Why Are Dogs Nijis?

[Zenshiite]

A Muslim can keep a dog inside the house even if he/she is not blind. Being a Najis creature does not mean being a bad one or you cannot have them in doors. You just have to wash/make Tahir whatever they make Najis. As long as the dog is dry, it does not make anything Najis unless than thing is wet itself. So Najassa transfers with wetness.

Again, being Najis has nothing to do with being isolated/people should not associate with them. You can have a dog just make sure to make Tahir whatever it makes najis. I can have a pig inside my house too. No Islamic jurisprudence told you to dislike dogs or not to have them inside your place. It has to do with people's preferences -like Irishman is not a Muslim but he rather keep the dog sleeping in a kettel.

To the OP: Yes dogs are useful for blind people, to have a guard, a friend whatever, what does this have to do with it being Najis?..Without blood we die right? Blood is najis too so being useful does not contradict being Najis.

So, are you telling me that even the hair of a dog isn't najis unless it's wet?

Well, that would simplify an awful lot for me as I'm currently living with my non-Muslim in-laws who have a dog.

[Shia4life1]

Googison, I am not bothered by anything on this post, except the fact that dogs are nijis and people like you cant explain why. We have to follow blindly I guess. I feel sorry for you and I make dua for you wallah so you don't embaress yourself. Didn't you ever hear that you dont answer a question with question? Do you think that if you came up to One of the Infaliables or Prophet Mohamamd pbuh&hp with a question, that they will answer with a question? LOL common now....

I am not mad at you. I don't understand what you mean do I talk to all people like this. How am I talking? Inshallah you make dua for me as I make dua for you (in positive way) because the last thing we need is Shia-Shia strife. With a great smile on my face I ask you nicely and with all my Sayed Ikhlak to please move on and if you ever do come up with solid evidence for me to please present it. You can always find me here.

Does anyone know of a Scholar who says only the saliva of the dog is nijis?

[gogiison2]

So, are you telling me that even the hair of a dog isn't najis unless it's wet?

Well, that would simplify an awful lot for me as I'm currently living with my non-Muslim in-laws who have a dog.

if i remember correct, if a dry dog brushes up against your clothing you can just shake your clothes off or brush it off. if it's wet then one would need to change the clothing.

i'd just be careful of the dog hairs and touching it with your hands and most likely when you wash your clothes in their washer the dog hairs will make all your clothes najis. i know, i unfortunately had to live a dog in my past.

i know some may say 'how do you know whether the person who sold you the house or some previous owner didn't have a dog?' i would reply that we could always ask the owners and if they said no, then that should suffice regardless if they lied or not, unless in fact if we do know for sure they're lying, because either way they may be lying to you lol.

Edited November 1, 2009 by gogiison2

[gogiison2]

name='Shia4life1' date='01 November 2009 - 02:18 AM' timestamp='1257059926' post='1980377']

We have to follow blindly I guess.

alhumdulillah, i'm not into that.

I feel sorry for you and I make dua for you wallah so you don't embaress yourself. Didn't you ever hear that you dont answer a question with question? Do you think that if you came up to One of the Infaliables or Prophet Mohamamd pbuh&hp with a question, that they will answer with a question? LOL common now....

be careful of speaking without knowing. tell me about when the man asked Imam about the atheist's question of the egg/world. did Imam ask which is the smallest of senses to his question or no? like i said i don't do this to hold a grudge against you but i advise please know of what you talk about before you attempt to belittle others with your sharp tongue.

I am not mad at you. I don't understand what you mean do I talk to all people like this. How am I talking? Inshallah you make dua for me as I make dua for you (in positive way) because the last thing we need is Shia-Shia strife. With a great smile on my face I ask you nicely and with all my Sayed Ikhlak to please move on and if you ever do come up with solid evidence for me to please present it.

