In the cities, the houses are crowded and close together. High above them, the mosque’s minarets shine; from which the Qur’anic recitation and athan sound out loud and clear. Below, the children run in the streets and the market place is filled with buyers, sellers, and passers-by.
One day, Ibn Babshath and some of his friends climbed to the top of the mosque where they wanted to eat a quick meal. They were all wearing beautiful red qulunswahs(1) and green clothing with a brown belt around their waists.
Not before long, a cat starred circling them as if asking for something to eat. They threw him a bite of food; he took it in his mouth and went away. He then came again and stood off the side asking for another piece, so they threw him another bite. He picked it up with his mouth and left.
The cat came back a third time and took food again. The friends thought this was strange because the amount of food they gave him was more than enough to fill him up. Not to mention that we was a small cat. This made Ibn Babshath leave his friends and follow the cat.
The cat went down the roof of the mosque and started moving from roof to roof, while Ibn Babshath was following him. Eventually the cat reached an area without buildings, except for one old deserted house. Ibn Babshath followed it inside and he was surprised by the strange scene he saw.
In the house, he saw another cat sitting in the corner. When he got closer he discovered the cat was blind. Ibn Babshath had uncovered the secret! The cat was taking the food from his friends and he was bringing it back to this blind cat.
Ibn Babshath was amazed and said: ”If Allaah facilitated for this blind cat someone to feed it and help it, then what about pious Muslims who do all the obligations, stay away from all the sins, and truly rely on Allaah?” After this incident Ibn Babshath became a pious person and died as such.
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(1)-The round hat that Muslim men wear also known as Qalansuwah.
