Does Touching a Cat Break Wudu? Understanding the Islamic Perspective

Are you searching for an explanation of "Does touching a cat break wudu?"? If your answer is "Of course," congratulations! You are currently reading the best short post on the topic. Why? Because that is what I will discuss in this post. As Muslims, we must understand this matter, which is why I composed this article. So, you need to read it thoroughly.

There are three essential points regarding "Does touching a cat break wudu?" that I will discuss in this short post. The three essential points I mean are as follows:

Cat in Islam

The first essential point regarding "Does touching a cat break wudu?" that I will discuss now is the significance of the cat in Islam. I want you to understand this before we delve into further explanations so that you can grasp the focus of our discussion.

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Generally, we can find explanations regarding cats in Islam in the hadith below:

عَنْ أَبِيْ قَتَادَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : فِيْ الْهِرَّةِ : إِنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ بِنَجَسٍ ، إِنَّمَا هِيَ مِنَ الطَّوَافِيْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ. أَخْرَجَهُ الْأَرْبَعَةُ وَ إِبْنُ خُزَيْمَةَ

From Abu Qatadah radiyallahu anhu, he (Prophet Muhammad) said regarding cats: "In fact, it's not impure. They are among the animals that circulate around you." This hadith was narrated by four sources: Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah, as well as Ibn Khuzaimah.

Now, dear readers! There are two essential aspects of the above hadith that you must understand:

1. Cats and food or drinks that have been licked or consumed by them are pure.
2. If a cat's mouth is dirty, then it is considered impure. Its mouth becomes impure due to the presence of filth. However, once the impurity is removed, its mouth is pure again.

That is a brief description of the significance of cats in Islam. As Muslims, we must understand this.

Points That Break Wudu

The second essential point regarding "Does touching a cat break wudu?" that I will discuss now is the points that break wudu. I want you to understand this so that you can focus on our current discussion effectively.

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Generally, there are five points that can break wudu:

• If something comes out of the two openings: the front opening (the penis and vaginal area) and the back opening (the anus). We can find this description in the following Quranic verse:

أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ مِنَ الْغَائِطِ

"Or among you has come from the bathroom." (Al-Maidah: 6).

• Loss of consciousness due to sleep, madness, etc. We find this description in the hadith below:

فَمَنْ نَامَ فَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ

"Whoever sleeps, let him do wudu." This hadith was narrated by Abu Dawud.

• If the skin of a man and a woman who are not mahram touch without a barrier. We can find this description in the following Quranic verse:

أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ

"Or you touch a woman." (Al-Maidah: 6).

• Touching the penis, vaginal area, or anus with one’s hands or the inside of the fingers. This description is found in the hadith below:

مَنْ مَسَّ ذَكَرَهُ فَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ

"Whoever touches his penis, let him perform wudu." This hadith was narrated by Ahmad.

• Vomiting and nosebleeds. We can find this description in the hadith below:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : مَنْ أَصَابَهُ قَيْءٌ , أَوْ رُعَافٌ , أَوْ قَلَسٌ , أَوْ مَذْيٌ فَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ , ثُمَّ لْيَبْنِ عَلَى صَلَاتِهِ وَهُوَ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُ. أَخْرَجَهُ اِبْنُ مَاجَهْ

From Aisha radiyallahu anha, the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, "Whoever experiences vomiting, nosebleeds, qalas (liquid from the throat that fills the mouth but is not vomit), or madhiy should perform wudu and then continue with his prayer as long as he does not speak." This hadith was narrated by Ibn Majah.

Dear readers! That’s a basic description of the points that break wudu. As Muslims, we must understand this.

Does Touching a Cat Break Wudu?

The third essential point regarding "Does touching a cat break wudu?" that I’m going to discuss now is a specific answer to that question.

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Dear readers! If we understand some of the explanations above, there are two important points we must grasp before we can provide specific answers to the questions that are the focus of our current discussion:

• Cats are pure animals as long as there is nothing dirty in their bodies.
• Touching a cat is permissible in Islam.

So, if we have understood these two points, we can conclude that touching a cat does not break wudu as long as there is nothing dirty on the part of the cat that we touch. However, if there is something dirty on its body that we stroke, then it breaks wudu. That is the answer.

Dear readers! That is a brief description of "Does touching a cat break wudu?". Do you understand? If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

I believe that is sufficient for this brief post. May it be beneficial. Ameen.

See you once again in the next short post!