LEASE SECTION · 64 – MONEY RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE FOR SELLING A CAT
Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) forbade the transaction involving the price of dogs and cats.
Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) forbade taking compensation for the sale of a cat. [266]
**Explanation:**
The cat, unlike other domesticated animals, cannot easily be tied or handed over to the buyer. Even if the buyer takes possession of it with difficulty, he cannot guarantee that it will remain in his house, as it may escape and go away like wild animals. For this reason, taking compensation for the sale of a cat is forbidden.
Many scholars have permitted the sale of cats through interpretative reasoning (ta’wil) of this hadith.
This is the view held by those belonging to the Hanafi, Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools of thought.
Some scholars consider taking and selling cats disliked (makruh). (Bezl-ul Mechûd, vol. 15, p. 156)
It is also transmitted from Tawus through Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), from Mujahid, in this manner.