Is Selling Dogs Haram?

Praise be to Allah.

Is it haram to keep dogs?

It is haram to keep dogs , and the one who keeps a dog will have two qirats deducted from his reward every day, except for dogs that are kept for hunting, guarding livestock and guarding crops , which it is permissible to keep. 

Is selling dogs haram?

There are many hadiths narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which state that it is forbidden to sell dogs . The general meaning of these hadiths include all kinds of dogs, those which it is permissible to keep and those which it is not permissible to keep. 

These hadiths include the following: 

• Al-Bukhari (1944) narrated that Abu Juhayfah said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade the price of a dog. 
• Al-Bukhari (2083) and Muslim (2930) narrated from Abu Mas’ud al-Ansari that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade the price of a dog, the wages of a prostitute and the fee of a fortuneteller. 
• Abu Dawud (3021) narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah forbade the price of a dog, and if a person comes asking for the price of a dog, then fill his hand with dust.” Al-Hafiz said: Its isnad is sahih; it was classed as sahih by al-Albani in Sahih Abi Dawud. 
• Abu Dawud (3023) narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The price of a dog, the fee of a fortuneteller and the wages of a prostitute are not permissible.” Al-Hafiz said: its isnad is hasan. Al-Albani classed it as sahih in Sahih Abi Dawud. 

Al-Nawawi said in Sharh Muslim: 

“The prohibition on the price of a dog and the fact that it is among the most evil of earnings and is something vile indicates that it is haram to sell dogs; the transaction is not valid and the price is not halal and the one who destroys it is not obliged to repay its value, regardless of whether the dog is trained or not, or whether it is one that it is permissible to keep or not. This is the view of the majority of scholars, including Abu Hurayrah, al-Hasan al-Basri, Rabi'ah, al-Awza’i, al-Hakam, Hammad, al-Shafi’i, Ahmad, Dawud, Ibn al-Mundhir and others. Abu Hanifah said: The sale of dogs which bring some benefit is permissible, and the one who destroys them must repay their value. Ibn al-Mundhir narrated from Jabir, ‘Ata and al-Nakha’i that it is permissible to sell a hunting dog but not any other kind… The evidence of the majority is these hadiths.”

Al-Hafiz said: 

“The apparent meaning of the prohibition is that it is haram to sell them. This is general in meaning and includes all dogs, trained and otherwise, whether it is permissible to keep them or not. This also implies that the one who destroys them is not obliged to repay their value. This is the view of the majority.” 

Ibn Qudamah said in al-Mughni: 

“There is no dispute that sales of dogs are invalid, no matter what kind of dog it is.” 

It says in Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daimah (13/36):

“It is not permissible to sell dogs, and their price is not halal, whether they are guard dogs, hunting dogs or any other kind, because of the hadith narrated by Abu Mas’ud ‘Aqabah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade the price of a dog, the wages of a prostitute and the fee of a fortuneteller. Sahih – agreed upon.” . 

Shaykh Ibn Baz said: 

“The sale of a dog is invalid.” (Majmu’ Fatawa Ibn Baz, 19/39) 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (8/90): 

“It is not permissible to sell dogs; even if they are sold for hunting, that is not permissible.” 

Is it permissible to sell hunting dogs? 

Those who regard it as permissible to sell hunting dogs quote as evidence the hadith narrated by al-Nasai (4589) from Jabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade the price of dogs and cats, except for hunting dogs. 

This exception in the hadith – “except for hunting dogs” – is weak. 

Al-Nasai said, after quoting the hadith: This is munkar (a type of weak hadith). 

Al-Sindi said in Hashiyat al-Nasai: It is da’if according to the consensus of the muhaddithin (scholars of hadith). 

Al-Nawawi said in Sharh Muslim: 

“With regard to the hadiths that have been narrated about the prohibition on the price of a dog except for hunting dogs, and that ‘Uthman gave twenty camels in compensation to a man for a dog that he killed, and the report from Ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As about paying compensation for destroying a dog – all of these are da’if according to the consensus of the hadith scholars.” 

When is it permissible to buy a hunting or guarding dog?

If a person needs a dog for hunting or guarding and cannot find anyone to give him a dog except by selling it, it is permissible for him to buy it, and the sin will be on the seller, because he has sold something that he is not permitted to sell. 

Ibn Hazm said in al-Muhalla (7/493): 

“It is not permissible to sell a dog at all, whether it is a hunting dog or a herding dog, or any other kind. If a person is forced to buy a dog and cannot find someone to give him one, then he may buy it, and it is halal for the buyer and haram for the seller, and the buyer may take back his money whenever he is able. This is like a bribe in order to ward off oppression and ransoms for freeing prisoners and appeasing an oppressor. There is no difference.” 

And Allah knows best.