take ya doggy for a walk!

do any muslims out there keep dogs as pets?
i know we cant keep them in the house because angels wont enter if they are there, so you have to keep them outside. some muslims get this all twisted and then class dogs as haram and filthy. but the dog itself is not haram. no creature Allah made is haram. apparently some parts of the dog are najees (unclean) but the dog itself is not najees. its the same with pigs - we cant eat them, but there is nothing that says we must hate Allah's creation of the pig and class the animal as completely off-limits. people who think like this really get me angry - because no animal Allah made is haram. Allah does not hate these beautiful creatures, so nor should we! he simply placed certain rules around them prohibiting some things for us when dealing with them - whether they be eating or keeping inside the houes.

i, myself, love dogs. they are gorgeous and i always pat the ones hanging out the front of shops, waiting for their owners. i also truly believe they are the most loyal and obedient animals to humans. i have a beautiful dog back home as well that i give big hugs to when i see her. so in thinking of her, i give you this....

a winter abaya with coat "im taking the dog for a walk" look... (we dont dress out dogs like paris hilton, but in the harsh winter back home we do put a thick coat on them to keep them warm)...

"A prostitute was guided by God's truth and ultimately went to paradise because she gave water to a dog dying of thirst in the desert" (Bukhari & Muslim)

(summary - it is good and rewarded to give kindness to animals - in this case a dog)

Quran - (i am re-writing these directly from my quran at home - i dont know which translation it is)

Surah Al-Kahf - ayah 18... "You would have reckoned that they were awake though they were lying down. And we turned them over from one side to the other, right and left, while on the threshold lay their dog with his forelegs outstretched. If you had viewed them you would have run away from them, making your flight filled with horror."

Surah Al-Kahf - ayah 22... "Tossed with their controversies, the People of the Book were divived in opinion relative to the number of the young men, and in course of time, some will say "They numbered three, their dog was the fourth." Others will say, "Five, their dog the sixth," guessing at the Unseen; whereas other will say "Seven, and their dog the eighth."...

(summary - their dog was their companion. God tells us that they had their dog with them. Now if dogs are prohibited and dirty, would God speak of those dwellers of the Cave (who had a dog) as good believers?)

Surah Al-Ma'idah - ayah 4... "The believers ask you, Messenger, what is made lawful to them. Say to them, "The good things are made lawful to you. The hunting creatures you train as hounds, teaching them (part) of what Allah has taught you". So eat of whatever they hold back for you, and mention the name of Allah over it. And be pious and fear Allah by observing what He has decreed for you and never transgress. Surely Allah is swift at the reckoning."

(summary - it is accepted that we train and use dogs. if it is ok for us to eat what the dog had hunted for us - thus eating something that was inside the dog's mouth - then surely it is ok for us to touch dogs - hence dogs are not "haram" as some people ignorantly claim).

please remember that there are many contradicting hadiths. Some mention goodness from dogs, others mention the Prophet (saw) ordering the killings of dogs - which to my knowledge is classed as not an authentic hadith, so not to be believed. some are classed as not authentic and are to be dismissed completely. Also the hadith (while i follow it) are man's words - their memories of what the Prophet (saw) did and said, while the Quran is Allah's word, so if i find conflicting hadiths, i always refer back to the Quran for evidence if im not sure of a topic. this is one of these occasions.

this here is a good article to read concerning conflicting hadiths about dogs.