Why Selling Dogs is Not Haram in Islam with 3 Arguments
tC.J Ahmed-26.04.2023
Dogs have always been a controversy among the Muslim community from touching to keeping them as pets and to buying or selling them. Buying or selling a dog is not haram in Islam.
1)Are Dogs Filthy?
Dogs are highly detested by Muslims and Jewish communities thinking that it is an impure animal. The belief that dogs are impure and should not be touched has led an exaggerated sense of hate towards dogs and the belief that prayers are nullified for a Muslim who touches a dog unless cleaned with sand and water.
Muslims should realize that Allah forgave a prostitute for giving water to a dog. She took off her sock, tied it to her veil, and drew up some water and Allah forgave her for that.
(Narrated in Bukhari and Muslim)
A very big misunderstanding has arisen as a result of wrongly understanding the hadiths relating to dogs and a wrong analogy has been taken as a result of this misunderstanding.
2)The Misunderstood Hadith on Dogs
The hadiths that are often quoted has nothing to do with touching a dog. The hadith is as follows.
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah,
“The purification of the vessel of one of you, if a dog licks it, is to wash it seven times, the first time with soil.”
(Sahih Muslim)
In another hadith the prophet (Sal) said,
“If a dog licks the vessel of one of you, let him wash it seven times and rub it with soil the eighth time.”
(Sahih Muslim)
The hadiths mentioned above has nothing to do with a dog being najis or touching a dog. In this hadith, the Prophet (Sal) clearly said that if a dog licks only the vessel, then you should wash the vessel six or seven times with water and one time with soil. It is specifically only when a dog licks a vessel. Unfortunately this has been interpreted in a way to mean that even if a dog licks you or your cloths then you have to wash seven times with water and then with soil. There is no evidence in the Quran or authentic hadiths to prove that you must wash seven times if a dog licks or touches your clothes or parts of your body whether it is wet or dry. This is an erroneous fatwa. Shaykh ul Islam. Ibn Taymiyyah (Rah) said the following in his book "Majmu al Fataawa-21/530,
"if the wetness of the dog’s hair gets onto one’s garment or body, that does not make it najis"
He also said in Majmu al Fatawa-21/217/ 218,
"That is because the basic principle is that substances are taahir, and it is not permissible to regard anything as naajis or haraam without evidence, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “while He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except under compulsion of necessity?”
[al-An’aam 6:119]
“And Allaah will never lead a people astray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them as to what they should avoid”
[al-Tawbah 9:115]"
Many wrong fatwas have been derived using this hadith. Another argument is that you cannot pray if a dog licks you or if you touch it. This argument has no basis in Islam and mostly the innovators like members of Sufi, Tabligh Jamaath and other heretical sects that make such false claims because they are blind followers of their mureeds or sheikhs and nothing, even the Sunnah of our beloved messenger (Sal) is not accepted until the approval is given by the so called sheikhs and mureeds and false awliya's of these deviated sects.
3)Did The Prophet (sal) Forbid the Price of a Dog?
There is a view among some Muslims that selling cats and dogs is haram and the argument is based on the following hadiths,
Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
“The Prophet (sal) forbade payment for dog and cat.” (Abu Dawud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
Narrated AbuHurayrah:
The Prophet (sal) said: “The price paid for a dog, the price given to a soothsayer, and the hire paid to a prostitute are not lawful. “(Abu Dwud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
Narrated Abu Juhaifah:
“The Messenger of Allah (sal)forbade the price paid for a dog.” (Abu Dawud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
It is not clear what was meant by the price of a dog or buying a dog and eating it.
Even for the sake of argument we agree that it is haram to buy or sell cats or dogs, stilli it is only makruh (disliked) because when we understand these hadiths, what the prophet (sal) meant was he disliked it. It is proven from the following authenic hadith,
Abu Zubair said:
“I asked Jabir about the price of a dog and a cat; he said: Allah's Messenger (sal) disapproved of that. (Sahih Muslim 1569)
Conclusion
Although some hadiths do forbid taking the rice of a dog, it is unclear what is meant by this and even if we agree for the sake of argument, it only is disliked which means it is not haram to buy or sell dogs.
