Can I Pray with Cat Hair?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
I know that Shias believe that if there is cat hair on your prayer clothes, then your prayer is void. Is this true? (I am a Sunni)
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
Cat Hair
No, the presence of cat hair in your clothes won’t invalidate your prayer.
The reason for this ruling is that as long as your body, clothing, and place of prayer are not affected by more than 5 grams of solid filth, then your prayer is valid. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
If the hair is from a cat, then the hair’s head (the moist part only) is filthy. As for the rest of the hair, it is pure. This is a very small area that weighs far less than 5 grams. It is thus excused to pray while being affected by a low amount of cat hair.
The Messenger of Allah (Blessings and Peace be upon Him) has said regarding dead (non-ritually slaughtered) animals: “It is forbidden to eat it.” while allowing us to benefit from its skin by tanning it and using it as containers and so on. [Bukhari]
This indicates that the hair of an animal is pure. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
