Question:
AA WR WB,
I hope you are well Mawlana. I would like to please ask you, if I may, a question.
For our sons birthday recently we purchased for him a pet rabbit from an animal shelter. The animal is toilet trained and relieves himself specifically in a specially trained box. Although there are some pellets of feces occasionally. (But we do clean the cage very regularly and keep it clean neat and tidy.)
Is it permissible to keep the animal in this cage in the home? The cage is very large, the rabbit has lots of freedom to move about, run around and play and have fun and be happy. Also if we kept the rabbit outside the local native animals would attack and also animals such as foxes and feral cats and the occasional possible dog.
And the government has also released a strain of disease to kill off the local wild feral rabbits, the disease is named mixamatoais.
Even then, maybe some small pellets, small amounts of feces or poo within the cage area will the angels still enter the home? As even the cleanest home will still have some amounts of najasah…always keep animals caged area very clean and tidy for the animal cells for our health and to care for of the creations of Allah.
Because the poo/feces of a rabbit are small hard pellets, all balls, I simply role of all role of one’s closings and I do not leave any stain or mark they are hard and firm and as I said simply roll off. Is the rabbit is sitting on ones lap and does do a poo/feces because it is hard animal simply roll off is that area which the species may have touched considered to be najasah or is it still tahir? As long as no markings stains and all smells have left.
Last question if I may Sidi:
Can a husband pay to his wife the required amount of money for fidya from fasting in the month off Ramadan and vice versa for the wife to the husband if both parties are legitimately in financial need and I’m diseased and required nisab?
Thank you very much Sheikh/
Barik Allahu Fiq,
Salam to your family
Answer:
Salam alaykum,
In the Shafi`i madhhab rabbit droppings are considered najis; however, Imam al-Tirmidhi in his Sunan said the majority of the authorities of the Salaf do not consider the refuse of edible animals filthy. This is the position, among others, of Imams al-Zuhri, Yahya al-Ansari, `Ata’, al-Nakha`i, Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyya, Sufyan al-Thawri, Malik, and Ahmad. Several major Shafi`i authorities such as Ibn Khuzayma, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Hibban, al-Istakhri and al-Ruyani adopted that position as did, among the Hanafis, Muhammad b. al-Hasan. And Allah knows best.
Expiation for fast-breaking due to perpetual illness is to feed one poor person for each day missed, it is not replaced by cash or other forms of property. The husband is obligated to feed his wife regardless so he needs to give his expiation to someone else. If he does not have enough to feed himself or both himself and his wife, then he is qualified to
receive the fidya from his wife and he does not have to give away any. And Allah knows best.
For more on this see:
http://spa.qibla.com/issue_view.asp?HD=3&ID=4364&CATE=412
http://spa.qibla.com/issue_view.asp?HD=3&ID=21458&CATE=412
and
http://spa.qibla.com/issue_view.asp?HD=3&ID=16286&CATE=412
Hajj Gibril Haddad
