Islam and dogs

Dogs have a long history in Islam, although the majority of both Sunni and Shia Muslim jurists consider dogs to be ritually unclean (najis).[1] The majority consensus is also that Muslims are not allowed to have dogs as pets, although there is many exceptions where they are allowed.[2] In Islam, it is still mandatory to dogs them kindly as with any other animal.

A Turkish goat herder with his Kangal dog in Kozan, Adana.

## Religious impurity[edit]

Muslims generally cast dogs in a negative light because of their alleged ritual impurity, although there is a disagreement about it in Islam. Muhammad was known for kindness to animals, including dogs, and it is often said that he did not have a personal problem with dogs, rather it was the general culture of the time.[3]

In a Sunni tradition, it is reported that Muhammad states that angels do not enter a house if it has portraits hung up or a dog in it.

## Quran[edit]

In al Al-Ma'idah, verse 4, it says "lawful for you are all good things, and [the prey] that trained [hunting] dogs and falcons catch for you."[4]

In Al-Kahf, verse 18, it describes the Seven Sleepers as sleeping in the cave with their dog guarding the door. In verse 22, the dog is always counted as one of them, no matter how they are numbered. The dog was praised for guarding the Seven Sleepers, who were hiding in the cave from an oppressive tyrant who persecuted them because of their religion.[5] This dog, Qitmir, would later be a part of Muslim folklore, in which many affectionate stories have grown around his loyal and protective qualities.[6][7][8]

These verses all portray dogs positively.[9]

## Ownership[edit]

Most Islamic jurists allow owning dogs for herding, farming, hunting, pulling, protection, or services for a disabled person, but prohibited dog ownership if it was for no reason.[10] Many fatāwā also state that dogs should either be treated kindly by their owner, or otherwise released.[11] It is also reported that having a dog for no reason (i.e. not a service, working, or guard dog) takes a portion of your deeds.[12][13] The UK's Sharia council in 2008 made a fatwa that permitted a blind person to use a dog to get to a mosque, and that the dog could enter but must only be by the entrance and not in the prayer section.[14]

Where as most Islamic schools believe the saliva of a dog is impure, the Maliki school believes that wild dogs and domestic dogs are different, only considering the wild one to be impure.[15] The Malikis believe that since the Quran allows eating prey that was caught in a dogs mouth, the saliva of a domestic dog is not impure.[15] Another Sunni tradition attributed to Muhammad says that Muslims should not participate in breeding dogs to sell or trade and make a profit from. However, the Hanafi scholars allow breeding of dogs for selling or trading.[16]

Dog fighting is a major sin in Islam, whether it is for entertainment or gambling.[17][18]

## Prophet and Sahaba[edit]

In 630 AD, when Muhammad and his army were on their way to Mecca, they ran into a female dog sleeping with her puppies. Muhammad made a few of his soldiers stay there and make sure the dogs were not disturbed.[19] Muhammad himself prayed in the presence of dogs, and many of his relatives and sahaba, who were Muslims, owned dogs. The Prophet's Mosque permitted dogs to frolic around during the time of Muhammad as well as many centuries after.[20] Abu Hurayrah reported that Muhammad told his followers a story of a man who was blessed by Allah for giving water to a thirsty dog, and also a story of a prostitute who was granted paradise for filling her shoe with water from a well and giving it to a dog who was extremely thirsty.[21][2][22]

Umar, the second Caliph of Islam, said that if a dog was left hungry in his caliphate, he would have failed at his duty.[23] Abou El Fadl, a Kuwaiti-American Islamic scholar, "found it hard to believe that the same God who created such companionable creatures would have his prophet declare them unclean", also citing the belief that the hatred of dogs in Islam is "far more consistent with pre-Islamic Arab customs and attitudes".[24] He also cited a hadith that mentioned the Prophet Muhammad praying in the presence of dogs who were playfully jumping around with each other.[24] Early Islamic literature actually portrayed dogs as symbols of extreme loyalty and self-sacrifice, which evil people often take advantage of.[25]

According to one Sunni tradition said by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, black dogs are evil, or even devils, in animal form. Although he attributed this tradition to Muhammad, the vast majority of Muslim scholars view it as a fabricated hadith, that is an Arab mythological belief which was falsely attributed to Islam.[1][26][27] It is similar to the early European belief that black cats are devils in animal form.

