What is Sunan an-Nasa'i 68 about?

This hadith from Sunan an-Nasa'i (Book of The Book of Purification), narrated by It was narrated from Kabshah bint Ka'b bin Malik that Abu Qatadah entered upon her, then she narrated the following:, states: ""I poured some water from him for Wudu', and a cat came and drank from it, so he tilted the vessel for it to drink." Kabshah said: "He saw me looking at him and said: 'Are you surprised, O daughter of…"

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Sahih. Sahih hadiths are considered the most authentic grade in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan an-Nasa'i, which contains 5,768 hadiths across 52 books. It is hadith number 68 in the Book of The Book of Purification.

I searched for a different number — is this the right hadith?

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#67

#68

Sunan an-Nasa'i

#69

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Sunan an-Nasa'i #68

The Book of Purification

Sahih

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ حُمَيْدَةَ بِنْتِ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ رِفَاعَةَ، عَنْ كَبْشَةَ بِنْتِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ أَبَا قَتَادَةَ، دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا ثُمَّ ذَكَرَتْ كَلِمَةً مَعْنَاهَا فَسَكَبْتُ لَهُ وَضُوءًا فَجَاءَتْ هِرَّةٌ فَشَرِبَتْ مِنْهُ فَأَصْغَى لَهَا الإِنَاءَ حَتَّى شَرِبَتْ - قَالَتْ كَبْشَةُ - فَرَآنِي أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ أَتَعْجَبِينَ يَا ابْنَةَ أَخِي فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ ‏.‏ قَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ بِنَجَسٍ إِنَّمَا هِيَ مِنَ الطَّوَّافِينَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَالطَّوَّافَاتِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

"I poured some water from him for Wudu', and a cat came and drank from it, so he tilted the vessel for it to drink." Kabshah said: "He saw me looking at him and said: 'Are you surprised, O daughter of my brother?' I said: 'Yes.' He said: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: They are not impure, rather they are among the males and females (animals) who go around among you."

Narrated by It was narrated from Kabshah bint Ka'b bin Malik that Abu Qatadah entered upon her, then she narrated the following:

Context

In this narration, Abu Qatadah is surprised to see the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) allowing a cat to drink from his Wudu water. The Prophet (ﷺ) explains that cats are not impure but are among the animals that interact with humans. This reflects the Prophet's (ﷺ) compassion towards animals and his teachings on cleanliness.

Modern Application

This hadith encourages us to treat animals with kindness and respect. It reminds us that maintaining cleanliness does not mean excluding animals from our lives, but rather understanding their role in our environment.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Purification (Wudu/Taharah) and Animals in the Quran because it discusses the nature of animals in relation to purity and the Prophet's (ﷺ) compassionate approach.

Purification (Wudu/Taharah)Animals in the Quran