Bismillah,i am used to being treated this way. iA the lesson will be learned. but we have to try. i was wondering what you meant by the above part that i had highlighted?

i want to relate a story i remember:(paraphrasing)

it's said one day Prophet Isa was walking and people were abusing him and he was seen smiling. they asked why are you smiling and RuhAllah says he is glad that they said these words toward him while he is one known for his sabr and not toward someone who would lose it.

Edited November 1, 2009 by gogiison2

[poltergeist]

I personally doubt dogs are najis. The sunnis don't say they are either. Maybe the few hadeeth we have that say they are najis are unauthentic. The sad thing is I have not heard of a shia marja who ever ruled that dogs are tahir :( So we have no choice but to consider them najis. I read shia hadeeth that say dogs were created from the spit of satan. Maybe that is why they are "najis"?

Check this book out

Dogs: From a Sufi Point of View written by Javad Nurbakhsh who was a shia too.

Edited November 2, 2009 by poltergeist

[alimo110]

Salam.

Shia4Life, no offense, but you need to chill. Calm down. If what gogiison2 says really bothers you, exercise some patience. As a person new to Shia Chat, you're not going to build bridges with that kind of attitude.

With regards to your OP, I'll try and shed some light, inshaAllah.

For the record, a dry dog touching your clothes does NOT make your clothes najis. As someone posted earlier, nejasat is transferred through wetness. Note, however, that this does NOT mean ONLY the saliva/fluids of a dog is najis. If a dog takes a bath and you touch one of its wet hairs/nails/nose/whatever that is wet, it transfers its nejasat.

"I understand why a pig is nijis, it eats it's own feces and enjoys watching other pigs mate. "

No, you don't understand why a pig is najis. The only reason a pig is najis is because Allah (SWT) has said it is. That is it. To my knowledge, we've been given answers as to why things are, or are not, a certain way so that we can better understand Allah (SWT) and Islam. But the logic or reasoning behind a ruling is not the basis for the ruling, necessarily.

"A dog leads the blind, fights crime, and is mans best friend."

The last point is subjective, but with regards to the other points, so what? First of all, these are things it is trained to do. A wild dog doesn't do these things. Secondly, the fact that is does these things has no relevance to its nejasat. By the way, there are many good non-believers (kafirs) out there, but kafirs are najis. So action does not dictate njasat.

As for gogiison2's questions and your opinion of them, just because you feel his questions are stupid doesn't mean you shouldn't give him 2 seconds to answer them. You find his questions illogical, but it doesn't mean they are, or are that you should assume his intention was to mess around with you and waste your time. He actually brought up a good point. I, personally, think his question was a little incorrect in that nejasat is not equivalent to halaal/haram food, but the point is the same. Phrased differently, this was his question:

"You say that pigs are najis because the Quran states they are. But for dogs, you say the Quran does not say they are najis so they shouldn't be. I ask you, do you accept feces* (or anything else that is najis but the Quran does not state it is najis) to be najis?" Here, you should answer yes. If through authentic hadith we determine something is najis, it is najis. Just because it isn't stated in the Quran does not make it tahir. gogiison2 was trying to guide you to this conclusion without holding your hand. If anything, you should be thanking him, not slinging insults at him, for trying to get you to think about why YOU believe/practice what YOU do. By the way, there are hadith where the Imams (as) give answers by asking questions (sorry, I can't recall an example, but I clearly remember reading some).

Just in case you didn't get the last part, the point is you can't use the absence of something in the Quran as justification.

I think I already said this, but the answer to your question is "because Allah (SWT) says so." If it isn't in the Quran, but the Prophet (pbuh) has stated it, it is still God's word. I don't recall the ayah, but Allah (SWT) states that the Prophet (pbuh) speaks nothing but revelation, or something along those lines. So, basically, the reason dogs are najis is because Allah (SWT) has deemed them najis.

* I don't know if feces being najis is in the Quran, so if the Quran states feces is najis, then substitute something else here.

InshaAllah I didn't make any mistakes. Of course, please correct me if I'm wrong.

