OCTOBER 21 — On 19th October 2014, Syed Azmi Alhabshi organised “I Want To Touch A Dog,” an event aimed to rid stigma Malay Muslims have associated with dogs, and to teach our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters to be compassionate and loving to these animals.

But, as always, anything that is against the norm of our Malay culture is deemed an “agenda” to “liberalise” or “Westernise” us. Jakim said it was an event to lead Muslims astray and released a fatwa saying that unnecessary touching of dogs is haram.

Traditionally, dogs are seen as impure within the Malay Muslim community, so most of us were brought up to think that contact with dogs are completely forbidden. A lot of people, however, have used this as a reason to justify abuse and neglect of these animals.

First, we have to remember that all animals are a part of Allah’s creation, and we will be held accountable by Allah for the way we treat them. As a human being, it is our duty to protect and promote the well-being of animals, as a sign of our appreciation for Allah’s creations. It is our duty to be merciful to all His creations, so why do a lot of Muslims have a problem with dogs?

We have read many justifications from hadith stating that dogs are impure. The Syafi’i school of thought categorises dogs under najis, and that coming into contact with their saliva means we have to purify ourselves. It’s been said that we also have to clean a vessel from which a dog has drank from seven times. However, the Maliki school of thought considers dogs as pure, and that the cleaning of hands and vessels that come into contact with dogs is just common sense to prevent diseases.

But of course, as Malaysia follows the Syafi’i school of thought, to most Malays, a dog’s saliva is considered as najis. Thus, coming to the conclusion that purposefully touching najis, with no valid reason, is haram. Other than the fact that this is a fatwa released by Jakim, there is also no justification from any hadith stating that the touching of dogs on its own is actually haram. In fact, it is mostly agreed upon that dry dogs are not considered najis, and it is actually their saliva (or any wet parts) that is considered impure.

But should dogs even be placed under the same criteria as things such as excrement? Are they not living things that deserve to be befriended, loved and respected?

From a Qur’anic perspective, dogs are loyal and intelligent creatures and they were not cursed in any way. In Surah Al-Kahf, a group of cave dwellers owned a dog that protected them in their sleep. And in [5:4], we are told that it is permissible for us to eat whatever a dog has hunted and caught for us without any further purification to the meat. For centuries, dogs have been man’s best friend and a great service to mankind. Even Islamic history acknowledges this, so how could Allah possibly condemn such noble creatures?

Instead of concentrating on the fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) of a dog’s status in Islam, let us concentrate on wiping away our misunderstanding of dogs as “cursed” creatures of Allah. To me, this event is a good first step. The misunderstanding that Muslims have towards dogs have caused us to be negligent towards their well-being, and we end up mistreating them because of cultural stigmas.

If we want Allah to bestow His mercy upon us, we have to also bestow our mercy upon His creations. This will also reflect well upon our religion and to non-Muslims. Touching a dog will not make you any less of a Muslim, but being kind to animals will show just what kind of a Muslim you are.

* Shafiqah Othman Hamzah is an activist/blogger currently studying Graphic Design in Management and Science University, a member of Sisters In Islam and Drug Free Youth Association Malaysia.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.