Cats are Muslim

So, a few months ago when talking about the name of my cat, Ali(ster), I remember making the comment — yeah, but all cats are Muslim anyway.

And my friend was like — what do you mean?

And I said — it's like an internet thing. I don't know. But I get it. Maybe because they're clean and they just know.

And at the time he accepted the answer.

And just now, walking with my cat, it dawned on me properly. Cats are Muslim because cats have fitra.

How can I explain?

You know how dogs are often like — am I family? Am I Fido? Am I animal? Am I pet? Am I a good boy or am I a bad boy? — constantly looking for answers from everyone other than themselves.

Cats, before all else, know they are a cat. No matter where they are in the world, at which point in time. A cat knows it is a cat. It does not try to be anything other than a cat, and never anything less than a cat. And that carries a specific quality of self-assurance that has a name in Arabic — fitra. The innate disposition toward truth that you're born with. The thing you know before anyone tells you anything.

Cats don't need people to point at them and say — oh look, a cat.

They already knew.