Can you be a good Muslim and still have a dog?

[snopes]

Muslims’ alleged canine-phobia is often cited by critics of Islam as an example of how the faith is incompatible with Western values. Some Muslims have perpetuated that narrative, such as when a Somali cab driver in Minneapolis made national headlines in 2007 when he refused to let a blind man bring his seeing-eye dog into his car.

Yet many Muslims all over the world have dogs, and dogs figure prominently is some Islamic countries, such as Turkey, famous for its Kangal and Akbash breeds.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...inglePage.html

[Ryda Wong, EBfCo.]

Also, the Saluki is given a pass in certain cultures that are Muslim. They are considered clean and even a gift from the heavens.

[llewtrah]

Originally Posted by Ryda Wong, EBfCo.

Also, the Saluki is given a pass in certain cultures that are Muslim. They are considered clean and even a gift from the heavens.

Wasn't this a "get out" because the Saluki predates Islam? It's my understanding (from time spent around Egypt, Jordan etc) that quite a bit from tribal practices co-exists with Islam.

While in Mombasa, Kenya I visited the KSPCA shelter. It was explained to me that many of the Muslim dog-owners kept the dogs as guard dogs and had a non-Muslim employee responsible for the care of the dog.

[Mad Jay]

Many Muslims in America are keeping an eye on the event in Toronto, hoping that their fellow Muslims react to protestors by wagging and not barking.

Seriously?! Washingtonpost? Equating Muslims to dogs?!. I expected better

[Ryda Wong, EBfCo.]

Originally Posted by llewtrah

Wasn't this a "get out" because the Saluki predates Islam? It's my understanding (from time spent around Egypt, Jordan etc) that quite a bit from tribal practices co-exists with Islam.

This very well could be. IIRC, it's a belief that's common with the Bedouin people, but I'm not 100% sure of the province.

[llewtrah]

Originally Posted by Ryda Wong, EBfCo.

This very well could be. IIRC, it's a belief that's common with the Bedouin people, but I'm not 100% sure of the province.

That would make sense. The Bedouin kept Saluki bloodlines pure for centuries and maintained genealogies. Breeders have have apparently gone back to find original bloodlines. According to a talk from some of the guides (who were Muslims from the countries I visited), there are a number of things attributed to Islam that actually come from Bedouin and other tribes and that co-exist with the religion. There are various work rounds to accommodate tribal custom where it might conflict with Islam.

One of my bosses was a Muslim from the Punjab and he wasn't keen on dogs. According to his interpretation it was because dogs urine-mark things and they don't bury their scats which was considered unhygienic.

I've met quite a few Muslims of different ethnicities over here who own dogs (one might term them "non-practising Muslims" though I've been told there is no such thing). It's probably another of those things that is between "you and your god".

So it varies from place to place.

[Tom o' Bedlam]

One of the stories in the Thousand and One Nights involves a man who was turned into a dog. He's taken in by a friendly butcher, whom he praises in his narrative as not being one of those superstitious sorts who reject dogs as unclean.

Of course, the Thousand and One Nights tends to be pretty uncritical of a lot of things to which many Muslims would object.

[MichiganGirl]

Originally Posted by llewtrah

...(one might term them "non-practising Muslims" though I've been told there is no such thing). It's probably another of those things that is between "you and your god".

Who told you that? Just curious.

MG

[llewtrah]

Originally Posted by MichiganGirl

Who told you that? Just curious.

It's the response of Muslims on the media (news reports, religious affairs programmes) when the issue of "secular Muslims" or "non-practising Muslims" is brought up. The response boils down to "If you are a Muslim you practice your faith. if you don't practice your faith you aren't a Muslim." The discussion tends to come up when discussing extremism and the intervieweer contrasts "radicalised" vs "secular/non-practising" and is told there's no such thing as non-practising because Islam is a way of life (as opposed to "moderate Muslims").

Those I know personally have a whole variety of views ranging from the one above to "it's between me and my god". My former boss was a born again Muslim (for want of a better term) who gave up drinking and other things and became devout enough to be a teacher at his mosque.

As with any religion there's a wide spectrum.

[UrbanLegends101]

I dunno. A friend of mine here in Kuwait, a rather devout Muslim, has a dog.