## See also[edit]

* Islam and animals
* Dogs in religion

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, s.v. "Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature." New York: Continuum International, forthcoming 2004. By: Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl
2. ^ a b Susan J. Armstrong, Richard G. Botzler, The Animal Ethics Reader, p.237, Routledge (UK) Press
3. ^ William Montgomery Watt, Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman, Oxford University Press, 1961, [1]
4. ^ Q5:4, 50+ translations, islamawakened.com
5. ^ Schiffer, Kathy (5 August 2016). "The Legend of the Seven Sleepers, and Its Message for the Modern World". National Catholic Register.
6. ^ Schimmel, Annemarie (1994). Deciphering the Signs of God: A Phenomenological Approach to Islam. Albany: SUNY Press. p. 48\. ISBN 0791419819. Retrieved 16 February 2014. "The seven pious youths 'and the eighth with them was their dog' (Sūra 18:22) have turned into protective spirits, whose names, and especially that of their dog Qiṭmīr, written on amulets, carry Baraka with them."
7. ^ Bahjat, Ahmad (2002). "The Dog of the People of the Cave". Animals in the Glorious Qurʼan: Relating Their Own Stories. Cairo: Islamic Inc.; Dar al-Tawzīʻ wa-al-Nashr al-Islāmīyah. pp. 247–267. ISBN 9772654075. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
8. ^ Tlili, Sarra (2012). Animals in the Qurʼan. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 250\. ISBN 9781107023703. Retrieved 16 February 2014. "Al-Thaʻlabī cites an opinion according to which the dog of the Dwellers of the Cave[...] will dwell in heaven. Al-Thaʻlabī, al-Kashf wa-al-Bayān (Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʼ al-Turāth al-ʻArabī, 2002), 2:251."
9. ^ "Islam on Dogs: Can You Be A Good Muslim And Still Have A Dog?". The Huffington Post. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2019. "But Islamic scholars and other Muslims say that many hadith are fabricated or hard to verify, including those about dogs. And because these hadith contradict the apparent divine sanction for dogs in the Quran, these stories should not be trusted."
10. ^ Khaled Abou El Fadl (2004). "Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature". Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature. New York: Scholar of the House. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
11. ^ "['Aalim Network QR] Dogs / Pets". Archived from the original on 11 April 2008.
12. ^ Malik ibn Anas, al-Muwatta (Egypt: al-Babi al-Halabi, n.d.), 2:969. Reported in El Fadl
13. ^ "Will You Lose Good Deeds If You Keep Dogs in Islam?". About Islam. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
14. ^ "Fatwa allows Muslim's guide dog inside mosque | Disability | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
15. ^ a b Mattson, Ingrid (13 December 2011). "What's Up With Muslims and Dogs?". HuffPost. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
16. ^ Ahmad Ibn Shu‘ayb al-Nisa’i, Sunan al-Nisa’i (Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi, n.d.), 7: 309 (The commentaries by al-Suyuti and al-Sanadi are in the margins). Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Fath al-Bari, 4:426. All reported in El Fadl.
17. ^ Al-Adab al-Mufrad, Book 1, Hadith 1232
18. ^ Susan J. Armstrong; Richard G. Botzler (2003). The Animal Ethics Reader. Routledge (UK) Press. pp. 235–237. ISBN 0415275881.
19. ^ William Montgomery Watt, Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman, Oxford University Press, 1961, [2]
20. ^ Mikhail, Alan (27 July 2017). "The moment in history when Muslims began to see dogs as dirty, impure, and evil". Quartz. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
21. ^ "Islam teaches the love of animals". IslamWeb. 12 January 2004. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
22. ^ Sahih al-Bukhari, 4:56:673
23. ^ Dar, A. A. (2016). United Hindustan a Dream. Partridge Publishing. ISBN 9781482874198.
24. ^ a b Banderker, Ayoub M. (15 April 2002). "Dogs in Islam". Newsweek. Islamic Concern. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
25. ^ Khaled Abou El Fadl, "Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature" in the Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, New York: Continuum International.
26. ^ Malik ibn Anas, al-Muwattaʾ (Egypt: al-Babi al-Halabi, n.d.), 2: 969.
27. ^ Sahih Muslim, Book 10, Hadith 3813 (The Book of Transactions [Kitab Al-Buyu']).