Dogs have always been a controversy among the Muslim community from touching to keeping them as pets and to buying or selling them. Buying or selling a dog is not haram in Islam.
1)Are Dogs Filthy?
Dogs are highly detested by Muslims and Jewish communities thinking that it is an impure animal. The belief that dogs are impure and should not be touched has led an exaggerated sense of hate towards dogs and the belief that prayers are nullified for a Muslim who touches a dog unless cleaned with sand and water.
Muslims should realize that Allah forgave a prostitute for giving water to a dog. She took off her sock, tied it to her veil, and drew up some water and Allah forgave her for that.
(Narrated in Bukhari and Muslim)
A very big misunderstanding has arisen as a result of wrongly understanding the hadiths relating to dogs and a wrong analogy has been taken as a result of this misunderstanding.
2)The Misunderstood Hadith on Dogs
The hadiths that are often quoted has nothing to do with touching a dog. The hadith is as follows.
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah,
“The purification of the vessel of one of you, if a dog licks it, is to wash it seven times, the first time with soil.”
(Sahih Muslim)
In another hadith the prophet (Sal) said,
“If a dog licks the vessel of one of you, let him wash it seven times and rub it with soil the eighth time.”
(Sahih Muslim)
The hadiths mentioned above has nothing to do with a dog being najis or touching a dog. In this hadith, the Prophet (Sal) clearly said that if a dog licks only the vessel, then you should wash the vessel six or seven times with water and one time with soil. It is specifically only when a dog licks a vessel. Unfortunately this has been interpreted in a way to mean that even if a dog licks you or your cloths then you have to wash seven times with water and then with soil. There is no evidence in the Quran or authentic hadiths to prove that you must wash seven times if a dog licks or touches your clothes or parts of your body whether it is wet or dry. This is an erroneous fatwa. Shaykh ul Islam. Ibn Taymiyyah (Rah) said the following in his book "Majmu al Fataawa-21/530,
"if the wetness of the dog’s hair gets onto one’s garment or body, that does not make it najis"
He also said in Majmu al Fatawa-21/217/ 218,
"That is because the basic principle is that substances are taahir, and it is not permissible to regard anything as naajis or haraam without evidence, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “while He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except under compulsion of necessity?”
[al-An’aam 6:119]
“And Allaah will never lead a people astray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them as to what they should avoid”
[al-Tawbah 9:115]"
Many wrong fatwas have been derived using this hadith. Another argument is that you cannot pray if a dog licks you or if you touch it. This argument has no basis in Islam and mostly the innovators like members of Sufi, Tabligh Jamaath and other heretical sects that make such false claims because they are blind followers of their mureeds or sheikhs and nothing, even the Sunnah of our beloved messenger (Sal) is not accepted until the approval is given by the so called sheikhs and mureeds and false awliya's of these deviated sects.
3)Did The Prophet (sal) Forbid the Price of a Dog?
There is a view among some Muslims that selling cats and dogs is haram and the argument is based on the following hadiths,
Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
“The Prophet (sal) forbade payment for dog and cat.” (Abu Dawud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
Narrated AbuHurayrah:
The Prophet (sal) said: “The price paid for a dog, the price given to a soothsayer, and the hire paid to a prostitute are not lawful. “(Abu Dwud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
Narrated Abu Juhaifah:
“The Messenger of Allah (sal)forbade the price paid for a dog.” (Abu Dawud-Graded Sahih by Albani)
It is not clear what was meant by the price of a dog or buying a dog and eating it.
Even for the sake of argument we agree that it is haram to buy or sell cats or dogs, stilli it is only makruh (disliked) because when we understand these hadiths, what the prophet (sal) meant was he disliked it. It is proven from the following authenic hadith,
Abu Zubair said:
“I asked Jabir about the price of a dog and a cat; he said: Allah's Messenger (sal) disapproved of that. (Sahih Muslim 1569)
Conclusion
Although some hadiths do forbid taking the rice of a dog, it is unclear what is meant by this and even if we agree for the sake of argument, it only is disliked which means it is not haram to buy or sell dogs.