[gogiison2]

^jazakAllah for your help.

basically i was trying to show shia4life1 that i think his reasoning may be faulty in that he says it's not mentioned about dogs najasit in Quran. many a times we need to go to ahadith to teach us more in depth lessons. and i wanted to give the example of how many even on shiachat will say 'i think we can eat any fish and that some are only makruh' (maybe some of you recall the supposed new fatwa by Fadhlallah) and they give the certain ayaats in Quran to try to make a point but i ask if it mentions anything about feces and dogs in the specific verses and with their line of thinking if it's halaal to eat these or not? we must understand that many things in life without context will be misconstrued. this is why we must try to follow tafsir of Ale Muhammad or else we'll be dividing until we reach the 73 sects and i think it'll happen with time.

Edited November 2, 2009 by gogiison2

[askari muslim]

From what I read, a dog in all parts is nijis. What I didn't read, or even find is why? I understand why a pig is nijis, it eats it's own feces and enjoys watching other pigs mate. A dog leads the blind, fights crime, and is mans best friend. Depending on what kind of dog you own, it may also lay its life on the line for you. Your input is greatly appreciated. Please be kind and respectful and do not let your fear of K9's influence your thinking. Salamat! B)

Salam.

Dear brother,the first thing i would like to state is that if dogs are haram in islam it doesn't mean these animals are cursed animals.They are also creatures of God and Allah has ordered us to keep them at a distance from ourselfs and it is because of our own safety,Allah has not forbid us to be kind to this creature.Being a muslim we should have the belief that what is forbidden in Islam has a good reason and we should search for the reason with belief.There were many things not known to early people that islam prohibited and later when science got advanced people came to know what was the wisdom behind it.

As far as dog issue is concerned,

1-dogs can get rabies(An acute viral disease of the nervous system of warm-blooded animals (usually transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal); rabies is fatal if the virus reaches the brain) which can kill you if not treated if you are bit.

2-puppies may pass the bacterium Campylobacter in their feces (stool). This germ can cause diarrhea in people.

3-tapeworm carried by dogs is a cause of chronic disease, sometimes resulting in death.

4-dogs in urban or rural areas can carry the bacterium Leptospira (lep-TO-spy-ruh). This germ causes the disease leptospirosis (lep-to-spi-roh-sis) in people and animals.

5-Cryptosporidium infection (cryptosporidiosis) (krip-toe-spo-rid-ee-oh-sis) is a parasitic disease caused by Cryptosporidium parvum. It usually causes a mild to severe infection of the gastrointestinal system, including watery diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting. It is usually caused by puppies.

6- Puppies and kittens are especially likely to have hookworm infections. Animals that are infected pass hookworm eggs in their stools.(cats hide their stool in earth due to which harm of this desease is minimized but dogs do not)

7-Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by Leishmania spp. This disease is rare in the United States, but is occasionally found in dogs.

8-Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii) is a bacterial disease occasionally associated with dogs.

9-Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is bacterial disease associated with dogs and ticks.

People who are more likely to get diseases from dogs include infants, children younger than 5 years old, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS, and people being treated for cancer.

It is true that there is no ayat in Quran that directly states the nijasat of dog.Quran has 6666 ayats out of which only 514 ayats are those having direct orders and laws while humans have millions of problems.Thus we need to interpret and derive results from Quran.Just like a few english alphabets make millions of words,similarly 6666 ayats of Quran solve millions of problems but it needs strong hold on each and every ayat of Quran which is only gifted to Our Prophet(pbuh) and His Progeny(a.s).

I hope that answers the question.

May GOD bless all muslims.

