Story Farmland & grasslands Urban environment Mercy towards animals

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A woman had confined a female cat, depriving it of food and water, until the animal perished from hunger. She neither fed it nor gave it water, nor did she let it free so that it could seek its own sustenance among the insects and small creatures of the earth. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ reported that this woman was, for this deed, punished and destined for the Fire.

The hadith reported by the Prophet ﷺ

This account is authentically reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, on the authority of the Companion Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both. The Prophet ﷺ said: "A woman was punished because of a cat that she had confined until it died of hunger; she entered the Fire for that. She was told: You neither fed it nor gave it water when you confined it, and you did not allow it to eat the creatures of the earth."

This hadith establishes a principle of striking clarity: whoever willfully deprives a creature of its liberty incurs a total responsibility toward it. The cat, unable to provide for itself because it was held captive, was entirely dependent on this woman for survival. By neglecting it unto death, she committed a grave wrong against a defenseless being, one capable only of expressing its suffering in silence.

A Lesson on Our Duty Toward Living Creatures

Scholars who have commented on this hadith emphasize that the woman's fault lay not merely in neglect, but in the twofold constraint she imposed: she withheld food from the animal while simultaneously denying it the means to feed itself. It is reported that certain commentators, reflecting on this hadith, stressed that an animal placed under the guardianship of a human being becomes an amāna, a trust from Allah, for which one must render account.

This account fits within a broader body of prophetic teachings on mercy toward animals. In another well-known hadith, likewise reported in the authentic collections, the Prophet ﷺ describes by contrast a person pardoned for giving water to a thirsty dog. These two accounts, held in mirror, reveal a single truth: the good or evil one does to a creature, however humble it may appear, is never insignificant before Allah.

The choice of a female cat in this hadith is no accident. In Islamic tradition, the cat holds a particular place: it is considered a pure animal, permitted to move freely in homes and places of prayer, and it is reported that the Prophet ﷺ himself showed gentleness toward it. This closeness makes all the more poignant the cruelty described in this hadith, where an animal ordinarily cherished was instead left to a slow and avoidable death.

What This Account Teaches Us Today

This hadith continues to be cited to remind us that the guardianship of an animal—whether a domestic cat, a pet, or any other living being entrusted to our care—carries firm duties: to feed it, to give it water, to ensure its welfare, and never to confine it in conditions that would compromise its survival. Responsibility does not vanish because the animal cannot speak in words.

This story calls each person to sincere self-examination: an animal that one takes in, adopts, or keeps in one's home is never a mere object, but a life for which one is answerable. Kindness toward animals, far from being an incidental sentiment, is presented here as a moral and spiritual requirement. To ensure that no creature suffers through our neglect remains, in the light of this teaching, a duty both simple and profound.