Keeping dogs – An Islamic perspective

Keeping dogs inside the house without any necessity merely as pets was forbidden by the Prophet (peace be on him). When we observe how lavishly the well-to-do treat their dogs while despising their relatives, and how much attention they give their dogs while neglecting their neighbors, we realize the wisdom of this prohibition. Moreover, the presence of a dog makes the household utensils unhygienic due to their licking of them. The Prophet (peace be on him) said, “If a dog licks a plate (or pot), clean it seven times, of which one time should be with sand (or earth).” (Reported by al-Bukhari.)

Some scholars are of the opinion that the reason for prohibiting the keeping of dogs may be because they bark at visitors, scare away the needy who come to ask for charity, and chase and try to bite passers-by.

The Prophet (peace be on him) said, Jibril came to me and said, ‘I came to you yesterday but what stopped me from entering was that there was a statue at the door, a curtain with figures on it in the house, and a dog inside the house. So order that the head of the statue be broken off so that it resembles the trunk of tree, that the curtain be cut and made into two pillows to recline on, and that the dog be taken out.’ (Reported by AbDaoud, al-Nisai, al-Tirmidhi, and by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih.)

This prohibition is limited to keeping dogs without need or benefit.
       

The Permissibility of Keeping Hunting Dogs and Watch Dogs

Dogs which are kept for a purpose, such as hunting, guarding cattle or crops and the like are exempted from the above ruling. In a hadith reported by both al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (peace be on him) said, Whoever keeps a dog except for hunting or for guarding crops or cattle will lose one large measure (qirat) of his reward each day.

On the basis of this hadith some jurists argue that the keeping of dogs as pets can be classified as makruh rather than haram, as the haram is absolutely prohibited without regard to whether there is a decrease in reward or not.

However, the prohibition of keeping dogs in the house does not mean that dogs may be treated cruelly or that they should be eradicated. Referring to the following verse of the Qur’an, There is not an animal on the earth, nor a bird flying upon two wings, but comprise nations like yourselves. (6:38), the Prophet (peace be on him) said, “If dogs were not a nation (ummah) among nations, I would have ordered that they be killed.” (Reported by Abu Daoud and al-Tirmidhi. (This was said by the Prophet following Jibril’s remark that angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog. Trans.))