full paper calumniating the prophet muhammad abdulkadir usman ismail

8/12/2019 Full Paper Calumniating the Prophet Muhammad Abdulkadir Usman Ismail

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CALUMNIATING THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAW) THROUGH LIBELLING

THE CONTENT OF HIS TRADITIONS

“A CASE STUDY OF DOGS IN ISLAM”

Abdulkadir Usman Ismail

[email protected]

Ph.D Student

+60169657759

Academy of Islamic Studies

Department of Al Qur’an and al Hadith

University of Malaya

mailto:[email protected]





Abstract

The prophethood of Muhammad (SAW) is described by Allah as a mercy to the whole

mankind, thus, this mercy most include people animals and even inanimate beings.

However, Islam teaches to have mercy upon all kinds of animals, because Allah the

Most exalted has created them with a certain purpose and a specific duties to perform

in this world, still there are Hadiths attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in

the most authentic collections of Hadith which show, the prophet Muhammad had

commanded killing dogs in mass and prohibited people from taking it as pets.

Conversely, some orientalists and modernist perceive that command as cruel, savage

and wrongdoing with respect to this innocent, affable animal, over and above dogs

have multiple benefits to humankind, as a result the credibility of the Prophethood of

Muhammad (SAW) is questioned. Perhaps this leads to the rejection of authentic

Hadith and asking a total review of the Hadith as a source of Islamic jurisprudence

as whole by some Muslims alike. The paper aims at studying the issue concerningdogs in Islam from a different angles together with identifying the scientific evidences

which support the judgment taken by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) on the issue of

dogs in order to see whether or not it will be suitable and relevant to our modern

society.



Key words: Culminating, Prophet Muhammad (SAW), Libelling, Contents of the

Hadith

1. 1. THE TOTALITY OF ISLAMIC OF MESSAGE IS ACTUALIZATION

OF MERCY TO ALL CREATURES

Allah the most Exalted sent his last Messenger Muhammad (SAW) with his finalrevelation Al Qur’an, in order to spread mercy specifically upon mankind and all

creatures at large. Allah parenthesize the responsibility of His Prophet (SAW) tomercy to all Worlds. “And We have sent you not but as a mercy for the `Alamin.”

[Anbiya: 107] on several occasions the Prophet (SAW) used to affirm that reality.Abu Huraira was once said, "O Messenger of Allah, pray against the idolators.'' Hesaid: I was not sent as a curse, rather I was sent as a mercy.” [1] Thus, any act ofunkindness or cruelty to any creature is considered opposite in position to theteaching of Islam and its spirit.Several assertions by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) unequivocally supported that,to mention but some:

a. Torturing Animals To Death Leads To Entering HellFire: Narrated By'Abdullah bin 'Umar: Allah's Apostle (SAW) said, "A lady was punished

because of a cat which she had imprisoned till it died. She entered the (Hell)Fire because of it, for she neither gave it food nor water as she had imprisonedit, nor set it free to eat from the vermin of the earth.". [2]

b. No Animal Should be Taken as the Target: Ibn 'Abbas reported Allah'sMessenger (SAW) having said this: “Do not make anything having life as atarget”. [3]

c. Animals Should Be Treated With Mercy Even During Slaughter: TheProphet (SAW) said: “Allah has ordained kindness (and excellence) ineverything. If the killing (of animals) is to be done, do it in the best manner,and when you slaughter, do it in the best manner by first sharpening the knife,and putting the animal at ease. [4]

d. It Is Haram To Overburden The Animals Or Ill-Fed It: Narrated By SahlIbn al-Hanzaliyyah: The Apostle of Allah (SAW) came upon an emaciatedcamel and said: “Fear Allah regarding these dumb animals. Ride them whenthey are in good condition and feed them when they are in good condition”. [5]

e. Dogs Are Not Excluded From Good Treatment: Narrated By Abu Huraira:Allah's Apostle (SAW) said, "While a man was walking on a road. He becamevery thirsty. Then he came across a well, got down into it, drank (of its water)and then came out. Meanwhile he saw a dog panting and licking mud because

of excessive thirst. The man said to himself "This dog is suffering from thesame state of thirst as I did." So he went down the well (again) and filled hisshoe (with water) and held it in his mouth and watered the dog. Allah thankedhim for that deed and forgave him." The people asked, "O Allah's Apostle

1 - Muslim, Ibn al Hajjaj Ibn al Muslim, (nd) Al Jami’ al Sahih (Sahih Muslim) Beirut- Dar alJeel (Hadith No. 6778) vol 8 p 242 -Ibid, (Hadith No. 6841) vol.8 p 353 - Ibid, (Hadith: No. 17835) vol. 6 p734

- Ibid (Hadith no. 5167) vol. 6 p 725 - Abu Dawood, Sulayman ibn al Ash’as, Sunan abi Dawood , (nd) Beirut, Dar al Kitab alArabi (Hadith No. 2548) vol. 2 p328



(SAW)! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals?" He said, "(Yes)There is a reward for serving any animate (living being)". [1]

To sum it up, cruelty to animals or harm by every means, imprisoning it withoutfeeding, over-burden it or ill feeding it is unacceptable Islamically under anycircumstances. Any aforementioned actions are punishable in Islam either here in this

world or in the hereafter. Conversely, any good deeds, care and mercy upon animalsis rewarded here and hereafter alike.

