We all know about the saying that the dog is the man’s best friend and the waste majority of us had such an experience and we are certainly thankful for it.
But in some cases, there are people who are living under some strict rules of their communities, or in some cases, their religion that passes on some rules even when they are connected to the way a person is living his or her life, or the way it makes some choices.
In the Islamic religion, this is maybe more apparent than in some other religions, but there are some matters that are more modern date, and there are many different views on how to conduct yourself in a certain way, and especially younger people are not really sure what to do regarding a certain matter.
Now, in the beginning, we have spoken of keeping a pet, or a dog more precisely, and the question we want to answer is whether it is permitted to have a dog if you belong to the Islamic religion.
There are some thoughts on this that may be in a way a bit controversial, but, there are reasons why some Islamic teachers think in one way or the other.
Is it haram to own a dog?
In the spirit of the true and traditional Islamic culture of living, having a dog inside a house or apartment is not allowed.
What is the reason behind this you may wonder?
This belief comes from the idea that the dog’s saliva is seen as impure according to Sharia law.
It is bad when that saliva comes and falls on the human’s clothes, and if such a thing occurs, then the clothes must be washed in order to be able to pray in it.
It is even said in one hadith that angels will never enter a house where there is a dog.
Therefore, a dog should not be kept unnecessarily in a house where one worships Allah and takes care of himself and his entire family based on Islamic rules.
A dog is continually seen as an unclean being in the Islamic religion, and this is the idea that the dog is able to abolish a whole prayer.
Comparable to many misunderstood parts of the Muslim past, not only people of the Muslim religion but also some non-Muslims think that Islam does not allow having any dogs.
Numerous Islamic teachers are saying this and for it, they are providing evidence in numerous Islamic texts.
May this be as it is, we can also say that there are some totally different and unexplored relationships when it comes to Islam and dogs, which is positive and allows dogs in the home.
It is said that at the beginning of this religion, all first Muslims had their dogs and that even Prophet Muhammad lived with dogs.
They were used in many different and useful ways – the majority of them enabled them to control sheep and goats and were amazing protectors against any other predator that may come their way.
This was so very important, as sheep and goats at that time were the primary sources of nutrition, and there cannot be anyone who can protect them if these were not dogs, the best guardians for sure.
But let us go back to the past – dogs were seen as protectors of things that were important to people as well as good hunters.
Dogs were also seen as helpers in the sense that they maintain streets clean.
The majority of the Muslim community sees dogs as unclean, vile, and occasionally vicious creatures.
In some wealthier communities, they are accepted and seen as status symbols.
But the fact is that there is a vast misunderstanding and senseless acts from history, and it is based on intolerance in some cases.
But they do not know that dogs and Muslim people were friends long ago and that even Prophet Muhammad was surrounded by dogs, as well as millions of their ancestors.
It is understandable to know that dogs were in that time kept for a reason, and it was not love it was the need for them to have a purpose and not to be pets, and this is ok as it is the case.
They did not need to be cute they need to be useful.
Dogs were working, protecting, and hunting, but in time they became a bigger part of our families and this is their undeniable value for sure. The majority of this comes from the fact that dogs are unclean and that they are making humans unclean as well.
Why is haram to have a dog?
First of all, we must say that this issue of the halal or haram status of pets is relatively recent.
It is also a product of the influence of the environments in which Muslims live as minorities, and which have their special attitude and outlook on life.
It is said that Allah Almighty has made homes in the world as places where peace and tranquility live and people are living in such conditions, as these are reasons why this is the case.
Allah made the world where people are enjoying with their children, and grow them in the spirit of their faith, which guides a man to be a man, to carry out God’s orders, to appreciate all others who are close to them, and to be able to assist with all who are close to them, who are there to assist them and are around him.
Help must be given, to yourself within the limits of possible, but this is a humane thing to be, nice toward all creatures who are living on this planet called Earth.
And of course, this also includes animals – all of us should be part of the community in a way that all of us together are members of the same society and all of us should prosper as much as we can.
The weather and the situation have influenced a large number of Muslims are in search for income to support their family after he found it, began to adopt some traditions and customs that were not typical Muslims.
In this context, pets also belong, which, by their appearance, voice, etc.
