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A cat legend
Have you ever looked at a tabby cat's face and noticed the mark above
the eyes that looks like an M? There is a legend about this that some call the Mark of Mohammed, and was probably brought into Europe by merchants who traded with Arabs and the Arabic-speaking peoples of North Africa. It is said that as the Prophet Mohammed was studying scripture, a kitten crawled into the sleeve of his robe. In peace with the Prophet and the quiet atmosphere of spiritual study, the kitty curled up and slept in the sleeve; and Mohammed, very touched by this gesture, cut the sleeve from the robe rather than awaken the kitten. And then, as a sign of favor, the Prophet set his initial on the kitty's forehead for her and her descendants to carry forever. I told my husband and he joked with me that it should have been the Arabic M-letter, but I figured that this legend came into Europe through Spain, via the Moors and traders who dealt with Muslim merchants. Blessed be, Baha |
Singh wrote:
Have you ever looked at a tabby cat's face and noticed the mark above the eyes that looks like an M? There is a legend about this that some call the Mark of Mohammed, and was probably brought into Europe by merchants who traded with Arabs and the Arabic-speaking peoples of North Africa. It is said that as the Prophet Mohammed was studying scripture, a kitten crawled into the sleeve of his robe. In peace with the Prophet and the quiet atmosphere of spiritual study, the kitty curled up and slept in the sleeve; and Mohammed, very touched by this gesture, cut the sleeve from the robe rather than awaken the kitten. And then, as a sign of favor, the Prophet set his initial on the kitty's forehead for her and her descendants to carry forever. I told my husband and he joked with me that it should have been the Arabic M-letter, but I figured that this legend came into Europe through Spain, via the Moors and traders who dealt with Muslim merchants. Blessed be, Baha What a lovely legend! Thank you for sharing this. Persia is not a tabby but when she gets concerned I can see an "m" shape between her eyes, like she is frowning. Jill |
Singh wrote:
Have you ever looked at a tabby cat's face and noticed the mark above the eyes that looks like an M? There is a legend about this that some call the Mark of Mohammed, and was probably brought into Europe by merchants who traded with Arabs and the Arabic-speaking peoples of North Africa. It is said that as the Prophet Mohammed was studying scripture, a kitten crawled into the sleeve of his robe. In peace with the Prophet and the quiet atmosphere of spiritual study, the kitty curled up and slept in the sleeve; and Mohammed, very touched by this gesture, cut the sleeve from the robe rather than awaken the kitten. And then, as a sign of favor, the Prophet set his initial on the kitty's forehead for her and her descendants to carry forever. I told my husband and he joked with me that it should have been the Arabic M-letter, but I figured that this legend came into Europe through Spain, via the Moors and traders who dealt with Muslim merchants. Blessed be, Baha What a lovely legend! Thank you for sharing this. Persia is not a tabby but when she gets concerned I can see an "m" shape between her eyes, like she is frowning. Jill |
Singh wrote:
Have you ever looked at a tabby cat's face and noticed the mark above the eyes that looks like an M? There is a legend about this that some call the Mark of Mohammed, and was probably brought into Europe by merchants who traded with Arabs and the Arabic-speaking peoples of North Africa. It is said that as the Prophet Mohammed was studying scripture, a kitten crawled into the sleeve of his robe. In peace with the Prophet and the quiet atmosphere of spiritual study, the kitty curled up and slept in the sleeve; and Mohammed, very touched by this gesture, cut the sleeve from the robe rather than awaken the kitten. And then, as a sign of favor, the Prophet set his initial on the kitty's forehead for her and her descendants to carry forever. I told my husband and he joked with me that it should have been the Arabic M-letter, but I figured that this legend came into Europe through Spain, via the Moors and traders who dealt with Muslim merchants. Blessed be, Baha What a lovely legend! Thank you for sharing this. Persia is not a tabby but when she gets concerned I can see an "m" shape between her eyes, like she is frowning. Jill |
I heard a different version of the legend about the "M". I heard that the
