Explanation of the Book of Foods-07a

The reciter: Abdullah ibn Yusuf narrated to us, Malik narrated to us from Nafi' from Abdullah ibn 'Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

The Shaykh : Now, this chapter indicates that it is not permissible to keep dogs. The evidence for this is the deduction from his reward and his recompense. The deduction of reward is like the occurrence of a punishment; in fact, it is a punishment in reality, because a person is either punished or deprived of reward. This indicates that keeping dogs is forbidden. By this, we know the foolishness of those people who imitate the disbelievers in keeping dogs without need. It is as if they think that these people made airplanes and bombs because they kept dogs, so they followed their path. They did not know that evil souls prepare evil bodies for themselves. The dog is the most evil of animals, because its impurity is not purified except by seven washes, one of which is with dust. Since the souls of these people are evil, they become accustomed to what is evil. This is the realization of the saying of Allah the Exalted: Therefore, we say that it is incumbent upon us, the students of knowledge, when we know that someone has kept a dog without need, to warn him that this is forbidden. If two qirats are deducted from his reward every day, and the year is 354 days, how much is deducted in the year? 708 qirats every year. And what is a qirat? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked when he said: It was said: What are the two qirats? He said: So every day, his reward is deducted like two great mountains. This is a great punishment, and I seek refuge in Allah. The conclusion is that this indicates the prohibition of storing dogs or keeping dogs. However, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the need for livestock and hunting. One remains: the harvest. Is it measured by analogy to what is similar to it, such as guarding houses from thieves or from wild beasts that attack houses? The answer is: We say, yes, it is measured by analogy to that, because if the Lawgiver permitted keeping dogs for guarding the harvest, then the permissibility of keeping them for guarding houses is even more so, because preserving houses in which there are women and children is more important than preserving crops and the like. Even though a hunting dog does not involve guarding; a hunting dog involves only the attainment of a benefit, is that not so? It is only hunting, and yet the Lawgiver permitted it. Yes.