[Q 307] Breeding and Selling Cats in Islam

Question

Asalam’Alaykum

What is the ruling on breeding cats and selling the kittens? If this allowed in Islam?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب

Answer

Breeding, raising, and selling cats is permissible. However it should be noted that any animal that is kept, its proper feeding and watering must be taken care of and causing it unnecessary distress must be avoided.

It has been stated in a Hadith that: “A woman only went to Hell because she had tied up a cat and did not care for its food and water to the extent that it died.”

In Sahih Bukhari, it is mentioned:

 عن عبد الله بن عمر رضي الله عنهما، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال: «عذبت امرأة في هرة سجنتها حتى ماتت، فدخلت فيها النار، لا هي أطعمتها ولا سقتها، إذ حبستها، ولا هي تركتها تأكل من خشاش الأرض

Translation: Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar رضي الله تعالى عنهما that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم said: A woman was punished because of a cat which she had confined until it died. She went to Hell because of this, for she neither fed it nor gave it water as it was confined, nor did she free it so that it might eat the insects of the earth.

(Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, p. 176, Hadith 3482, Dar Tauq al-Najat)”

In Tanweer al-Absar with Durr al-Mukhtar, it is stated:

“(وصح بيع الكلب والفهد والفيل والقردو السباع بسائر انواعها حتى الهرة وكذا الطيور) ملتقطا”

Translation: The sale of dogs, leopards, elephants, monkeys, and all types of wild animals, including cats and similarly birds, is valid. (Durr al-Mukhtar with Radd al-Muhtar, Book of Sales, Vol. 5, p. 226, Dar al-Fikr, Beirut)”

In Bahar-e-Shariat, it is stated: “The sale of dogs, cats, elephants, leopards, hawks, falcons, is permissible.”

 (Bahar-e-Shariat, Vol. 2, Part 11, p. 809, Published by Maktaba-tul-Madina, Karachi)

Answered by: Usman Madani (Askmufti scholar)

verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari

Translated answer

Date: 10th June 2024