baby Jesus was fussy one cold night in the stable where He was born, and would not go to sleep no matter how much the Virgin Mary rocked him. A lamb came to lay beside him to try to warm and comfort Him, but it didn't help, the baby Jesus still cried. A donkey came, chicks came, and a camel came, all the animals in the stable came to His crib to try and soothe Him, but none of the animals were able to make him sleep. Then a tabby kitten crawled up beside Him and started to purr. Within just a few minutes the baby Jesus calmed down and drifted off to sleep. In gratitude the Virgin Mary placed her hand on the kitten's head to give it her blessing. And tabby kittens, to this day, have the "M", the mark of Mary, on their foreheads. Hugs, CatNipped "Singh" wrote in message ... Have you ever looked at a tabby cat's face and noticed the mark above the eyes that looks like an M? There is a legend about this that some call the Mark of Mohammed, and was probably brought into Europe by merchants who traded with Arabs and the Arabic-speaking peoples of North Africa. It is said that as the Prophet Mohammed was studying scripture, a kitten crawled into the sleeve of his robe. In peace with the Prophet and the quiet atmosphere of spiritual study, the kitty curled up and slept in the sleeve; and Mohammed, very touched by this gesture, cut the sleeve from the robe rather than awaken the kitten. And then, as a sign of favor, the Prophet set his initial on the kitty's forehead for her and her descendants to carry forever. I told my husband and he joked with me that it should have been the Arabic M-letter, but I figured that this legend came into Europe through Spain, via the Moors and traders who dealt with Muslim merchants. Blessed be, Baha |
I heard a different version of the legend about the "M". I heard that the
baby Jesus was fussy one cold night in the stable where He was born, and would not go to sleep no matter how much the Virgin Mary rocked him. A lamb came to lay beside him to try to warm and comfort Him, but it didn't help, the baby Jesus still cried. A donkey came, chicks came, and a camel came, all the animals in the stable came to His crib to try and soothe Him, but none of the animals were able to make him sleep. Then a tabby kitten crawled up beside Him and started to purr. Within just a few minutes the baby Jesus calmed down and drifted off to sleep. In gratitude the Virgin Mary placed her hand on the kitten's head to give it her blessing. And tabby kittens, to this day, have the "M", the mark of Mary, on their foreheads. Hugs, CatNipped "Singh" wrote in message ... Have you ever looked at a tabby cat's face and noticed the mark above the eyes that looks like an M? There is a legend about this that some call the Mark of Mohammed, and was probably brought into Europe by merchants who traded with Arabs and the Arabic-speaking peoples of North Africa. It is said that as the Prophet Mohammed was studying scripture, a kitten crawled into the sleeve of his robe. In peace with the Prophet and the quiet atmosphere of spiritual study, the kitty curled up and slept in the sleeve; and Mohammed, very touched by this gesture, cut the sleeve from the robe rather than awaken the kitten. And then, as a sign of favor, the Prophet set his initial on the kitty's forehead for her and her descendants to carry forever. I told my husband and he joked with me that it should have been the Arabic M-letter, but I figured that this legend came into Europe through Spain, via the Moors and traders who dealt with Muslim merchants. Blessed be, Baha |
I heard a different version of the legend about the "M". I heard that the
baby Jesus was fussy one cold night in the stable where He was born, and would not go to sleep no matter how much the Virgin Mary rocked him. A lamb came to lay beside him to try to warm and comfort Him, but it didn't help, the baby Jesus still cried. A donkey came, chicks came, and a camel came, all the animals in the stable came to His crib to try and soothe Him, but none of the animals were able to make him sleep. Then a tabby kitten crawled up beside Him and started to purr. Within just a few minutes the baby Jesus calmed down and drifted off to sleep. In gratitude the Virgin Mary placed her hand on the kitten's head to give it her blessing. And tabby kittens, to this day, have the "M", the mark of Mary, on their foreheads. Hugs, CatNipped "Singh" wrote in message ... Have you ever looked at a tabby cat's face and noticed the mark above the eyes that looks like an M? There is a legend about this that some call the Mark of Mohammed, and was probably brought into Europe by merchants who traded with Arabs and the Arabic-speaking peoples of North Africa. It is said that as the Prophet Mohammed was studying scripture, a kitten crawled into the sleeve of his robe. In peace with the Prophet and the quiet atmosphere of spiritual study, the kitty curled up and slept in the sleeve; and Mohammed, very touched by this gesture, cut the sleeve from the robe rather than awaken the kitten. And then, as a sign of favor, the Prophet set his initial on the kitty's forehead for her and her descendants to carry forever. I told my husband and he joked with me that it should have been the Arabic M-letter, but I figured that this legend came into Europe through Spain, via the Moors and traders who dealt with Muslim merchants. Blessed be, Baha |