[Amigone201]

Doesn't the question in the OP sort of presuppose that there's something different--endemic to Islam--that makes its adherents somehow unable to be moderate? In other words, it seems to presume that Muslims, unlike Christians and Jews, have something about their faith that forces them to adopt extreme attitudes such as not being able to keep a dog as a pet. It handily keeps Muslims as the Others. The weird ones. The ones who are Not Like Us.

I see the article as a kind of milder form of the lunatic ranting that goes on among the Tea Party/Christian Right crowd. I often see someone saying something to the effect of "Muslims are commanded to kill infidels/are allowed to lie to infidels/are told by the Qur'an that Islam should take over the world." It's as if Muslims, unlike other, "normal" people, are unable to ignore the outdated, outrageous things their holy book says. Christians and Jews certainly can, but They can't.

[hoitoider]

It's probably another case of someone taking a metaphor literally. Under the definition of 'dog' in this dictionary it's the fifth meaning:

5. Informal
b. A person regarded as contemptible: You stole my watch, you dog.

or as in the Bible:

"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs..."

[catty5nutz]

Well, there is this tale

http://www.imanislam.com/human-right...given-by-allah

[Hero_Mike]

I have certainly met and worked with quite a few Muslims who were just as selective in their "practice" of various rules of Islam. I speak of two men - one in his mid 20's, another in his 50's. The younger one was originally from Bangladesh, in an arranged marriage and went regularly to Friday prayers. The older one was from Egypt, but decidedly less "traditional" in his approach to women and dating - having even gone AWOL from the army to be with a girlfriend who was from Europe. Both would drink alcohol - the younger man's social drinking was no different from any typical many his age. Yet neither ate pork knowingly, and both would fast during Ramadan. However, the older man's 3 sons were significantly less strict in their practice, and not required to by their parents. Certainly no different to me from "practicing" Christians who don't follow every rule and tenet of their particular faith.

[UEL]

I am currently living in a Muslim dominated country.

After having read this thread a few days ago, I asked our liaison assistants about this. I learned a few things.

There is no absolute ban on owning dogs in the Quran. However, one might say culturally, there is a convention against it in the deserts. Dogs compete with humans for meat sources. And, when food is tough to have, ensuring enough meat for the people and the dog is quite difficult. So, the desert people don't tend to have dogs.

However, I live in Lebanon, which does not have a desert. Many families here have dogs, and have for centuries. We have Sunnis, Shias, Alawites and Druze living around me, and there can be dogs found in all sorts of homes. This is because, in Lebanon, there are fruits and vegetables aplenty, and the dog is not a huge burden to feed.

The final thing about it being an Islamic thing I learned is that it is some interpretations of what being a "good Muslim" means. In some of the Wahabism etc, it is very much along the lines of the Arabs from Saudi Arabia about 600 years ago. And with the spread of the message of Wahabism, then the idea goes out that this is what Islam is. However, Islam covers nearly the whole globe, and there is no one flavour of Islam.

And, for the record, in '08, when I was flying in Afghanistan, I saw many compounds with dogs in them.

[Lainie]

Hijackably: I've been wondering for months how to spell Alawite. Thank you, UEL!

[King_Crimson]

Originally Posted by UEL

There is no absolute ban on owning dogs in the Quran.

That's because there is no mention of dog ownership in Quran. It's in the hadiths.

Muslim's can own dogs if they're 'working dogs' or guard dogs (ie. to stay outside) however in the ahadith, Muhammad did say there would be a monetary (lol) fine per day in Jannah (the afterlife - garden) for those who owned dogs (I believe it was 1 dirrham or whatnot).

Also there is prohibition against owning 'house dogs' in the hadiths because Muhammad said an Angel would not enter a home in which there is a picture or a dog.

