Is it Permissible to Keep a Dog?

by Trust Allah on Tuesday, 01 February 2011 at 14:13

Is it Permissible to Keep a Dog?


Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim

Salaam Alaikum wa Rahmatullah

My dear sister in Islam Tamra asked about this on my wall.  She is a new revert to Islam, alhamdulillah, and she currently has a dog.  This is a very common issue so I wrote this note in reply to her:

Salaam Alaikum Tamra.  Alhamdulillah, Praise be to Allah, that you were guided to Islam!  I am happy to meet you as my sister in Islam :).

The issue of dogs comes up a lot among Muslims.  We are not supposed to keep them strictly as pets, but of course when people learn about Islam and revert to Islam, often they already have dogs as pets, because this is so common in much of society.  Even lifetime Muslims keep them as pets sometimes, either because they don't know or don't correctly understand the ruling on dogs.First of all, let me say that Muslims don't "hate" dogs, and we should always be humane to all living creatures, be they dogs, cats, cows, pigs, or monkeys.  We are not allowed to abuse them or throw rocks or otherwise harm them.  There are some Muslims who have been taught in their culture that dogs are "bad", so they don't hesitate to treat them cruelly.  This is wrong and is not based in Islam.  We are taught in Islam that we are not allowed to keep dogs as pets, but we can keep them for "work", such as herding, hunting, and guarding.  Today's usage of dogs as service animals would be a modern example of keeping pets in a permissible way.  Seeing eye dogs, hearing assistance dogs, drug-sniffing dogs.  These are all dogs who do good and necessary jobs to assist people and this type of dog is allowed, according to the consensus of the scholars.

There is a detailed fatwa (religious ruling) on keeping dogs here at www.islam-qa.com, with several hadiths (traditions of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) that go into details:

http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/69840/dog

Dogs are considered to be impure.  Some scholars say the whole dog is impure; others say only the saliva is.  This would mean that if a dog drinks out of a vessel, say Rover comes out and laps from your cup of water, you'd have to discard the water and wash the cup.  If a dog licks you, you would need to wash the licked area.  It's important to note that this does NOT invalidate your wudu', your ablution that you make before praying.  A lot of Muslims don't understand this.  It is enough to wash the area.So, what does that mean to you and other Muslims who have dogs as pets?  Well, a super-duper strict person might say "Get rid of the dog now, just dump it out in the country and let Allah provide for it".  Of course, this is probably illegal and most likely spells doom for the dog, who'd be eaten by a coyote or hit by a semi-truck on the road, Allah forbid.  Others would recommend you take it to a shelter, where it might be adopted or euthanized. Or you could give it away to a friend or non-Muslim family member.  I find that most people are very, very resistant to giving up their pet dogs, because we have been conditioned in our society to see them as family members and grow to love them so much.  This is normal and understandable, but it does go against Islamic teachings and sometimes we have to make the hard choices to please Allah.

If at this time, being a new Muslim and trying to do so much and change your life in so many ways, you find it's nearly impossible to consider giving up  your dog, I would advise that at least you should make a separate place for the dog, outside if possible.  Even if you feel it is permissible for you to keep your dog because you're a single woman and it is a guardian for you, you should still try to make a separate area for him.  Make a place for YOU that is dog-free for prayer and reading Qur'an and such, perhaps your room or a den or a separate area that you can restrict the dog from.  Read the ruling on keeping dogs and understand that we do have our good deeds reduced if we keep a dog for no valid reason.  Allah is Most Merciful and He knows that in your heart you are a kind person who loves animals and that you don't want to cause your dog harm.  If you do your best to move in the right direction of obeying Allah's laws, then He will reward you in ways you cannot imagine.

If you really, really love dogs and want to have them in your life, then I would recommend for people (of course I'm talking to you and anyone else reading this) to establish a career training service animals or guard dogs, something you can do that is permissible and that will allow you to interact with them in a halaal manner.  Just be sure to know the bounds of what is permissible in Islam, how to handle the dog and yourself with the dog, and then inshAllah you can be doing something that is a benefit for your fellow human beings as well.

I was not born Muslim; I grew up with dogs in the house all the time and loved having them around.  As a Muslim now, I still love dogs and enjoy seeing them in my community, but I obey Allah and I understand that many people really go beyond the boundaries with their pets, buying expensive collars and making big dog houses that a poor family in Bangladesh would envy, spending thousands on food and toys and medical care and even pet insurance and pet graveyards.  Islam is about moderation and balance, and as much as I love animals, I have to condemn the way many people treat them better than they treat their fellow human beings.  Islam did not permit anything unless it was beneficial, and it does not forbid anything unless it is detrimental.   I hope this helps to clarify the issue for you and you can have a better understanding of how dogs are viewed in Islam.  And Allah knows best.

Fi Aman Allah,

Nancy