Fatwa ID: 07441
Answered by Alimah Shireen Mangera-Badat
Question:
I have a question. Is buying or selling a cat permissible?”
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
In Hanafi fiqh, it is permissible to buy and sell cats. There is no prohibition against this practice. Though some people are of the impression that it is not permitted due to the hadith narrated in Abu Dawood.1
The permission is on the provision that the animals are not sold for any form of abuse.
Ibn Abidin said in his commentary, “The correct opinion is the permissibility of selling cats as long as it is not done in a frivolous manner.” (Hashiyat Ibn Abidin, vol. 4, p. 273)2
This means that as long as the business adheres to ethical standards and ensures the well-being of the cats, it is permissible to sell them for business purposes in Islam.
The mentioned hadith refers to avoiding exorbitant prices and mistreatment. The general permissibility remains, provided the transaction is fair and ethical.
1
عن جابر بن عبد الله قال: “نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن ثمن الكلب والسنور
2
قال ابن عابدين في حاشيته: “والصواب جواز بيع السنور ما لم يكن على وجه العبث” (حاشية ابن عابدين، ج 4، ص 273)
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Alimah Shireen Mangera-Badat
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