2.1 HADITHS ON DOGS IN ISLAM ACCORDING TO MUSLIM

SCHOLARS’ VIEWHaving said that, there are several hadiths narrated by several companions of theProphet (SAW) on dogs, some narrations urge Muslims to run away from taking dogsas pets, other Hadiths commanded Muslims in the time of the Prophet (SAW) to killdogs, which is an action clearly negate – per se- the establishment of mercy for allanimals without exception in Islam.In the beginning some Hadith concerning this topic of discussion should be brought

forward, followed by the analysis and interpretation of the Muslims scholars about it.

1. Narrated Abu Mas'ud Al-Ansari: "Allah's Apostle regarded illegal the price ofa dog, the earnings of a prostitute, and the charges taken by a soothsayer". [2]

2. Ibn Umar reported Allah's Messenger (SAW) as saying: “He who keeps a dogother than that meant for watching the herd or for hunting loses every day outof his deeds equal to two qirat ”. [3] The meaning of Qirat is given in another Hadith which have been narrated byAbu Hurayrah he said: . “It was said: What are the qirats? He said : They areequivalent to two huge mountains”.

[4] 3. Abu Dharr reported: The Messenger of 'Allah (SAW) said: “When any one of

you stands for prayer and there is a thing before him equal to the back of thesaddle that covers him and in case there is not before him (a thing) equal to the

back of the saddle, his prayer would be cut off by (passing of an) ass, woman,and black Dog”. I said: O Abu Dharr, what feature is there in a black dogwhich distinguish it from the red dog and the yellow dog? He said: O, son ofmy brother, I asked the Messenger of Allah as you are asking me, and he said:“The black dog is a devil”. [5]

4. Narrated Abu Talha: "I heard Allah's Apostle (SAW) saying; "Angels (ofMercy) do not enter a house wherein there is a dog or a picture of a livingcreature (a human being or an animal)". [6]

5. Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar: Allah's Apostle ordered that the dogs should bekilled. [7]

6. Abd Allah B. Mughaffal reported the apostle of Allah (SAW) as saying:“Were dogs not a species of creature I should command that they all be killed;

but kill every pure black one”. [1]

1 - Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail, Sahih al Bukhari (1987) Egypt- Dar al Sha’b (Hadith No.2363) vol. 3 p 1472 - Bukhari, Ibid, (Hadith No. 2237) vol3 p1103 - Ibid, (Hadith No. 2323) vol. 3 p1364 - ibid, (Hadith No. 1325) vol. 2 p 1105

- Muslim, (Hadith No. 1165) vol. 2 p. 596 - Bukharii, Ibid, (Hadith No.4002) vol. 5 p1057 - Muslim, Ibid (Hadith No. 4099) vol. 5 p35



7. Ibn Mughaffal reported: Allah's messenger (SAW) ordered the killing of dogsand then said, "What is the trouble with them (the people of Medina? Howdogs are nuisances to them (the citizens of Medina)? He then permittedkeeping of dogs for hunting and (the protection of) herds. ...[and for] for the

protection of cultivated land. [2]

8. Abu Zubair heard Jabir Abdullah saying: Allah's messenger (SAW) ordered usto kill dogs and we carried out this order so much so that we also killed thedog roaming with a woman from the desert. Then Allah's apostle forbade theirkilling. He said: "It is your duty to kill the jet-black (dog) having two spots (onthe eyes) for it is a devil. [3]

A number of commands could be identified in these Hadiths:1. Prohibition of commerce in dogs2. Deduction of reward by keeping dogs at homes3. Only dogs for guarding and hunting are allowed to be kept and possessed4. Dogs in the houses hinder the angels from entering it

5. Passing of dogs in front of people while praying without barrier annul their prayers

6. The law was passed for killing all dogs in the pre Islamic era7. An amendment was made which exclude watching and hunting dogs from

being executed.Alqadhy Iyad in his commentary on Sahih Muslim said: “ Majority of the scholars

advocate the killing of dogs, except what is excluded, such as hunting dogs and whatit was mentioned with it. This is the Madhab of Malik and his companions. But theydiffer among themselves; whether the judgment on dogs and what it mentionedtogether is abrogated from the general rule, or killing dogs is generally upon all, or itis peculiar as it has been mentioned in some narrations? [4] Other scholars advocate the permissibility of taking all kind of dogs, and thenarrations which commanded killing it were abrogated, except for black dogs”.