So according to their beliefs, yes they can own dogs; it is the more zealous believers or those who have been taught growing up that dogs are najis (dirty) that tend to be refusing to go near a dog, or transport a service dog etc..

~~~
Meanwhile also according to the hadiths (for those of us who do not believe Islam is true) it is reported that during the Muslim's night raids, they often encountered dogs while trying to sneak up on enemy caravans or towns - and of course the dogs alerted the people that they were there. Muhammad personally did not like dogs for this reason, and he said "especially black dogs, they are the devil" (black dogs, being more difficult to see in the dark).

FINALLY in the interest of fairness, when the Muslim's had taken Mecca from the pagans (who had it first), according to some hadiths there was a rabies situation, which necessitated killing all the dogs there.




So really, whichever way your agenda or zealotry (or lack thereof) turns you, you can spin any pro-dog or anti-dog ideology from the various hadiths regarding dogs & their permissibility.

[Plaintalking Yorkshirewoman]

Originally Posted by King_Crimson

That's because there is no mention of dog ownership in Quran. It's in the hadiths.

Muslim's can own dogs if they're 'working dogs' or guard dogs (ie. to stay outside) however in the ahadith, Muhammad did say there would be a monetary (lol) fine per day in Jannah (the afterlife - garden) for those who owned dogs (I believe it was 1 dirrham or whatnot).

Also there is prohibition against owning 'house dogs' in the hadiths because Muhammad said an Angel would not enter a home in which there is a picture or a dog.

So according to their beliefs, yes they can own dogs; it is the more zealous believers or those who have been taught growing up that dogs are najis (dirty) that tend to be refusing to go near a dog, or transport a service dog etc..

~~~
Meanwhile also according to the hadiths (for those of us who do not believe Islam is true) it is reported that during the Muslim's night raids, they often encountered dogs while trying to sneak up on enemy caravans or towns - and of course the dogs alerted the people that they were there. Muhammad personally did not like dogs for this reason, and he said "especially black dogs, they are the devil" (black dogs, being more difficult to see in the dark).

FINALLY in the interest of fairness, when the Muslim's had taken Mecca from the pagans (who had it first), according to some hadiths there was a rabies situation, which necessitated killing all the dogs there.

So really, whichever way your agenda or zealotry (or lack thereof) turns you, you can spin any pro-dog or anti-dog ideology from the various hadiths regarding dogs & their permissibility.

I'm Muslim, and I own a dog. It's not forbidden, outright, to have a dog.

In Islam, you are permitted to keep a dog if it's for Protection/ guarding, herding, or hunting. My dog guards me, as I am a disabled woman living alone (who admittedly, feels a bit vulnerable).

There was even a case here in the UK, where a Muslim man has a guide dog which accompanies him to his mosque in Leicester.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/324195-g...o-enter-mosque.

The dog has a special rest area, similar to those puppy-cages you can buy, where it is settled for the short period of time that the owner is within the prayer-hall making his prayers.

My dog protects me, by barking a warning if anyone approaches my front yard. I rescued her about 4 years ago, and, bless her, she has paid me back, in spades for saving her.

On one occasion, someone tried to burglarise my house in the early hours of the morning. It was quite frightening. iIt was about 2am, and they managed to get my living room window open.

Because the dog alerted to the person or persons trying to break in, and started barking, the perps ran off, and didn't get beyond the window. *whoot* !!

I sought advice from someone in authority at the mosque (a scholar) about having taken the dog in.

The dog's previous owner was going to take her to be euthanased, simply because she was "bored" with the dog. I could not bear the idea of a young dog being killed, for such a pathetic reason, so I agreed to take her in.

They said, "You did a kindness for the dog, in that you prevented it from being killed unnecessarily. Allah will reward you for that, because nothing should be killed, except for the sake of Allah ( eg to provide food)"

There are rules we have to follow, as a Muslim, about having the dog around, and following Islam.

For example, if I am in contact with the dog's saliva, urine or faeces, (when I walk the dog, and am poopy-scooping, for example) I must cleanse myself, before I pray the set-prayers, or read the scriptures. It's not a hardship,- I mean, we'd do this anyway, wouldn't we, as a matter of course, like washing our hands before we eat, or prepare our food. It's hygienic to do this.

One of the surahs (chapters) in the Qur'an, the "Surat al-Kahf" (the Surah of the Cave) mentions keeping a dog. one particular section tells the tale of a group of men, and their dog, who go to sleep in a cave, rip-van-winkle style, and they all sleep for three-hundred, or three-hundred-and-nine years.