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1 On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 19:49:22 -0400, Singh wrote: Have you ever looked at a tabby cat's face and noticed the mark above the eyes that looks like an M? There is a legend about this that some call the Mark of Mohammed, and was probably brought into Europe by merchants who traded with Arabs and the Arabic-speaking peoples of North Africa. It is said that as the Prophet Mohammed was studying scripture, a kitten crawled into the sleeve of his robe. In peace with the Prophet and the quiet atmosphere of spiritual study, the kitty curled up and slept in the sleeve; and Mohammed, very touched by this gesture, cut the sleeve from the robe rather than awaken the kitten. And then, as a sign of favor, the Prophet set his initial on the kitty's forehead for her and her descendants to carry forever. I told my husband and he joked with me that it should have been the Arabic M-letter, but I figured that this legend came into Europe through Spain, via the Moors and traders who dealt with Muslim merchants. Blessed be, Baha In ancient China, the most common term for male homosexuality was "the love of the cut sleeve", going back to an incident where the last Han emperor, Han Ai Ti, cut off his sleeve rather than awake his boy (or, in some versions, eunuch) lover. Han Ai Ti ruled from 6 BC to 1 AD, several centuries before Mohammed, so this cat legend is probably a bowdlerized version of the Chinese account. See http://www.arapacana.com/Glossary/H.htm, and search for the phrase "love of the cut sleeve". -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGPfreeware 7.0.3 for non-commercial use http://www.pgp.com iQA/AwUBQVYjWjMYPge5L34aEQIH1ACg9obnXvaDItt2A2p1A0XdkW uaGlMAniLC myKAUAiVpIFfjSf3b+3uefiK =bziH -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- John F. Eldredge -- PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria |
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1 On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 19:49:22 -0400, Singh wrote: Have you ever looked at a tabby cat's face and noticed the mark above the eyes that looks like an M? There is a legend about this that some call the Mark of Mohammed, and was probably brought into Europe by merchants who traded with Arabs and the Arabic-speaking peoples of North Africa. It is said that as the Prophet Mohammed was studying scripture, a kitten crawled into the sleeve of his robe. In peace with the Prophet and the quiet atmosphere of spiritual study, the kitty curled up and slept in the sleeve; and Mohammed, very touched by this gesture, cut the sleeve from the robe rather than awaken the kitten. And then, as a sign of favor, the Prophet set his initial on the kitty's forehead for her and her descendants to carry forever. I told my husband and he joked with me that it should have been the Arabic M-letter, but I figured that this legend came into Europe through Spain, via the Moors and traders who dealt with Muslim merchants. Blessed be, Baha In ancient China, the most common term for male homosexuality was "the love of the cut sleeve", going back to an incident where the last Han emperor, Han Ai Ti, cut off his sleeve rather than awake his boy (or, in some versions, eunuch) lover. Han Ai Ti ruled from 6 BC to 1 AD, several centuries before Mohammed, so this cat legend is probably a bowdlerized version of the Chinese account. See http://www.arapacana.com/Glossary/H.htm, and search for the phrase "love of the cut sleeve". -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGPfreeware 7.0.3 for non-commercial use http://www.pgp.com iQA/AwUBQVYjWjMYPge5L34aEQIH1ACg9obnXvaDItt2A2p1A0XdkW uaGlMAniLC myKAUAiVpIFfjSf3b+3uefiK =bziH -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- John F. Eldredge -- PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria |
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1 On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 19:49:22 -0400, Singh wrote: Have you ever looked at a tabby cat's face and noticed the mark above the eyes that looks like an M? There is a legend about this that some call the Mark of Mohammed, and was probably brought into Europe by merchants who traded with Arabs and the Arabic-speaking peoples of North Africa. It is said that as the Prophet Mohammed was studying scripture, a kitten crawled into the sleeve of his robe. In peace with the Prophet and the quiet atmosphere of spiritual study, the kitty curled up and slept in the sleeve; and Mohammed, very touched by this gesture, cut the sleeve from the robe rather than awaken the kitten. And then, as a sign of favor, the Prophet set his initial on the kitty's forehead for her and her descendants to carry forever. I told my husband and he joked with me that it should have been the Arabic M-letter, but I figured that this legend came into Europe through Spain, via the Moors and traders who dealt with Muslim merchants. Blessed be, Baha In ancient China, the most common term for male homosexuality was "the love of the cut sleeve", going back to an incident where the last Han emperor, Han Ai Ti, cut off his sleeve rather than awake his boy (or, in some versions, eunuch) lover. Han Ai Ti ruled from 6 BC to 1 AD, several centuries before Mohammed, so this cat legend is probably a bowdlerized version of the Chinese account. See http://www.arapacana.com/Glossary/H.htm, and search for the phrase "love of the cut sleeve". -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGPfreeware 7.0.3 for non-commercial use http://www.pgp.com iQA/AwUBQVYjWjMYPge5L34aEQIH1ACg9obnXvaDItt2A2p1A0XdkW uaGlMAniLC myKAUAiVpIFfjSf3b+3uefiK =bziH -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- John F. Eldredge -- PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria |
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