For the love of dogs

Many Muslims believe that dogs are unclean (najis). This belief has its origin in a number of hadiths, sayings of Prophet Mohammad. For example, there is a hadith that claims that Prophet Mohammad believed that the whole dog is impure and a dog should never be touched. There is another one that says that any liquid such as saliva, secreted by the dog is najis. Another one says a dog's hair is najis and should be removed from clothing. Another hadith says that the Prophet said that you shall kill all black dogs, because they are devils. Another says that angels don't enter a room where a dog lives. Another says that the Prophet ordered all dogs (other than sheepdogs and hunting dogs) to be slaughtered. [1]

However, nowhere in the Quran are dogs prohibited, nor is there any mention of their impurity or dirtiness. [2] In Quran, Surah 18, we are told that good believers have dogs with them. If dogs were prohibited and dirty, would God speak of good believers who have a dog with them? [3]

In 5:4, Quran says that it is okay to eat what hunting dogs catch for us. If dogs cause contamination by mere touch, would God tell us that we should eat what the dog catches with its mouth? [4]

Also, according to Khaled Abou El Fadl, Islamic jurist and scholar, early historical reports contradict the dog-hostile laws and traditions. These reports indicate that Prophet Mohammad's young cousins owned puppies as pets. Other reports show that the Prophet prayed while a dog played in the vicinity. There is evidence that dogs even entered the Prophet's mosque. [5] An interesting tradition attributed to the Prophet asserted that a sinner secured his place in Heaven by saving the life of a dog dying of thirst in the desert. [6]

Historians also tell us that after the death of the the Prophet, as Islam spread throughout the world and moved from being a religion of nomadic peoples to one central in cities, dogs continued to play a vital role. They protected property and in the cities, began to eat garbage. Muslim urban authorities supported dogs as consumers of waste to keep city streets clean. Mosques would feed them and anyone who committed crimes against dogs were punished. Muslim cities were much cleaner and more pleasant places because of dogs. This meant that Muslims were in regular contact with dogs and recognized their usefulness and had affection for them. [7]

According to Alan Mikhail, Professor of History at Yale University, about two hundred years ago, ideas about contagion began to change. People began to notice a correlation between outbreaks of diseases such as plague and cholera and the physical proximity of victims to places like cemeteries, garbage heaps and swampy lakes. The historic connection between dogs and trash did not serve the animals well. There was less garbage in the cities but the “garbage that did remain was now seen as a threat to public hygiene and soon too were its canine consumers…. The result? Several large-scale dog eradication campaigns…and a change in attitude toward the animal.”  The campaigns were highly effective. So much in fact that even to this day, many Muslims are not open to the idea that “dogs were once treasured by the Prophet and millions of Muslims after him.” 

Considering all this information, not all Islamic jurists have agreed that dogs are najis. In fact, many classical jurists agreed that most anti-dog hadiths are unreliable sources of information. For example, most agreed that traditions mandating slaughtering of dogs are fabricated. Other Islamic scholars have argued that everything found in nature is presumed pure unless proven otherwise. Some scholars have argued dogs at risk of rabies are impure. They argued that dogs are pure animals and that they do not void a Muslim's prayer or ritual purity. Others have said that domestic dogs are pure because human beings feed and clean them. [8]

As Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, Islamic juristic and scholar states, "In a fashion similar to European medieval folklore, black gods, in particular, were viewed ominously in the Islamic tradition...These various anti-dog reports expressed culturally engrained social anxieties about aspects of nature that were seen threatening and unpredictable....Despite the attribution to the Prophet of a large number of traditions hostile to dogs, for a variety of reasons, many pre-modern Muslim scholars challenged this orientation. "[9]

Despite all this information, the Muslim world is still plagued by anti-dog tales, creating great suffering for God's vulnerable creatures. 

In Quran 16:116 we are told, "You shall not utter lies with your own tongues stating: This is halal (lawful) and this is haram (unlawful)," to fabricate lies and attribute them to God. [10] The effect of these fabricated hadiths have been tragic for the lives of dogs. Whether through negligence, cruelty, abuse, starvation and even death, dogs are abused at an alarming rate. And all this in the name of Islam. [11]

Some Islamic extremists mislead their followers by calling those who say dogs are not najis or impure as westernized. But since when is kindness toward God's creation a non-Muslim belief?

So, with all these conflicting opinions what should Muslims do? First and foremost, we have to ask ourselves, what kind of human being do we strive to be? When we call a dog najis, we enable cruelty in the name of Islam. We have to ask ourselves why is it that I choose ugliness and cruelty over love and beauty? And when I am cruel toward a dog, what does that say about who I am? And finally we have to ask ourselves, when we call a dog najis, and/or treat a dog cruelly, are we upholding the rights of animals despite explicit orders from God? [12]

What if by blindly following the lies of some Islamic clerics who claim to know more than you, you are in fact harming your own soul?

Know your inherent beliefs.

References:
[1] Quran-Islam.org. "Dogs: Are they dirty, prohibited animals?"; Dr. Abou El Fadl, Khaled. “Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature.” Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, s.v. “Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature.” New York: Continuum International, 2004.

[2] The Holy Quran; and Quran-Islam.org. "Dogs: Are they dirty, prohibited animals?"

[3] The Holy Quran; and Quran-Islam.org. "Dogs: Are they dirty, prohibited animals?"

[4] The Holy Quran; and Quran-Islam.org. "Dogs: Are they dirty, prohibited animals?"

[5]  Dr. Abou El Fadl, Khaled. “Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature.” Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, s.v. “Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature.” New York: Continuum International, 2004; Dr. Abou El Fadl, Khaled. “The Search for Beauty in Islam: A Conference of the Books.” The Lord of the Essence: A Fatwa on Dogs.” Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, In. 2006; Watt, W. Montgomery. “Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman.” Oxford University Press. 1961.; Mikhail, Alan. “Dogs in ancient Islamic culture.” Oxford University Press. 2017.

[6] Daily Hadith Online. Hadith on Animals: A man was forgiven because he was merciful to a thirsty dog. 

[7] Mikhail, Alan. “Dogs in ancient Islamic culture.” Oxford University Press. 2017.

[8] Dr. Abou El Fadl, Khaled. “Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature.” Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, s.v. “Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature.” New York: Continuum International, 2004.

[9] Dr. Abou El Fadl, Khaled. “Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature.” Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, s.v. “Dogs in the Islamic Tradition and Nature.” New York: Continuum International, 2004.

[10] The Holy Quran; Quran-Islam.org. "Dogs: Are they dirty, prohibited animals?"

[11] Dr. Banderker, Ayoub. “Animal Abuse and Welfare in Islam.”

[12] The Holy Quran; Quran-Islam.org. "Dogs: Are they dirty, prohibited animals?"