What Do You Think?

[karenjonke]

Copied from:
http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/377


The question:

I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT KEEPING PETS IN THE HOUSE.I KNOW THAT THE KALB(DOG)IS CONSIDERED NIJASA, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY.

I REMEMBER A SECTION IN THE Qur'an WHERE THE PROPHET PEACE BE UPON HIM ONCE GAVE A THIRSTY DOG WATER TO DRINK OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT.

COULD YOU PLEASE ELABORATE.

THANK YOU

The answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

According to Islaamic Sharee’ah, it is not permitted to keep a dog except within narrowly-defined limits, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained: "Whoever keeps a dog, his good deeds will decrease every day by one qeeraat (a unit of measurement), unless it is a dog for farming or herding." According to another report: ". . . unless it is a dog for herding sheep, farming or hunting." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 2322)

Dogs are extremely naajis (impure, unclean). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If a dog drinks from the vessel of any one of you, let him wash it seven times" (reported by Muslim, no. 279). According to another report: ". . . and clean it the eighth time with earth." (Saheeh Muslim, no. 280).

It is forbidden in Islaam to sell a dog and to receive payment for it, as is reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaari from Abu Mas’oud al-Ansaari: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade (accepting) the price of a dog. (al-Fath, no. 2237)

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us not to resemble dogs by placing our forearms on the ground during sujood (prostration), as in reported in the hadeeth narrated by Anas ibn Maalik, according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do sujood properly; none of you should spread his forearms like a dog does." (al-Bukhaari, Fath, no. 822).

Whoever keeps a dog in his house is denied the blessing of the angels’ presence in his house, as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 3225).

Keeping dogs nowadays is the habit of the kuffaar, who adopt them as friends, kiss them, let them lick them and their clothes, sleep with them and even leave them money in their wills. Keeping a dog is an imitation of the kuffaar. Some Muslims may claim that they need to keep a dog at home for purposes of protection, to which we respond that nowadays there are burglar alarm systems and other measures one may take for security purposes, and there is no need to keep a dog, praise be to Allaah.

It only remains for us to say that the fact that it is forbidden to keep a dog and interect closely with it does not mean that we should not be kind or feel compassion towards dogs if we see them in a pitiful state. These are two entirely separate matters. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that "a man saw a dog biting the dust because of thirst, so he took his shoe and started to scoop water up with it until the dog’s thirst was quenched. Allaah appreciated his good deed and granted him entry to Paradise for it." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 174).

According to another report, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whilst a man was walking he became very thirsty, so he went down to a well and drank from it. When he came out, he saw a dog panting and biting the soil because of thirst. The man said, ‘He is suffering the same as I suffered,’ so he filled his shoe (with water), came out and let the dog drink until his thirst was quenched. Allaah appreciated his good deed and forgave him because of it." The people asked, "O Messenger of Allaah, will we be rewarded for how we treat animals?" He said, "In every living thing there is a reward." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, no. 2363).

We do not want to omit reminding you of the importance of reading the Qur’aan properly and referring to it. You say in your question that the story of the thirsty dog is in the Qur’aan, and that is not the case, as it is reported in the Sunnah.

And Allaah knows best.

[karenjonke]

The question:

Ruling on keeping pets

The Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:

We are very happy to receive questions from our youth such as you, who love Allaah and His Messenger and who are smart and intelligent. This question is important and useful and is asked in a brief and polite manner. We ask Allaah to look after you and take care of you and to reward with good everyone who has contributed to your good upbringing.

Secondly:

Keeping and raising pets is something that is permitted in Islam and there is nothing wrong with it.

Al-Bukhaari (6203) and Muslim (2150) narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the best of people in attitude. I had a brother who was called Abu ‘Umayr. He (the narrator) said: I think he said: He was a weanling. When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came and saw him, he said: “Abu ‘Umayr, what happened to the nughayr (nightingale)?” He used to play with it.

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

It indicates that it is permissible for children to play with birds, and it is permissible to spend money on permissible things that will entertain children, and it is permissible to keep birds in cages and the like, and to clip the wings of birds, because one or the other must have been done in the case of Abu ‘Umayr’s bird, and whichever is the case, the other comes under the same ruling. End quote.

Fath al-Baari (10/584).

With regard to the conditions and guidelines on keeping animals, these include the following:

1.

The animal that is kept should not be a dog, because Islam has forbidden keeping dogs except guard dogs and hunting dogs. This has been explained in the answer to question no. 69777. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3225) and Muslim (2106). Would the Muslim be happy for the angels of mercy not to accompany him in his house because of an animal he is keeping?

2.

Not going so far with regard to this matter that it reaches the stage of blameworthy extravagance. We have seen some people who pay thousands and even millions competing to buy a certain animal or take care of it and provide services for it. Some of them even bequeath some of their wealth to them. In some countries there are festivals and shows for all kinds of animals, on which huge amounts of money are spent. All of this is foolishness and lack of common sense.

3.

The animal must be treated kindly. If a Muslim keeps an animal, he must provide it with proper food and drink, and not cause it any harm or injury by mistreating it or using it for target practice or making animals fight one another, or exposing it to heat or cold. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whilst a man was walking on the road, he became very thirsty. He found a well so he went down into it and drank, then he came out. There he saw a dog that was panting and biting the ground out of thirst. The man said: this dog is feeling the same thirst that I felt. So he went back down into the well and filled his shoe with water, then he held it in his mouth until he climbed back up, and he gave the water to the dog. Allaah appreciated (his action) and forgave him.” They said: O Messenger of Allaah, will we have reward with regard to these animals? He said: “In every living thing there is reward.”

Look at how the believer will be rewarded for taking care of animals; rather he may even enter Paradise because of his kind treatment of a single animal, as happened to the man mentioned in this hadeeth. Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, loves those who do good.

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has told us of a woman who went to Hell because of her neglect of a cat which she detained and it died of hunger; she did not feed it or let it go and eat of the vermin of the earth.

See also the answer to question no. 3004 and 14422.

And Allaah knows best.