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Is It Haram to Have a Dog?

Most scholars say keeping a dog only as a pet is not allowed, while dogs for guarding, farming or hunting are. Maliki and Dar al-Ifta views explained.

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Short answer

Most jurists hold that keeping a dog purely as a pet is not permitted, because the Prophet ﷺ said in Sahih al-Bukhari that whoever keeps a dog that is not for herding or hunting loses reward every day. Dogs kept for a real need, such as hunting, herding, farming or guarding, are allowed. The Maliki school treats dogs as pure and only dislikes keeping them, and Egypt's Dar al-Ifta permits dogs kept for a benefit.

Maybe you grew up with a dog, your family just adopted one, or you live alone and a dog would make you feel safer. Then someone tells you that dogs are haram and that angels will never enter your home, and you are left wondering how much of that is true.

The honest answer has more detail than "yes" or "no." Scholars agree on some points, differ on others, and the difference often comes down to why you keep the dog and how you handle its saliva. Here is what the hadith say and how the main schools and fatwa bodies read them.

Is it haram to have a dog in Islam?

Most jurists hold that keeping a dog with no need, only as a pet, is not permitted, while keeping one for hunting, herding, farming or guarding is allowed. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta summarized it in a 2013 fatwa (no. 5992): "The majority of jurists have agreed that it is not permissible to keep a dog except out of need (hajah) like hunting, guarding, and other kinds of benefit that the law has not prohibited."

There is a minority view. The same fatwa notes that "the Malikis said that it is disliked to keep a dog for purposes other than agriculture, herding, or hunting, but some of them said that it is permissible." Dar al-Ifta's own conclusion is that "it is permissible to keep dogs for beneficial purposes or out of need, and it is impermissible otherwise."

What do the hadith say about keeping dogs?

The main evidence is a hadith that a person who keeps a dog without a valid reason loses part of his reward every day. Ibn 'Umar narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, "Whoever keeps a (pet) dog which is neither a watch dog nor a hunting dog, will get a daily deduction of two Qirat from his good deeds" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5480).

Abu Hurayrah narrated a version that names the exceptions: "Whoever keeps a dog, one Qirat of the reward of his good deeds is deducted daily, unless the dog is used for guarding a farm or cattle," and in another narration, "unless it is used for guarding sheep or farms, or for hunting" (Sahih al-Bukhari 2322). The Qur'an itself allows game caught by "what you have trained of hunting animals" (Qur'an 5:4), and it mentions the dog of the young men of the cave, who "stretched his forelegs at the entrance" (Qur'an 18:18).

Scholars differ over what the lost reward means. IslamQA (answer 153894) says most commentators read it as a sign that keeping a pet dog is haram, while the Maliki scholar Ibn 'Abd al-Barr read the same wording as showing it is only makruh (disliked).

Is it haram to keep a dog for protection?

Keeping a dog to guard a home is allowed by many scholars, especially where there is a real need. Imam al-Nawawi, quoted by Dar al-Ifta, said the Shafi'is had two positions on dogs that protect homes and neighborhoods, and "the most correct (asah) one is permissibility." The Maliki scholar Sheikh 'Ilish went further: "It is permissible to keep dogs for all beneficial purposes, and to ward off harm, even if it is not in the wilderness where thieves are feared."

Some scholars are stricter about cities. IslamQA (answer 69840) quotes Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymin that a house "in the middle of the city" has no need of a guard dog, but if the house is in the countryside "and there is no one else around, then it is permissible to keep a dog to guard the house."

Purpose Majority of jurists Maliki school and Dar al-Ifta
Hunting, herding or farming Allowed (named in the hadith) Allowed
Guarding a home Allowed by many, e.g. al-Nawawi; Ibn 'Uthaymin requires real need Allowed for any real benefit
Purely as a pet Not permitted Disliked (makruh) for Malikis; not permitted by Dar al-Ifta

Are dogs impure (najis)?

Scholars differ: the Shafi'is hold the whole dog is impure, the Hanafis, and Imam Ahmad in one report, hold only the saliva is impure, and the Malikis hold the dog is pure. Ibn Taymiyyah, quoted by IslamQA, set out three views: dogs are pure "even their saliva," the view of Malik; impure "even their hair," the view of al-Shafi'i and one report from Ahmad; or their "hair is tahir but their saliva is najis," the view of Abu Hanifah and the other report from Ahmad, which he called the most correct.