Abrogation, according to Al Kamali; may be defined as the suspension or replacementof one Shari'ah ruling by another, provided that, the latter is for a subsequent origin,and that the two rulings are enacted separately from one another. [5] However,establishing abrogation in this Hadith might be impracticable, due to the absence ofthe basic element of abrogation which is knowing the history of antecedent from thesubsequent, without it no abrogation can be established.As such, the different commands of the Prophet (SAW) relating to dogs in the earlyIslamic era is not in the same manner. We can clearly understand that the killing of

dogs was just in a certain period of time, taking into consideration what Abdullahi IbnUmar said: “I used to sleep in the mosque in the lifetime of the Apostle of Allah(SAW) when I was young and a bachelor. The dogs would urinate and frequently visitthe mosque, and no one would sprinkle water over it”. [6] at that time no one daretouch it or troubled he way of its living.

1 - Abu Dawood, ibid (Hadith No. 2847) vol.3 p672 - Muslim, ibid (Hadith No. 679) vol. 1 p1623 - Muslim, ibid (Hadith No. 4103) vol. 5 p 364 - Iyad, Ibn Musa al Yahsubi, Ikmal al Mu’ulim bi fawa’id Muslim, (1998), Egypt- Dar alWafa, ed, Yahya Ismail, vol. 9 p 4525

- Kamali, Mohmmad Hashim, The principle of Islamic Jurisprudence (2006), UK: Islamictexts society, p 1396 - Abu Dawood, ibid, (Hadith No. 382) vol. 1 p 146



Subsequently, the killing of dogs was issued for a period of time, then banned. Thiscan be understandable in regards to some Hadith mentioned earlier whereby theProphet (SAW) disapproved their continual killing of dogs he exclaimed “What is thetrouble with them?” which denotes that they had exceeded the limits in their dealingwith dogs. Whatever the case may be, the command of the Prophet (SAW) was not

extermination of entire dogs in whole times.

3.1 DISSENTING VIEWS ON THE ISSUE O DOGS IN ISLAMContrary to the view of the populace Muslim scholars, some researchers depicted theHadith on dogs in the traditions as irrational, as a result all the Hadith related in themost authentic Hadith collections on dogs were fabricated. Their argument was basedon the assumptions that those traditions are contrary to what the Qur’an said, as it can

be observed in the story of “seven sleepers”i.e. Ashabul Kahf , as it unmistakeablystated that their dogs was right there in their midst.In essence, it shows that, claiming that angel do not enter a place with dogs is false,since it contradicts the Qur’an. In a similar argument, Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl also

perceived the whole narration that prohibits taking dogs as animal-pets as inauthentic,he further said:"Dogs represent my rebellion against ignorance about the basis of actual historicallaw". Abou El Fadl says. "They are a symbol of the irrationality of our tradition, the

privileging of law over humaneness." How, he asks, pointing to Honey, whoconstantly follows him and nestles at his side, does God "create animals with thesenatural tendencies and then condemn them as thoroughly reprehensible?". [1] All these two views would not be understood in isolation from their ideological

perspective and the influence of the environment they are living in. Naturally a personhaving himself in a similar situation might try to find any way out from the wildattack on Islamic teachings in contrast to the Western understanding.In fact, the Hadiths are reliably authentic, no way can be proved otherwise. It is moreappropriate to revisit the issue from several angles than to disavow the content ofnarrations.However, the most aggressive truculent attack on the issue of dogs in Islam is fromMaranatha Silas. Silas refuted the notion that those Hadith are not authentic, rather heconsidered them authentic and a gateway to slander the Prophet (SAW) He said:

“Muhammad made strange and harsh statements about dogs and these edictsaffect dogs in a tragic way. His teachings may have come from cultural bias,Pagan concepts, or his own imagination, but wherever they came from they

led to the cruel treatment of dogs.”