Edited November 2, 2009 by askari muslim

[Shia4life1]

Happy New Years everybody. I spent some time away and now I am back!!! Looks like no one has answered my question. I asked a Sheik this past Ashura regarding the issue of the dog and he straight up told me I can't have one. Thanks for being logical Sheikna! Please people stop with the "dogs have diseases" claim. Its really getting old and boring. Us humans have more diseases and ailments then dogs. Every year we have another scare, SARS, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, lol. I am laughing because imagine Chinese people were deemed nijis for being sick with SARS. Remeber I am not making any religous decisions here. I follow my marjas ruling that dogs are nijis but I want to know why and according to who? Maybe the Prophet told us to wash our hands so we don't get rabbies because back then there was no vaccinations for humans or dogs for that disease. I really suggest you guys research dogs and (with all due respect) notice how we are blessed to have a creature walk among us. Oh and for the note, I am not a animal rights activist or a go green fanatic, I am a kibbie eating Arab who loves dogs (not all dogs). :D

Lol and for the dude who wants to know if I would eat dog stool.....I am feeling nice this year and would answer that question for you. No, so what's your argument. (salam)

[Shia4life1]

Oh and by the way many hadiths regarding dogs were fabricated by Abu Hurayra<------ The father of the little cat, no wonder he hated dogs and insulted women. In the Quran, Allah narrates the story of the people of the cave. Clearly we are told of them with their dog. There story would of been complete without the dog. But no, we are told of the dog. Then later people start saying the dog is nijis? I just don't understand.

[naro]

Looks like no one has answered my question. I asked a Sheik this past Ashura regarding the issue of the dog and he straight up told me I can't have one. Thanks for being logical Sheikna! Please people stop with the "dogs have diseases" claim. Its really getting old and boring.

what kind of answer do you expect ?

there are two

1) that you can indeed have own a dog and there is nothing wrong with it, the Quran says NOTHING against it.

2) that you simply can't have dogs because they are as dirty as pigs because some people say so in hadiths. but then again, people say everything in hadiths.

owning dogs has never been a cultural custom in the middle-east, you will rarely find anyone that says " go ahead get one !!!!!!!!! "

those that try to explain dogs are forbidden because they have diseases, what a goddamn joke you are.

Edited January 6, 2010 by naro

[Shia4life1]

Haha your closing sentence is soo funny. I am not asking people wether I can or can't have a dog. I had and will be getting another pitbull. All I wanted was to know why are dogs nijis? What makes them nijis? And says who? I sent an email to Sayed Fadlallah and as crazy as it may sound, I hope he declares them not nijis. It's hard trying to stay not nijis and own a dog at the same time. Don't get me wrong, I pray and fast and wont let anything get in my way. Salam!

[gogiison2]

^ brother shia4life1, instead of getting another dog, give that additional money to the poor. i think it's said that a lot of benefits are taken away from you everyday that you have the dog in your home. follow this simple advice and inshaAllah your taqwa will increase accordingly.

-i don't want to argue about the feces or eating dog meat because if you read my previous posts with care, i think you would've extracted the idea. either way i hope you make the right choice inshaAllah.

[yahossein]

(bismillah)

(salam)

Najis has absolutely NOTHING to do with 'dirtyness' or bacteria or anything like that. Its all about spiritual impurity. Incidently the things that we say are spiritually impure (najis) like urine, faeces, semen, blood (especially menstrual blood is mentioned as being particularly impure) are used frequently in occult and black magic rituals to summon the most powerful individuals among the shayateen and Jinn, as apparently the evil ones among the Jinn demons are attracted to these. They carry out extreme najis rituals to attract evil shayateen forces towards them.

We of course, by order of Allah (swt), carry out the opposite pure rituals with water and earth such as wudhu and tayammum to purify ourselves and prepare for positive practices such as salaat.

So in short, Allah (swt) knows what you do not, and the laws of the universe are not something that you can figure out. Allah (swt) has a wisdom that is infinite. There is no shia ulema who doubts the impurity of dogs. The Shafis Sunnis also do not doubt the impurity of dogs. There is a difference of opinion in Maliki, Hanbali, and Hanafi school. It is overall wise to avoid them.

