The cat who went to Makkah
A fable from Jordan



A long time ago, the leader of the cats went on a pilgrimage to Makkah. When he returned, the leader of the mice felt like he should come and pay him the traditional visit of congratulations on his safe return as a Hajji, or pilgrim. He said to his fellow mice, “Tradition demands that we go to his house and welcome him back formally.”


But the mice were not convinced. “The cat is our enemy; how can we go near him in safety?”

The leader of mice explained, “Now that he has been to Makkah, and become a Hajji, he is no longer free to do what he used to do before. These days, he remains in prayer from morning till night, and he always makes dhikr on his prayer beads.

The mice were not persuaded. “You go and call him, and see if he changed,” they said. “We shall wait for you here.”


So the leader of the mice set out for the home of the cat. When he reached it, he found a crack in the wall which he just managed to squeeze through. When he poked his head out the other side and looked around, he saw the leader of the cats with a white kufi on his head. He was praising Allah, murmuring prayers, and every now and then bowing in sajdah and glorifying his Maker.


The leader of mice decided that the cat had really changed his ways and strode confidently towards him, saying all the customary greetings.
But as soon as the leader of the cats caught sight of him, he dropped his dhikr beads and pounced towards him! And but for Allah the Preserver, he would have bitten the mouse’s tail right off.


The leader of the mice jumped back into the crack in the wall and ran all the say back to his fellow mice.
“How is the leader of the cats after his Hajj?” they asked. “Let’s hope he changed for the better.”
“Never mind the Hajj,” said the leader of the mice. “He may pray like a Hajji, but he still pounces like a cat.”



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