Source: Fatāwā ʿUlamāʾ-e-Ahl-e-Ḥadīth, Kitāb al-Ṭahārah, Volume 1, Page 26
Is a cat’s leftovers (liqāʾ)—i.e., food or water touched by a cat—pure or impure according to the Qur'an and Sunnah?
If a cat puts its mouth into a pot of food, does that food remain pure or become impure?
A detailed answer with Qurʾān and Ḥadīth references is requested.
The leftover of a cat is pure (ṭāhir). If a cat puts its mouth into a container of water or food, that water or food does not become impure.
This ruling is supported by several ḥadīths:
عن أبی قتادة رضی اللہ عنہ أن رسول اللّٰہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم قال فی الھرة انھا لیست بنجس انما ھی من الطوافین علیکم
(Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasāʾī, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah)
Translation:
ʿAbū Qatādah (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said regarding the cat:
“It is not impure. It is among those who roam among you frequently.”
عن داؤد بن صالح بن دینار عن أمہ ان مولانا ارسلتھا بھریسة الی عائشة قالت فوجدتھا تصلی فاشارت الی أن ضحیھا فجاءت ھرة فأکلت منھا، فلما انصرفت عائشة عن صلوٰتھا أکلت من حیث أکلت الھرة، فقالت ان رسول اللّٰہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم یتوضؤ من فضلھا
(Narrated by Abū Dāwūd, Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ – Bāb Aḥkām al-Miyāh, Section 2)
Translation:
Dāwūd ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn Dīnār narrated from his mother:
“My mistress sent me with harīsah (a type of dish) to ʿĀʾishah (RA). She was praying at the time and signaled me to put it down. A cat came and ate from it. When ʿĀʾishah (RA) finished her prayer, she ate from the same spot the cat had eaten. She then said:
‘The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ used to perform wuḍūʾ with water left over by a cat.’”
Based on the above authentic narrations:
✔ A cat’s leftover is pure.
✔ If a cat eats from a pot of food or drinks from water, the food or water remains pure.
✔ There is no Sharʿi impurity (najāsa) involved.
Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Qādir Rūprī
Jāmiʿah Ahl-e-Ḥadīth Lahore, Tanzeem Ahl-e-Ḥadīth, Volume 19, Issue No. 18
“The answer is correct” — Ali Muhammad Saeedi, Jamia Saeedia, Khanewal, West Pakistan
❖ Question
Is a cat’s leftovers (liqāʾ)—i.e., food or water touched by a cat—pure or impure according to the Qur'an and Sunnah?
If a cat puts its mouth into a pot of food, does that food remain pure or become impure?
A detailed answer with Qurʾān and Ḥadīth references is requested.
❖ Answer
The leftover of a cat is pure (ṭāhir). If a cat puts its mouth into a container of water or food, that water or food does not become impure.
This ruling is supported by several ḥadīths:
❖ First Ḥadīth
عن أبی قتادة رضی اللہ عنہ أن رسول اللّٰہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم قال فی الھرة انھا لیست بنجس انما ھی من الطوافین علیکم
(Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasāʾī, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah)
Translation:
ʿAbū Qatādah (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said regarding the cat:
“It is not impure. It is among those who roam among you frequently.”
❖ Second Ḥadīth
عن داؤد بن صالح بن دینار عن أمہ ان مولانا ارسلتھا بھریسة الی عائشة قالت فوجدتھا تصلی فاشارت الی أن ضحیھا فجاءت ھرة فأکلت منھا، فلما انصرفت عائشة عن صلوٰتھا أکلت من حیث أکلت الھرة، فقالت ان رسول اللّٰہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم یتوضؤ من فضلھا
(Narrated by Abū Dāwūd, Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ – Bāb Aḥkām al-Miyāh, Section 2)
Translation:
Dāwūd ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn Dīnār narrated from his mother:
“My mistress sent me with harīsah (a type of dish) to ʿĀʾishah (RA). She was praying at the time and signaled me to put it down. A cat came and ate from it. When ʿĀʾishah (RA) finished her prayer, she ate from the same spot the cat had eaten. She then said:
‘The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ used to perform wuḍūʾ with water left over by a cat.’”
❖ Summary
Based on the above authentic narrations:
✔ A cat’s leftover is pure.
✔ If a cat eats from a pot of food or drinks from water, the food or water remains pure.
✔ There is no Sharʿi impurity (najāsa) involved.
❖ Reference
Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Qādir Rūprī
Jāmiʿah Ahl-e-Ḥadīth Lahore, Tanzeem Ahl-e-Ḥadīth, Volume 19, Issue No. 18
❖ Verification
“The answer is correct” — Ali Muhammad Saeedi, Jamia Saeedia, Khanewal, West Pakistan
