and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) from one vessel from which the cat had drunk before that (50). And from 'Aishah, she said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "It is not impure, [it is only] (51) among those who go around among you." And I have seen the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performing ablution with its leftover water. Narrated by Abu Dawud (52).
Section: If a cat eats an impurity and then drinks from a small amount of water after it has been absent, the water is pure; because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) negated impurity from it, and performed ablution [from its leftover water] (53), knowing that it eats impurities. But if it drinks before it has been absent, al-Qadi and Ibn 'Aqil said: It becomes impure; because an impurity that is certain has entered it, similar to what would happen if urine fell into it.
Abu al-Hasan al-Amidi said: The apparent position in the school of our colleagues is that it is pure, even if it has not been absent; because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) granted an exemption regarding it absolutely, and he provided the reason that it is impossible to avoid it. Furthermore, we ruled the leftover water to be pure after (54) an absence in a place that does not preclude it having visited a large amount of water that would have purified its mouth. Even if that were possible, it is a doubt that does not remove the certainty of impurity; therefore, it is necessary to attribute the purity to the exemption granted concerning it, which covers the time before its absence.
Section: If a mouse or a cat or the like falls into a liquid or a small amount of water, and then exits alive, it is pure. Ahmad stated this explicitly, for he was asked about a mouse that falls into melted fat and does not die, and he said: There is no harm in eating it. In another narration (55), he said: If it is alive, then there is nothing [to worry about], the discussion is only regarding the dead one.
It is said: It is possible that it becomes impure if the water touches its exit point; because the place of excretion is impure, and the water becomes impure because of it.
(50) In the previous location of Sunan Ibn Majah. (51) In M: "It is". What is established in: the original (al-asl), A, and Sunan Abi Dawud is "it is only". (52) In the previous location of Sunan Abi Dawud. (53) In M: "from its leftover water". (54) In M: "with". (55) Dropped from: M.
