Reviving the Sunnah of Mercy: Help the Cats of Madinah

Assalaamu Alaikum / Peace and blessings be upon you all,

I am a small business owner from Cheshire, England in the United Kingdom. I am currently visiting the sacred city of Madina, the city of our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and what I have witnessed here has absolutely broken my heart.

All around this blessed city—near masjids, markets, and alleyways—I’ve found sick, starving, and injured cats, many of them barely able to stand and almost all lack trust and are terrified of people.

[ IMAGE: This cat was lying atop a car and when I passed him by he just stared at me, his ears and skin were clearly infected and his face tells a story of suffering and so much pain that no creature should experiencelet alone in the city of our Prophet ﷺ. ]

Some are malnourished mothers nursing litters on concrete floors in the summer temperatures of 45-50° celcius.

[ IMAGE: This proud mother gave birth to 6 kittens but sadly one died. The security guard I asked about them told me that every day she carries the kittens one by one into the shade to get them out of the heat. I bought a metal cat dish and topped it up with mineral water for her to drink. She was thirsty, imagine enduring 45°C and nursing 5 kittens while not having reliable sources of water?]

Other cats are visibly infected, with injuries, eye diseases, and severely malnourished and dehydrated.

[ IMAGE: One of the most upsetting cases, this cat had such a hopeless look in its eyes, with phlegm hanging from its nose and mouth I just couldn't stand to look at it knowing that there was nothing I could do. ]

Some lie for long periods of time motionless in the dirt, and unfortunately we are just too late for many animals who have already died.

[ IMAGE: At first when I saw this kitten lying down I thought it was just lying silently under a skip while it's siblings rummaged through rubbish for food. Unfortunately this little one didn't make it and will likely be raising a case against the believers for leaving them in this horrendous condition. ]

[ IMAGE: Muslims spend nights and days in Prayer in Masjid An-Nabawi ]

Many visitors to the city of Medina tend to stay in hotels that are nearby to the sacred mosque in the heart of the city. However, if you were to walk away from the sacred sanctuary just some 10 minutes away into other areas of the city you will come across some very distressing scenes of animals in a dire need for city wide support services.

[ IMAGE: This cat's eyes have been sealed shut rendering him blind. I reached out to stroke him not realising this and he jumped and was turning his head left to right to try and identify where I was. ]

As Muslims, we honour the legacy of the Prophet Muhammed ﷺ who himself was known as "The Prophet of Mercy", and yet in the capital of the entire Islamic world, there is a dire need to deliver medical attention to some of the most vulnerable animals I have ever seen.

The Prophet ﷺ did not forbid cats from entering homes or the masjid. Rather, he clearly considered them pure (ṭāhir) animals.

In a Sahih hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:

"They (cats) are not impure; they intermingle with you."

— Sunan Abu Dawud, 75.

Scholars like Imam al-Nawawi and Ibn Hajar also noted from this hadith that cats were present in the daily lives of the Sahabah, including in mosques.

We all remember the example of Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه)? — his name literally translating as "the Father of the little kitten" — he was a noble companion known for his love of cats and the efforts he made to care for them in Medina.

Is it not a shame on us that in his own adopted city, where he spent the majority of his life, the very creatures he was known to protect are now suffering tremendous neglect without access to any medical care and are often suffering preventable and treatable illnesses and dying in silence without anyone to show them mercy?

What This Fundraiser Will Support:

With this small sum I aim to:

Purchase and distribute urgent food supplies for cats in known areas where suffering is at its highest.

Fund emergency vet care for as many of those visibly injured, sick, or infected cats.

Buy medication and antiseptic treatments for minor wounds and skin diseases.

Engage with local schools and authorities to recruit some willing volunteers to start regular feeding routines and raise awareness about the need for a cultural shift and return to Islamic principles of mercy and compassion towards these animals which have been age old companions.

Provide clean water bowls across key locations in the city.

Of course our initial budget will help us to tend to the most serious cases and it is a much needed start to ensure that we can support local citizens to register a charity and begin the process of delivering support to those animals that are most in need.

Remember, whether you are a cat person or not, Madina is the city of our Prophet ﷺ and should be the first place on earth where animals can feel safe and well cared for.

If, like me you wish to see this great obligation to protect the animals of this great city revived and you want to make a huge difference, please donate generously and share this fundraiser far and wide.

As the Prophet Muhammed ﷺ taught us, a woman entered the hellfire for starving a cat to death, with a concerned collective effort we may just be able to enter paradise for doing the opposite!

Allah reward you for your actions.