The Love for Cats and Identity: A 1757 Manuscript from Žepče

 

The title of the treatise is al-Risāla fī ḥubb al-hirra al-musammā al-Birra (Treatise on the Love for the Cat Named al-Birra) by the author Mulla Ali al-Qari, folio 016

In 1757, a manuscript was transcribed in Žepče that deals with our everyday relationship with cats and explores whether the love we share with them represents a universal human trait or a sign of a specific personal and collective identity.

The search for particular manuscripts is truly like an adventurous journey, offering a multitude of unforeseen surprises. Thus, while searching for certain works, I stumbled upon a quite unusual manuscript transcribed in Bosnia. It is held at the Bibliothèque Orientale, Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth (Compagnie de Jésus) in Beirut, under the shelfmark MS 2/954. The catalog entry notes that it contains several different treatises transcribed in Bosnia in 1757, specifically in Žepče. All the transcribed epistles belong to a single author, Nuruddin al-Hirawi, born in Herat (modern-day Afghanistan). Better known as Mulla Ali al-Qari, he was a scholar of the Hanafi legal tradition who lived in the 16th and early 17th centuries (d. 1605 or 1606). The collection contains several colophons, and among the names of the scribes is a local man, Ahmed Žepčevi. The entire manuscript consists of 119 folios, and the transcription dates back to the 18th century (1757).

On the first folio (001), the titles of all twelve treatises comprising the collection are listed. Below the titles is the name of the then-owner, stating that these epistles are "from the books of Mr. Ahmed al-Bahri." Certain colophons specify that the transcription was carried out in the Žepče Madrasa or the Žepče Qasbah. For instance, folio 015 mentions the Žepče Qasbah, folio 033 notes the completion of a "noble epistle" in the same Qasbah, while folio 058 mentions the Žepče Madrasa. Available data from the colophons suggest the work was done by several hands and that the "Qasbah" likely referred to a local fortification at the time.

The manuscript contains twelve thematic units, but the third treatise caught my eye and is the focus of this text. Spanning from folio 016 to 019, its original title is "al-Risāla fī ḥubb al-hirra al-musammā al-Birra" by Mulla Ali al-Qari. The title translates to: "A Treatise on Being in Love with the Cat Named al-Birra."

As soon as I saw the title, I had to examine it more closely for several reasons. Firstly, because it was transcribed in Bosnia, but more so because it intrigued me and brought a smile to my face—it is thematically dedicated to our daily relationship with the animal that graces our streets and homes. The content is a relaxed read, and it is a pleasure to see that a creature as dear as a cat has its place in the history of Oriental manuscript transcription in Bosnia. This is one of those manuscripts that sparks immediate delight even before you know the exact content. It deals with a kind and benevolent attitude toward cats and what this animal represents in daily life when defining the boundaries between different identities.

From the very first folio, it is clear that love for cats is almost a "given." In this regard, the author, Nuruddin al-Hirawi, seeks to discern through the expression of love for cats whether this type of affection is a domain of identity differences among various communities or a universal characteristic of human nature. Consequently, this epistle teaches us about identity construction and perspectives on diversity in the 16th century (when the work was written) and the 18th century (when it was transcribed). It highlights the status of cats in our lives while simultaneously pointing to the boundaries between identities—those traits that distinguish one group from another—and behaviors inherent to original human nature.

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Common Traits Inherent to Human Nature

In this treatise, Nuruddin al-Hirawi covers several interesting segments, beginning with a popular tradition (hadith) widespread among the people: "Is the love for a cat among the signs of faith?" The reason the author addressed this topic was that he had been asked about this specific saying. Regarding the tradition itself, Mulla Ali al-Qari states that scholars of Islamic oral tradition unanimously agree that this is a folk saying, as it cannot be attributed to the Prophet. Furthermore, he notes that prominent experts categorically consider this tradition to be a fabrication. This suggests that the saying emerged from a popular folk culture where love for cats was elevated to the high pedestal of recognizable outward signs of faith.

This is where the most interesting parts of the manuscript begin. By the second folio, it is evident that Mulla Ali al-Qari does not wish to spend much time proving the folk origin of the saying. He resolves this in a few sentences, citing established scholars. If he does not dwell on the technicalities of the fabrication, what interests our author? At the end of the first folio, he asks: "(...) and is the meaning of this tradition valid?"

This is where Mulla Ali al-Qari focuses his attention—on an important theme within social relations: Which characteristics belong to basic human nature and are shared across diverse communities? These are traits and forms of public life that are normally expected from anyone and cannot represent behaviors that distinguish one community or individual from another in public life.

In this context, Al-Qari discusses our love for cats and theirs for us, and whether such love is an indicator of one's faith. He indirectly speaks of universal human traits on one hand, and traits that create distinctions (culture of specific identities) on the other. According to Al-Qari, the folk tradition of sharing love with cats cannot indicate one's religious identity because it is a "universal matter" (amrun muštarakun) shared by both those who express a religious identity and those who do not. He applies the same logic to patriotism: love for one's homeland is also a universal trait not particularly tied to faith communities; rather, it is a part of the register of general human nature.

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Cats as Symbols of Universal Human Traits

Mulla Ali al-Qari’s epistle on cats is an excellent historical document testifying to the culture of living and shared space. Everyone has a certain identity with its own register of symbols, but this manuscript tells us how close cats are to humans regardless of those markers.

The author’s audience clearly had an unclear stance on whether befriending cats reached a level of public expression that could be labeled as a religious act. Al-Qari’s answer is clear: Love and companionship with cats is a trait common to many people. It is a behavioral model seen in diverse communities and thus cannot serve as a characteristic of a particular identity. Our love for these animals may stem from various motives, but it cannot be the "distinguishable difference" that separates one identity from another.

For cat lovers, it is significant to have a historical document transcribed in Bosnia in the 18th century where cats play the leading role in a discourse on everyday life. While people build diverse identities, many daily behaviors belong to the register of common traits shared by all humans, regardless of culture. Thus, in Al-Qari’s writings, love for cats represents a human action that transcends cultural and identity differences. Cats, in their own right, became a reminder in this epistle that while humans create specific identity models, they also share a fundamental nature. Cats transcend these human divisions, accepting the love of anyone who feeds them, regardless of their faith or identity.