Question 496: What is the ruling on keeping dogs and cats?

354 13 Feb 2021
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✅Answer:

1 عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: يُكْرَهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي دَارِ الرَّجُلِ الْمُسْلِمِ الْكَلْبُ.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 552

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: 'It is disliked and disapproved for there to be a dog in a Muslim's house.'

2 عَنْ جَرَّاحٍ الْمَدَائِنِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: لَا تُمْسِكْ كَلْبَ الصَّيْدِ فِي الدَّارِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ بَيْنَكَ وَ بَيْنَهُ بَابٌ.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 552

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: 'Do not keep a hunting dog in the house unless there is a door between you and it. (It should not be loose and should be confined in a place.)'

3 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِين لَا خَيْرَ فِي الْكِلَابِ إِلَّا كَلْبَ صَيْدٍ أَوْ كَلْبَ مَاشِيَةٍ.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 552

The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: 'There is no goodness in dogs except for a hunting dog and a sheepdog.'

4 عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ يَتَّخِذُ كَلْباً إِلَّا نَقَصَ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِنْ عَمَلِ صَاحِبِهِ قِيرَاطٌ.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 552

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: 'There is no one who takes and keeps a dog, except that one qirat of the owner's deed is نقصed every day!'

5 عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْكَلْبِ يُمْسَكُ فِي الدَّارِ قَالَ لَا.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 552

Sama'ah said: 'I asked (Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him) about a dog that is kept in the house.' The Imam said: 'No.'

6 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَرْوَانَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ جَبْرَئِيلَ أَتَانِي فَقَالَ إِنَّا مَعَاشِرَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ لَا نَدْخُلُ بَيْتاً فِيهِ كَلْبٌ وَ لَا تِمْثَالُ جَسَدٍ وَ لَا إِنَاءٌ يُبَالُ فِيهِ.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 393

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: 'The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, said: 'Gabriel, peace be upon him, came to me and said: 'We, the group of angels, do not enter a room in which there is a dog, a picture, a statue of a body (of a living being), or a vessel in which one urinates.'

7 قَالَ: قَالَ الصَّادِقُ لَا يُصَلَّى فِي دَارٍ فِيهَا كَلْبٌ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ كَلْبَ الصَّيْدِ وَ أَغْلَقْتَ دُونَهُ بَاباً فَلَا بَأْسَ فَإِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ لَا تَدْخُلُ بَيْتاً فِيهِ كَلْبٌ وَ لَا بَيْتاً فِيهِ تَمَاثِيلُ وَ لَا بَيْتاً فِيهِ بَوْلٌ مَجْمُوعٌ فِي آنِيَةٍ.

📚 Al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 246

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: 'Prayer is not performed in a house where there is a dog, unless it is a hunting dog and you close a door on it (meaning it should not be loose and should be kept in a closed-door place), in which case (praying) is not problematic, because the angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog, a statue, a picture (of a living being), or urine collected in a vessel.'

8 قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ علیه السلام: لَا یَنْبَغِی أَنْ یَخْلُوَ بَیْتُ أَحَدِکُمْ مِنْ ثَلَاثَةٍ وَ هُنَّ عُمَّارُ الْبَیْتِ الْهِرِّ وَ الْحَمَامِ وَ الدِّیکِ فَإِنْ کَانَ مَعَ الدِّیکِ أَنِیسَةٌ وَ إِلَّا فَلَا بَأْسٌ لِمَنْ لَا یَقْدِرُهَا

📚 Mustadrak, vol. 8, p. 283, from the book Al-Ta'rif Safwani, p. 5

Imam Kazim, peace be upon him, said: 'It is not fitting for the house of one of you to be empty of three things, for these are the builders of the house: a cat, a pigeon, and a rooster. And if there is a hen with the rooster (it is better), and if not, there is no problem for the one who is not able.'

✅ In Shi'a narrations, keeping and taking certain animals is encouraged, such as sheep, goats, cows, camels, donkeys, mules, hens, roosters, pigeons, doves, and so on.

Also, keeping and taking a dog is strongly forbidden, except for a hunting dog and a guard dog. In these cases, too, the above narrations recommend that a door be closed on them and that they are not loose.

✅ The practices of playing with dogs and keeping dogs in the home and becoming familiar with them, even in the bedroom and living room, which unfortunately has become common among some people today, have no place in the actions of a Muslim and are severely condemned in the narrations.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ

وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