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Question and Answer Details
Name of Questioner
Sara - United Kingdom
Title
Muslims Owning Dogs: Permissible?
Question
Dear scholars, As-Salamu `alaykum. Is it permissible for a Muslim to
own a dog? Is there any restriction on keeping the dog inside the
house? Jazakum Allah khayran.
Date
26/Jul/2003
Name of Mufti
Ahmad Kutty
Topic
Owner****p
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be
upon His Messenger.
Dear sister in Islam, we would like to thank you for the great
confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us
serve His cause and render our work for His Sake. May Allah reward you
abundantly for your interest in knowing the teachings of Islam!
In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior
lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto,
Ontario, Canada, states:
=93A dog can be owned for purposes such as the following:
1. A trained dog for hunting. Remember in Islam we are only allowed to
hunt for food; there is no such thing as hunting for fun, for we are
not allowed to kill or torture animals or drive them out of their
habitats for the fun of it.
2. A trained dog as a guide. This would be the case if a person is
blind and he/she has no choice but to keep a dog for essential
services. In this case, it is permissible for him/her to keep a dog
inside the house once it has been trained for service, but it is still
recommended that the dog have its own sleeping arrangement.
3. A dog trained for police duties.
4. A guard dog to guard houses or property.
5. A dog used by farmers to shepherd cattle and sheep.
We are, however, not allowed to keep a dog as a pet, since it is not a
very clean animal. How often have you come across the nasty sight of
dogs taken for a walk licking their own excrement? Isn=92t it disgusting
to see their owners kissing the mouth of such animals after such
incidents as if nothing happened? Would you kiss the mouth of your own
baby if he were to do the same? Think how many parasites and microbes
may be hiding in their mouths.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has spared us from being
contaminated by such filth when he ordered us to stay clear of the
saliva of dogs. If we ever come into contact with a dog=92s saliva we
must wash the spot seven times, the first of which should be with sand
or dirt. It is also possible to use a bacterial soap instead of sand
or dirt.
In conclusion: Don=92t contemplate taking a dog home as a pet. If,
however, you do need to keep a dog for any of the reasons given above,
then you may do so. But take every precaution not to have contact with
its saliva, and also arrange for a separate living space.=94
Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.muslims.ca
You can also read:
Keeping Pets
Allah Almighty knows best.
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