Edited January 6, 2010 by yahossein

[Shia4life1]

Gogison I appreciate your kind response. Two things though...I am a save Darfur advocate and inshallah will be dedicating my life in assisting the under under under privalleged. Second thing is I don't keep dogs in my house, I keep them outside. The thing is, its hard to avoid being touched by the dog wet or dry. I just don't want to spread najasa into my house, my car, clothes, etc. Some people in the forum said to wash whatever the dog touches which I think is impossible. YaHossein....thanks for the response but just because a cult has evil intentions with parts of the animal why should the animal be shunned down by the whole rest of mankind and why should every other person suffer. Dogs are not the only animal that have menstrual blood, feceds, urine, semen, etc. I'm sure the same crazy rituals can be done with the same parts from monkeys? Thanks anyways. Salam

[gogiison2]

Gogison I appreciate your kind response. Two things though...I am a save Darfur advocate and inshallah will be dedicating my life in assisting the under under under privalleged. Second thing is I don't keep dogs in my house, I keep them outside. The thing is, its hard to avoid being touched by the dog wet or dry. I just don't want to spread najasa into my house, my car, clothes, etc. Some people in the forum said to wash whatever the dog touches which I think is impossible. YaHossein....thanks for the response but just because a cult has evil intentions with parts of the animal why should the animal be shunned down by the whole rest of mankind and why should every other person suffer. Dogs are not the only animal that have menstrual blood, feceds, urine, semen, etc. I'm sure the same crazy rituals can be done with the same parts from monkeys? Thanks anyways. Salam

WA wr wb..

but you're keeping dogs when that money you spend on them can be sent to our brothers and sisters overseas who don't even eat but barely enough to survive. i know these type of acts usually happen with secular minded people/counties, just as in america, people bring the dogs in their homes and send their mothers and fathers to retirement homes. their thinking is all backwards. evil seeds make for more evil. if you want companionship, spend more time with family and make some quality friends and try to use them to grow out of our own ignorance. family and friends are there for you to benefit from.

-i don't think it's practical to wash everything a dog touches. but i think we have certain hadith that say the likes of; if a dog brushes up against your clothing (i guess from it's hairs only, as in no wetness transferred to the clothing) we're to brush it off or shake it off . if the dog transfers wetness (i guess from licking or hairs being wet) then we would need to change the clothing because of such impurities.

-but understand that if one keeps a dog, the hairs often end up in clothing and gets sent to the washer and dryers (while wet) thus all the clothing should be najis. if anything, and if you absolutely must have a dog, and plan to keep it outside only, then keep a separate batch of clothing for these things. but i think some ahadith say that you cannot keep a dog unless for certain reasons.

i'm not trying to judge you and tell you what to do. overall, it's your choice. but i do hope you make the most wise choice and i'm just trying to offer different approaches to possibly help your life become easier, inshaAllah.

Edited January 9, 2010 by gogiison2

[Shia4life1]

Bro you keep on sending me these sublimnal messages that I'm ignorant. Maybe your the ignorant one? Your ideas make no sense. So the money I would spend on a dog, I should just send over seas to starving brothers and sisters? How ignorant are you? A hungry person is a hungry person. Why should I only feed brothers and sisters? Imam Ali (a.s.) in Nahjul Balagha Volume 3 Letter 53 tells us that man is either our brother in religion or our equal in humanity. Just look at the picture below? Does this poor girl not deserve the right to eat because she isn't my sister in faith. A little off topic but wow you really need to re-evaluate yourself, I don't know about you, but the way I follow my religion, emissions like that destroy the world around you.

Back to our topic, so don't you think its kind of extreme that one single hair can get a whole laundry load nijis?

