About: Pet dogs

Prohibition of Dog as a pet:

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.448         Narrated by Abu Talha

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) saying; "Angels (of Mercy) do not enter a house wherein there is a dog or a picture of a living creature (a human being or an animal)."

Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "Purifying a container that a dog has licked is done by washing it seven times, the first washing being with dirt (that is, water mixed with dirt until it becomes muddy)."

Related by Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and al-Baihaqi.

A dog is considered amongst the absolutely ‘najis’ or impure and filthy animals and the Messenger of Allah (saws) specifically forbade the believers to keep them as pets.  Medical science today has determined the evil and harmful effect of a dog bite and its ever-dropping saliva, and Allah Alone Knows what other evil and harm this animal breeds with its faeces, urine, fur or hair discharge, the germs and ‘tics’ it discards, etc.  From the above quoted guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), it seems the prohibition of keeping dogs as pets is for the safety and well-being of human beings.  It may be in time that science discovers more evil that emerges from this animal which may compel them to enforce a ban on keeping them as domestic pets, and the ones who don’t believe may wait till science enforces the ban on them which Allah and His Messenger (saws) have already guided and safeguarded the believers.

We wish to clarify here that only the dogs which are kept as domestic pets or as a display of fashion are forbidden for the believers; there is absolutely no harm if one keeps a dog for hunting, or a dog to guard its property, etc.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 4102        Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mughaffal

The Prophet (saws) said, " No family attaches itself to a dog without a qirat (measure) of their good deeds being deducted daily, except in the case of a hunting dog, a farm dog, or a sheepdog."