicative. He reminds me of our first cat, Kitty, who is no longer with us. He went out one day in January and never return.
When we took in Kitty and Soya, they were only a few weeks old. I used to not able to be in a house that has a cat without sneezing incessantly and my eyes started to tear. So when we first had Kitty, we were miserably sick with the allergies (a flu-like symptoms, red eyes, coughing, sneezing, etc) for several months until finally it went away. It was never our intention to keep them indoor. We want them to be cats -- to be able to roam outside and have their cat life like other outdoor cats. This is the very reason that we did not take Kitty or Soya to the vet to alter their reproductive system.
When the cats grew old enough, we taught them how to go down and climb up the balcony so they can go outside freely. It worked very well with Kitty and Soya. We started early with Soya's kittens when they were about 3 months old, although Peanut took a little longer to go outside on his own and follow his siblings because he was afraid of heights. He would cry and would not let go of the balcony railing when we tried to bring him down through the railing. We leave our balcony door open so Soya and her kittens can go in and out freely. And so do other street cats who frequent our apartment for shelter, food and love, like the kittens' father, Squeaker, and Mousse, a male cat which Kitty allowed to come in before we adopted Soya. We noticed Mousse has disappeared since Kitty disappeared. Perhaps they went away together.
About a week ago we had to let go of Soya and her four kittens. Maybe only a fellow animal lover would really understand how painful it was to do that. We struggled, as a family, with the decision for days. But we had to make a quick decision because our neighbors voiced their hatred or fear of cats and I don't want the cats to be harmed or thrown away. My efforts to try to make them understand what my children and I were trying to do was to no avail. They also couldn't understand why I am feeding cats while so many people are hungry. I tried to get help from my next door neighbor, who I respect, so perhaps she could educate the others about what I was trying to do, but she too of the opinion that "if they are your cats, then keep them inside, otherwise we put them somewhere else!"
I wondered: "Where are the people of the Sunnah? Has Allah plucked the mercy from the hearts of people to make them so cold that they lack an ounce of sympathy for one of Allah's beautiful creatures? I remembered Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), a close companion of the beloved Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace), who narrated more hadiths (traditions) than any other companion. He was known for being very sympathetic and loving towards animals. Though his name was AbdurRahman, he was known as Abu Hurayrah (meaning father of the kitten) because of a small cat that he used to feed and care for and carry with him everywhere he went.
If you are around cats or dogs long enough, you cannot miss their merciful eyes. How could one be so hateful or fearful of them? How could one just look the other way and not want to feed these animals? Even with dogs, even though we should not keep a dog inside our homes since the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) has informed us that angels do not enter into a house where there is a dog [Al-Bukhari and Muslim], this does not mean that dogs are to be despised or mistreated. Just because one does not keep a dog inside his home, it doesn't give him the right to neglect it, mistreat it or kill it. The usefulness of this creature of Allah is indisputable. No other animal can compete with it in its loyalty to its caregiver, its abilities as a guard and its talent for hunting. Yet, we see people throwing rocks at dogs sitting peacefully in a garden with its family. What did the dog do to you?
If we can show mercy to our fellow human beings, we can show mercy to animals. We have to look beyond ourselves, our families, our loved ones and in fact beyond the human race in order to care for the animals (and our environment for that matter). This is the formula for success in this life and the next. We must not forget that animals and plants are Allah's creation too and we cannot neglect them or do what we please with them. And we must never forget that people are brought to Paradise only by the mercy of Allah.
So take heed what the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Be merciful to those on the earth, so the One above the heavens will be merciful to you."
We never want to cause harm to any animal, directly or indirectly. It is such a serious matter that one could gain Heaven or Hell due to his treatment of animals. Mistreating animals is considered a major sin in Islam. Certainly, a Muslim is responsible for the mistreatment of animals, because an ill-treated animal will testify against the one who abused it on the Day of Judgment.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) taught us to have mercy for all of Allah's creation. There are many reports of his love for cats, resulting in their historical acceptance among Muslims. Cats were very common amongst the people during the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "They (cats) are not impure and they intermingle with you."
Cats are such clean animals that according to authentic narrations one may make ablution for prayer with the same water that a cat drank from. Yet, it is known that some people nowadays have opposed the traditions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) by taking up the evil practices of torturing and poisoning cats. Do they think that Allah will not punish them for this? Certainly Allah's punishment for such acts is severe, if we bear in mind the Hadith as reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim regarding a woman who locked up a cat, refused to feed it and did not release it so that it could feed itself. Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said of her punishment that she was tortured and put in Hellfire.
Food is not a problem in our times. You can see how much food is wasted by humans. Certainly we cannot think that if we feed the animals, we are taking food away from humans. Neither should we be afraid that we won't have enough for ourselves or become poor because we feed the animals. This fear is considered one of the diseases of the heart. And nurturing this fear is tantamount to harboring a negative opinion about Allah Almighty.
Allah Almighty says,
وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱللَّـهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا ۚ كُلٌّ فِى كِتَـٰبٍ مُّبِينٍ ﴿٦[Qur'an, Hud 11:6]
And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision, and He knows its place of dwelling and place of storage. All is in a clear register. (6)
وَفِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ رِزْقُكُمْ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ ﴿٢٢﴾ فَوَرَبِّ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ إِنَّهُۥ لَحَقٌّ مِّثْلَ مَآ أَنَّكُمْ تَنطِقُونَ ﴿٢٣[Qur'an, Adh-Dhariyat 51:22-23]
And in the heaven is your provision and whatever you are promised. (22) Then by the Lord of the heaven and earth, indeed, it is truth - just as [sure as] it is that you are speaking. (23)
Let's reflect upon this and beware of our duty towards Allah's creatures, which He has put on earth for our use and not for our abuse. When the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was asked if Allah reward acts of charity to the animals, he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied: "Yes, there is a reward for acts of charity to every beast alive." Let us fear Allah with regard to His creatures, lest we earn His Wrath. Let us go forth in support and love for animals, knowing that Allah, The Most High, considers such a deed done for His Sake as being worthy of the reward of Paradise.
It has been about 2 weeks since Soya, Buttercup, Carmel, Waffle and Peanut are gone, but I cannot forget them. I don't think I can ever forget them. I just hope that I don't see any of them on the road or dumpster lifeless. Tears still well in my eyes when I see other cats or when I think about them. My children went to check on them, but so far they haven't seen any trace of them anywhere. I ask Allah to give them a much happier life and protect and feed them and all the animals out there.
May Allah forgive us for all our shortcomings and not take mercy out of our hearts and make us merciful and grant us His mercy. Ameen.
Please don't forget us in our night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Related Archives
Attaining Divine Mercy
Four Kittens -- Gifts from Al-Badee'
Fitrah of a Kitten
Fear of Poverty and Alleviate Poverty
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