Buying & Selling Cats

About: buying and selling cats – حكم بيع القطط

Abu Zubair said:
سَأَلْتُ جَابِرًا عَنْ ثَمَنِ الْكَلْبِ، وَالسِّنَّوْرِ، قَالَ زَجَرَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ ذَلِكَ ‏.‏
‘I asked Jabir about the price of a dog and a cat; he said: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) disapproved of that.’
[“Sahih Muslim”, 1569].
https://sunnah.com/muslim:1569

Imam al-Qurtubi explains:
لفظ زجر يشعر بتخفيف النهي، وأنه ليس للتحريم، بل على التنزه عن ثمنهما
“The wording “disapproved” indicates that it is a light discouragement, and that it is not a prohibition. It is to discourage people from its sale/purchase.”
[“Al-Mufham”, 4/447].

The majority of scholars within the 4 madhabs believe that it is disliked/discouraged but permissible to buy/sell cats. Some of them understood this Hadith to be about wild-cats, not the domesticated cats. Others weakened it, despite it being in Sahih Muslim.

A minority of scholars believe that it is forbidden/sinful – this is also the madhab of the Dhahiriyah.

Allahu A’alam