President of MUIS
Mr Mohammad Alami Bin Musa
alami@muis.gov.sg
Mufti
Dr Mohamed Fatris Bin Bakaram
fatris@muis.gov.sg
Secretary of MUIS
Mr Abdul Razak Bin Hassan Maricar
abdul_razak_maricar@muis.gov.sg
Dear Sir,
My name is Nurul Munirah and I am a volunteer working alongside Cat Welfare Society (CWS)for the rescue and re-homing of abandon cats in the streets.
I am writing in to MUIS on my personal accord with a view of seeking the Council's assistance to explore ways to reach out and educate our Muslim community on responsible pet ownership.
Over the last few years, many volunteers like me have noticed during our rescue operations, that there is an increasing and alarming trend of our Muslim community pet owners abandoning and/ or refusing to neuter their pet cats. Typically, when their household cat starts to caterwaul, instead of sending the cat to be neutered, the family would decide to abandon the cat simply because the cat is making too much noise or peeing around the house. As a result of these socially ungraceful behaviour, animal lovers, both Muslims and non-Muslims are mentally and physically stressed up trying to keep up with the re-homing process.
So why is it that the spotlight in on our Muslim community? The answer goes back to the religious belief of the older generation in our community. At times when we were able to track the owner of the abandoned cats, we would interview the home owners on their reason for abandoning their cat(s). Sadly, the common answer that echo amongst them is that they pity the cat to send it to be neutered out of the religious belief that it is sinful to prevent the animal from mating.
Dear Sir, as the governing bodyof Muslim matters in Singapore, I look upon the Council to take a stronger stance, to step in and educate our Muslim brothers and sisters on beinga responsible pet owner. Neutering a cat is not a sin and it must be strongly echoed and backed by an organisation like MUIS in order to re-shape the thinking of our older generation. Perhaps one of the ways that the council can take into consideration to reach out to the Muslim community would would be through the Friday prayer sermon. Such a platform can be used to tap into a wide spectrum of the Muslim society who attends the Friday prayers and an excellent opportunity to correct the thinking and perception of neutering animals. At the same time, can I propose that our 94.2FM radio could consider having this topic as part of their early morning sermon.I have been listening to most of the sermon but hardly the topic about animal are being touched.
I end this email with hopes that my views are heard and that the organisation will consider taking the lead in educating our Muslim community on responsible pet ownership. May Allah(S.W.T) bless us in our pursuit of integrating animals into a responsible and caring society.
I hope that this urgent matter receive your soonest attention and I look forward to receiving your reply on the issue.
Thank you.
Regards,
Nurul Munirah (Ms)
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Assalamualaikum Wr Wb.
Dear Ms Nurul Munirah,
Thank you for sharing with us the issue regarding the treatment of cats by some members of the community. It is indeed part of our spirituality to ensure that animals like any other forms of creationis taken care with compassion. We appreciate your view that the community can be better educated on the religious view on neutering cats. This is especially when a fatwa permitting it has been issued (Please see attached).
We have been sharing with the community this fatwa and will continue to encourage our mosque religious officers to share this with mosque congregations in their talks. We will also share this on Muis' Facebook so as to ensure that it reaches a wider audience. You may also wish to suggest for Berita Harian to carry this story while highlighting the fatwa that we have issued.
Should you require further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you and may Allah bless you for your efforts.
Best,
Irwan Hadi Bin MohdShuhaimy
Head | Office of the Mufti SU
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ADMINISTRATION OF MUSLIM LAW ACT (CHAPTER3, SECTION 32)
FATWA ISSUED BYFATWA (LEGAL) COMMITTEE , ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS COUNCIL OF SINGAPORE
TheFatwa Committee has discussed the issue of neutering cats and concluded on 22ndJune 1994 the following fatwa.
FATWA
بسمالله الرحمن الرحيم
الحمدلله رب العالمين ، والصلاة والسلام علىسيد المرسلين وإمام المتقين نبينا محمدوعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين. اللهمأرنا الحق حقا وارزقنا اتباعه، وأرناالباطل باطلا وارزقنا اجتنابه .وبعد،BACKGROUND
1 There are plans to ensure that cats in Singapore are properly neutered. This is to ensure that the number of homeless and abandoned cats is controlled.
2 The party involved in this effort has clarified that neutering will not cause any pain or harm to the animal. There will not be any side effects on cats which have been neutered. Subsequently they haves ought the Fatwa Committee’s view on this and whether it is contradictory to any Islamic teachings.
FATWA
3 Fundamentally, all Islamic legal schools of thought (mazhab) allow the neutering of animals albeit they differ on the kinds of animals which are permitted for it to be performed on. The Hanafi mazhab is of the view that it is permissible to neuter animals on the basisof necessity and need1. However, the other school of thoughts (mazhab) allows only the neutering of animals which are allowed for Muslims to consume.
4 After considering the evidences and basis of the different schools of thought and the medical advice of Society of Prevention of Cruelty Against Animal’s (SPCA) veterinarian, the Fatwa Committee opines that the neutering of cats on the basis of necessity is permissible. This is in line with the following Islamic legal maxim of:
اتخاذأخف الضررين2
"Recognisingthe lighter of two harms.”
1 Wahbah Zuhaili, Fiqh Perundangan Islam. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustak,Kuala Lumpur, 1st ed. 1995. Vol. 3. pg.640.
2 Al-Suyuti, Jalaluddin Abd Rahman. Al-Asybah wa Al-Nazhair. Muassasah al-Kutb al-Thaqafiyyah. Cairo, Egypt. 1st ed. 1994. Pg.119.
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Photo credit: Päikesejänku
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