Screengrab of the cat climbing onto Algerian Imam Sheikh Walid Mehsas
An Imam in Algeria remained calm and never lost concentration after a little cat jumped on top of him while reciting prayer.
Sheikh Walid Mehsas was leading the nightly prayer and reciting verses from the holy Qur’an at a mosque in Bordj Bou Arreridj, east of the capital Algiers, during the holy month of Ramadan when he was approached by the affectionate cat.
Grabbing onto his kurtah or Islamic garment, the white cat with splashes of grey and brown climbed onto Sheikh Mehsas.
Sheikh Mehsas helped the cat onto his shoulders where the feline affectionately caressed his cheek.
The cat remained on the Sheik’s shoulders for about twenty seconds before jumping off and walking past the congregation as they engaged in the bowing posture during the prayer.
A video clip of the 45-second encounter went viral across social media, drawing billions of views.
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It is reported in (Sunan Ibn Majah 369, reference: Book 1, Hadith 103) that Abu Hurairah, a companion of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “Cats do not invalidate the prayer, because they are one of the things that are useful in the house.”
Abu Hurairah, which means father of the kitten, received his name after he found a stray kitten and he took it in his sleeve.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) taught Muslims to have mercy on all of Allah’s creations – he not only preached this but modelled the way.
He was observed as always being kind towards cats, leading many Muslims during his time to embrace and accept these animals into their homes
Meanwhile, as the Islamic month of Ramadan passed the halfway mark, Muslims across the world commemorated the 17th day of Ramadan on Saturday as a significant day on the Islamic calendar.
In the year 2AH (after migration from Makkah to Medina), 313 Muslims led by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) lined-up against a thousand well-equipped disbelievers from Makkah in the battle of Badr.
According to Islamic scholars, the clash between Muslims and non-Muslims has been described as the day of Yawmul Furqan, the day when truth was distinguished from falsehood.
The battle marked a turning point for the early Muslim community (ummah) from a defensive stance toward one of stability and expansion.
The Muslims won the battle with 14 companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) being martyred while 70 non-believers were killed, but had the Muslims lost, Islamic scholars say, the religion of Islam would have been extinguished forever.
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