1/39. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 75 — Cat Leftover Water
The Water Left By A Cat
Cat Water Hadith: Cats Are Not Unclean
Sunan Abi Dawud : 75
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 75
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ الْقَعْنَبِيُّ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ حُمَيْدَةَ بِنْتِ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ رِفَاعَةَ، عَنْ كَبْشَةَ بِنْتِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، - وَكَانَتْ تَحْتَ ابْنِ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ - أَنَّ أَبَا قَتَادَةَ، دَخَلَ فَسَكَبَتْ لَهُ وَضُوءًا فَجَاءَتْ هِرَّةٌ فَشَرِبَتْ مِنْهُ فَأَصْغَى لَهَا الإِنَاءَ حَتَّى شَرِبَتْ قَالَتْ كَبْشَةُ فَرَآنِي أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ أَتَعْجَبِينَ يَا ابْنَةَ أَخِي فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ . فَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " إِنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ بِنَجَسٍ إِنَّهَا مِنَ الطَّوَّافِينَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَالطَّوَّافَاتِ " .
Kabshah Narrated from:
AbuQatadah visited (me) and I poured out water for him for ablution. A cat came and drank some of it and he tilted the vessel for it until it drank some of it. Kabshah said: He saw me looking at him; he asked me: Are you surprised, my niece? I said: Yes. He then reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: It is not unclean; it is one of those (males or females) who go round among you.
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 75In-book reference : Book 1, Hadith 75English translation : Book 1, Hadith 75
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 75
This cat water hadith is easy to picture. Abu Qatadah was given water for ablution. A cat came and drank from it, so he tilted the vessel until it drank. When Kabshah looked surprised, he explained that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said the cat is not unclean; it is among those, male and female, who go around among you. The core topic is the water left by a cat and its purity for wudu. The narration also shows a gentle way of teaching: Abu Qatadah noticed her surprise and answered it with a Prophetic statement. The hadith does not make extra claims beyond that.
What we learn from this hadith
- A cat drank from water prepared for ablution.
- Abu Qatadah allowed it to drink from the vessel.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم described the cat as not unclean.
- The reason given is that cats go around among people.
