1/38. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 72 — Utensil Purity and Cat Licking
Wudu' From The Water Left (In A Container) After A Dog Has Drunk From It
Cat Licks Utensil Hadith: Washing Once in Abu Hurairah’s Report
Sunan Abi Dawud : 72
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 72
حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمُعْتَمِرُ يَعْنِي ابْنَ سُلَيْمَانَ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، جَمِيعًا عَنْ أَيُّوبَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، بِمَعْنَاهُ وَلَمْ يَرْفَعَاهُ زَادَ " وَإِذَا وَلَغَ الْهِرُّ غُسِلَ مَرَّةً " .
Abu Hurairah Narrated from:
A similar tradition has been transmitted by Abu Hurairah through a different chain of narrators. But this version has been narrated as a statement of Abu Hurairah himself and not attributed to the Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam). The version has the addition of the words : "If the cat licks (a utensil), it should be washed once."
[1] Meaning, not from the Prophet ﷺ, but only as a statement of Abū Hurairah.Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 72In-book reference : Book 1, Hadith 72English translation : Book 1, Hadith 72
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 72
This cat licks utensil hadith is worded carefully. It says a similar tradition came through another chain from Abu Hurairah, but this version is reported as Abu Hurairah’s own statement and not raised to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. The added wording says that if a cat licks a utensil, it should be washed once. This matters because the text itself tells us how the report is being transmitted. The teaching here should not be overstated. We can say the narration records a statement about washing a utensil once after a cat licks it, while also noting that this version is not attributed to the Prophet in the text.
What we learn from this hadith
- This version is reported as Abu Hurairah’s statement, not directly as Prophetic wording.
- It mentions washing once if a cat licks a utensil.
- The report is linked to the earlier dog-vessel tradition.
- The transmission note is part of understanding the text.