Pets and this particularly means dogs make our lives nicer and the space we live in makes us more comfortable – but we cannot say that in the Quran it was not written that dogs are keeping away angels from coming into inside of the house, and therefore they are seen as impure.
This was one hadith that came from the Prophet.
However, even though other animals are not mentioned as forbidden, the question is what is the benefit of keeping them, why should a man gives so much love, money, and attention to an animal, and on the other hand not give that attention to his family, wife, children or friends.
Neglects his relatives or avoids marriage and offspring.
A family, even if there is a dig inside of the home, must be at all times in the second place, and the family must be in the first place.
The family must have priority and it must not, nor can, be replaced by any creatures kept in the house.
Is owning a dog ever halal?
Yes, it is. It is permitted in the case when the dog is allowed to be kept in the yard, in any way it should be kept outside the house.
Also, one more thing must be obliged if you want to keep the dog – there must be justified reasons such as hunting, guarding, or helping a blind person to move, etc.
Then, in such cases, owning a dog is allowed.
Here we must remind you that, through the course of history, dogs were in contact with the Muslim community.
They were the best mates when the hunting trips were taking place.
And before Islam, in the stone carvings, it was seen that dogs were assisting people in many ways, and the Muslim community just continued to be friends with them.
This was anything that was not ordinary, and it was pretty common to keep dogs for these purposes, they were some kind of a necessity.
Now, one more important thing when we are speaking of this matter – the justification is it by any means ok to keep the dog outside of its natural habitat.
Something that is meant for that animal and is inherent by nature.
We can speak of birds for this matter and whether is it ok to keep them in
cages, which very often can result in the fact that, due to obligations
to owners, they are deprived of food and drink, and sometimes they can even die, which also can occur.
All those who abuse animals in one way or the other should be seen as a very sinful behavior and the Almighty Allah will curse all those who do it, even if this abuse comes just from the process of neglecting.
All of them will be punished for sure – but, if someone, whoever may that be, a woman or a man, or a child, despite everything mentioned, considers that keeping pets, just like dogs inside of their homes is something that will bring only positive in life, and will not in any way negatively affect the fulfillment of that person’s obligations, which
has towards home, family members, children, school, work, etc., then that should be allowed, and keeping the dog is not seen as a sin.
This is very important to know – and the person must be ready to take full care of the dog or any other pet, and this is without jeopardizing their rights, and this means that the person will live according to the living environment just as it is allowed and he can have a dog.
Conclusion
Having said all of this, it is ok to understand that the reason for the ban is of a hygienic-health nature.
But, there may be some other reasons, and despite all the health and hygiene measures, we cannot say that keeping a dog in the house is Islamically acceptable.
However, we can say that these measures, in case a person still keeps a dog in the house/apartment, are necessary and soften the edge of the ban.
And it is said that it is halal to keep the dog for example, in the yard for guarding the family, and this could be done even when the dog is small.
Then it is permitted to caress him, train him, play with him, etc.
But, one thing must be followed at all times – after any interaction with the dog, a person must wash their hands for sanitary reasons.
This is because the dog’s saliva is seen as impure and should be taken care of.
If it gets on hands or clothes, it must be washed well (preferably with detergent).
But, we have also said that dogs were a necessary part of the old Muslim people, as they were their protectors; and as the Islamic religion scattered in the Middle East and the entire world, it was not the region of nomads but was focused on the cities more.
ThHen, this was the moment when things changed and many big and important cities were Islamic, like Cairo, Damascus, Istanbul, and Baghdad.
The dog population was growing in these cities.
People who were hurting animals, and in this case, dogs were punished.
to and, authorities supported the growth of dog populations that kept People believed that cities where there were dogs were much better and cleaner than cities without dogs.
So, there is no doubt that dogs were a part of the Muslim community for a long time, as there are numerous documented proofs that the Muslim world was in regular touch with the dog population, as they were seen as an important part of the environment, and was very connected to humans.
This connection is something that has stayed with people not only in the Muslim community but beyond.
But the fact is that the Islamic faith forbids keeping dogs simply said because of the possibility of illness of some kind, as a long time ago different illnesses were truly deadly, and today this may not be the case.
Then there was cholera or plague, and there was fear that dogs will just spread the diseases.
They were seen as a threat to public health and from this on they were seen as filthy and not permitted to be kept with humans.
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