regard it as weak.” Some have said that he meant that he regarded the hadith as weak because it is a solitary report contradicted by the apparent meaning of the Quran, and also by the established Sunnah in which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, explained that cats are pure because they move about among us and mingle with us. Others have said that he meant that he questioned [the obligation to wash; still others have said that he meant that he questioned] the specified number of washings.
The first interpretation accords with the wording but is far-fetched in meaning, since the command to wash the vessel seven times does not entail that it is impure, such that it would contradict the apparent meaning of the Quran or the Prophet’s explanation, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, of why cats are pure. The second interpretation is less evident from the wording but sound in meaning, because a command may signify either obligation or recommendation. If the hadith is authentic and is understood as a recommendation and a devotional prescription without an underlying rationale, it contradicts neither the apparent meaning of the Quran nor the Prophet’s explanation, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, of why cats are pure. The third interpretation, however, is far-fetched in both wording and meaning. One cannot question the specified number while accepting the hadith as authentic, for it explicitly specifies seven. It is not permissible to accept a hadith as authentic while questioning what it explicitly states. Success comes from Allah.
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Mālik’s position differed concerning washing a vessel from which a pig has lapped. Two positions are transmitted from him: the first is that it is not to be washed; the second is that it is to be washed seven times, by analogy with the dog. The latter is Mutarrif’s transmission from him. Ibn al-Qassār related both positions from Mālik.
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If he treats the pig by analogy with the dog, he must do the same for all other beasts of prey, since the underlying cause is present in them: they consume impure substances more frequently than dogs do. Moreover, “dog” is a generic term encompassing all beasts of prey, for they are all dogs. It is reported: “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said concerning Utba ibn Abī Lahab, ‘O Allah, unleash one of Your dogs upon him.’ A lion then attacked him and killed him.”