P.S. Forgive me if I have angered you or caused distress. I suggest you let this topic go because really were just not getting anywhere. It's my journey and I'd appreciate it if you would let go. Let's make positive dua for each other becuase I wouldn't say that I haven't learned anything from this. (This is the part where I put that Salamualikum in Arabic but for some odd reason I can't find it but I hope you understand)

[gogiison2]

Bro you keep on sending me these sublimnal messages that I'm ignorant. Maybe your the ignorant one? Your ideas make no sense. So the money I would spend on a dog, I should just send over seas to starving brothers and sisters? How ignorant are you? A hungry person is a hungry person. Why should I only feed brothers and sisters? Imam Ali (a.s.) in Nahjul Balagha Volume 3 Letter 53 tells us that man is either our brother in religion or our equal in humanity. Just look at the picture below? Does this poor girl not deserve the right to eat because she isn't my sister in faith. A little off topic but wow you really need to re-evaluate yourself, I don't know about you, but the way I follow my religion, emissions like that destroy the world around you.

Back to our topic, so don't you think its kind of extreme that one single hair can get a whole laundry load nijis?

P.S. Forgive me if I have angered you or caused distress. I suggest you let this topic go because really were just not getting anywhere. It's my journey and I'd appreciate it if you would let go. Let's make positive dua for each other becuase I wouldn't say that I haven't learned anything from this. (This is the part where I put that Salamualikum in Arabic but for some odd reason I can't find it but I hope you understand)

WA wr wb..

-slow down a bit and properly read what i type. i didn't say only send to muslims.

-extreme? there's a reason why we follow rules in islam.

[naro]

WA wr wb..

but you're keeping dogs when that money you spend on them can be sent to our brothers and sisters overseas who don't even eat but barely enough to survive.

this is too much, this answer is so hilarious.

don't buy this, don't buy that, don't do this, don't do that, send to the poor !

classic

[Shia4life1]

I would actually go back and properly read what you wrote "but you're keeping dogs when that money you spend on them can be sent to our brothers and sisters overseas" LOL common man it don't take a brain surgeon to understand what you meant. Had you said brothers and sisters you would of had a minute arguement. But to say "our", man that puts the final nail in the coffin (not your coffin inshallah you live a long healthy, wealthy, and prosperous life).

By the way your dont buy this dont buy that arguement doesn't fly around me. One time I heard a Sheik during a lecture that a man asked if it was haram if he bought a Bentley. The Sheik asked him do you have enough money to buy one (and take care of other primary requirments) the man replied yes. The Sheik said then I told him "Ya habibi buy 2 not 1" Salam

[Shia4life1]

983 views, 54 replies.....how sad :( It makes no sense in the world why dogs are nijis. In another post a member said that a single dog hair in the washing machine can make the whole load nijis? Ya waylah! If this is true then somewhere man went wrong. We are told we can have dogs for protection and hunting yet a single hair will ruin a whole load of laundry? Islam isn't suppose to make our life hard!!! I emailed Sayed Fadlallah regarding the issue...I didn't get a reply and with all honesty I didn't expect to get one. This forum did nothing but piss me off. "Oh dogs are nijis because they smell oh they use the bathroom oh because this because that" No one said man was perfect. I had many people eat off the same plate as me, even opened my door to them and in the end all I did was get stabbed in the back. Why aren't those humans nijis? As a great member put, one day this whole dog being nijis thing will be remembered as the biggest man made tradition in Islam.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh dogs have diseases" What a joke! Whoever said that needs to leave the basement he or she has been living in for the past 10 years. Mad cow disease? Swine flu? Bird Flu? I haven't heard of K9 flu, have you (hamdillah)!

Now for the grand suprise. No one get offended. I have nothing to do with this video except that I am a viewer just like the rest of the world. Please don't curse me or make negative dua on me. It's a dog that visits the shrine of Imam Reza. Let's not forget dogs like all things in the heavens and Earth make Tasbeeh for Allah! Despite all my anger and frustrations I love you all. Even those who backstabbed me I still visit them to this day. They are my uncles. I have no choice. I don't want Allah (Swt) to cut me from his mercy. Salam to all and too all a grand salam....for now.