The washing rule comes from the hadith: "The purification of the utensil belonging to any one of you, after it is licked by a dog, lies in washing it seven times, using sand for the first time" (Sahih Muslim 279d). In 2020, Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawky Allam said on Egyptian television, as reported by Arab News, that Dar al-Ifta adopts the Maliki position and that if dog saliva is on your body or clothes after wudu, "there is absolutely nothing wrong with praying and there is no need to repeat wudu or wash clothes."

Can you touch a dog and still pray?

Yes. Touching a dog does not break wudu; at most, the spot that touched it needs washing before you pray. IslamQA says, "If a person touches a dog or a dog touches him, that does not mean that he has to purify himself," and that the impurity it recognizes is in the saliva. Ibn 'Uthaymin adds that touching a dog with wetness on it makes the hand impure "according to the view of many scholars," and it should then be washed seven times, once with soil.

If you follow the Shafi'i school, which holds the whole dog is impure, wash any part of your body or clothing that touched a wet dog or its saliva before you pray. Our step-by-step wudu guide covers what does break it.

Do angels not enter a house with a dog?

Yes, the hadith says angels do not enter a house with a dog in it, though scholars differ on what follows from that. Abu Talha narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, "Angels do not enter a house that has either a dog or a picture in it" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3322).

Dar al-Ifta, in a 2015 fatwa (no. 8376), said this "does not evidence the impurity of dogs but rather that the angels... do not like to enter a place where there is a dog." Its practical advice for dog owners: "It is permissible to keep a dog in the house and you can dedicate a special room for prayers where it is not allowed to enter." Scholars who follow the majority view use the same hadith as one more reason not to keep a dog without need.

How should Muslims treat dogs?

With kindness, whatever view you follow on owning one. The Prophet ﷺ told of a man who saw a dog "eating mud from (the severity of) thirst," filled his shoe with water for it, "so Allah approved of his deed and made him to enter Paradise" (Sahih al-Bukhari 173). The Qur'an describes every creature on earth and every bird as "communities like you" (Qur'an 6:38).

Dar al-Ifta's 2013 fatwa on caring for pets (no. 6827) says an animal raised at home "is entitled to regular and suitable food and drink that meet its needs, medical treatment, and safe shelter." Whatever you decide about owning a dog, cruelty and neglect are not an option.

What should you do if you have a dog?

Start by being clear on your reason for keeping it, then follow the cleanliness rules of the view you rely on. In practice:

  1. Know your reason. Guarding, farming, herding and hunting are accepted by the majority; keeping a dog only for company is where they differ from the Malikis and Dar al-Ifta.
  2. Keep saliva away from your dishes and prayer space. Wash a licked vessel seven times, the first with soil, per Sahih Muslim 279d.
  3. Keep a clean place to pray. Dar al-Ifta suggests a room the dog does not enter.
  4. Treat the dog well. Food, water, medical care and safe shelter are its rights, per Dar al-Ifta's fatwa 6827.

Questions like this one, and others such as whether nail polish affects wudu, come back to the same thing: keeping your prayer valid and steady. Salah Home helps with the steady part: log each of the five prayers with a tap, build your streak, and earn Dates to build your own peaceful virtual home.

Frequently asked questions

Is it haram to have a dog as a pet?

Most jurists say keeping a dog only as a pet is not permitted, based on Sahih al-Bukhari 5480. The Maliki school considers it disliked rather than haram.

Can Muslims have a guard dog?

Yes, according to many scholars, including al-Nawawi and Egypt's Dar al-Ifta. Some, such as Ibn 'Uthaymin, limit this to homes that really need guarding, such as an isolated house in the countryside.

Is dog saliva najis?

The Hanafi and Shafi'i schools say yes, as do both reports from Imam Ahmad, and a licked vessel is washed seven times, the first with soil. The Maliki school, followed by Egypt's Dar al-Ifta, holds that dogs, including their saliva, are pure.

Does touching a dog break wudu?

No. Touching a dog does not break wudu. Under the stricter views, you wash the spot that touched wet fur or saliva before praying.

Can I pray in a house with a dog?

Yes, your prayer is valid. Dar al-Ifta advises dog owners to set aside a clean room the dog does not enter and pray there.

Sources

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