[2]

Not only that, he considered the issue of dogs in Islam as a way forward to questionthe credibility of the message of Muhammad (SAW) and hence the totality of Islam.He said: “Muhammad claimed to be a prophet of God and as such his word was to be

1 - Ayoub M. Banderker (nd) Dogs in Islam, Banderker, (Dr.) 15-05-2002,

http://www.islamicconcern.com/dogs.asp 2 - Silas Marantha, Muhammad and the Dogs, 25- 01-2007, http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/dogs.htm

http://www.islamicconcern.com/dogs.asp





obeyed. With the teeth of Islam biting worldwide it is vital that Muhammad’s

teachings be scrutinized to determine if he were a nut or a prophet.” [1]

When he was trying to identify multiple benefits of dogs he said:

“I ask the Muslim readers to view the articles linked below and determinewhether or not Muhammad’s statements were rational. Don’t just read the

snippets I provide, spend some time and read the entire articles (linked in theReference section). If you are honest, like Fadl and Kelly, you’ll admit that

Muhammad’s statements were superstitious, stupid, and just plain wrong.”. [2]

4.1 Analytical Review of The Opposite Views on Dogs In Islam

The position of the populace Muslim scholar is vividly clear that these Hadiths ondogs are consistent and authentic. The command given by the prophet (SAW) inregard to dogs were in favor of public interest, nonetheless, the benefits might be

invisible due to the shortcomings in research or defect of the narrators in given thefull account and the wisdom behind killing dogs.

However, those Hadiths could never be unauthentic as claimed by some views,neither the dogs can be interpreted as hyenas or any other animals, despite that nomention was made for the reason of killing dogs in the time of the Prophet (SAW) butmany proofs are emerging nowadays affirming the rightness of the decision and the

position of Islam on dogs. For example:

a. Awareness of Dog Diseases Such As Rabies

A remarkable awareness was developed by Muslim scholar concerning the diseasesattributed to the dogs, such disease include rabies and hydatidosis. According toSophia Menache, Hydatidosis has a relation to pastoral cultures such of those ofWestern Asia. Hydatidosis “is a parasitic worm infection which dogs acquire from

eating sheep and other carcasses, but which can be transmitted to humans merely byhandling or touching dogs. Infected persons may develop huge and often fatalcysts.”[3] She went further to explain the probable reason for aloof attitude towardsdogs in the prior to the Islamic period and during the Islamic period as she said:

“A plausible explanation for the widespread religious antagonism toward

canines lies in the spread of rabies in ancient and medieval societies,especially in the Middle East. Focusing on l9th century England and France,Ritvo and Kete claim that fear of rabies was really "about" the apprehension oflosing one's humanity and becoming beastlike (Ritvo, 1987; Kete, 1994).Whether or not these fears were connected with rabies in earlier periods,

1 - op-cit2

- op-cit3 - Sopia Menache, (1997) Dogs: Gods Worth Enemies? Journal of Society and Animals,volume 5, number 1, p36



medieval records, especially the Moslem ones, express great concern aboutthe disease, its effects, and ways of transmission.” [1]

The spread of disease alone was enough if it was the only reason to forbid taking dogsas pests in the pre Islamic era. Another factor to be consider is:

b. Dog- keeping lead to Breast cancer.

In a recent scientifically proven research, dogs harbor and transmit Mouse MammaryTumor Virus (MMTV) or mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)- like virus that caninduce human breast cancer. In a finding of a research undertaken, the relationship

between dogs and human breast cancer was established by B. Laumbacher, B.Fellerhoff, B. Herzberger, R. Wank which concluded that:

“Transmission of MMTV or a MMTV-like virus or bacterial risk factors by pet dogs offers a possible explanation for the increased incidence of breast

cancer in Western countries and its correlation with a higher living standard. Itdoes not exclude pet animals or mice as additional sources of MMTV orMMTV-like viruses or bacterial risk factors. Development of a tumor vaccineagainst dog breast cancer would be of commercial interest and would alsoserve as a model for a human breast cancer vaccine. Simultaneous antibiotictreatment of pet owners and pets with chlamydiaceae and bartonella infectionsmay also be important in order to assist immune responses against viralcarcinogenic factors”. [2]

Therefore, it is illogical to put aside all these harms for the sake of having a pet. InIslam “warding off harms and or evils takes precedence over bringing benefits”.

c. Material Extravagances and wasting of human rightsThe last possible cause of forbidden taking dog-pets is the immoderate intimacy

between the pets and the owner. For example, in the Western society many peopledenied their relatives and families their rights and prefer to give it to animals as well stheir inheritance which is being given to dogs, while leaving their heirs with little orno inheritance at all. Let us read between the line of similar cases:

1. Heir of the dog: Leona wills $12m to a pooch but nothing to 2 grandkids [3] 2. Little Dog, Large Estate, Chihuahua at Center of Fight Over Posner Heiress's

Will. “Conchita and two other dogs inherited the right to live in her seven-

bedroom, $8.3 million Miami Beach mansion, their comfort ensured by a $3million trust fund” [4]

1 - Menache, ibid, p372 - B. Laumbacher, B. Fellerhoff, B. Herzberger, R. Wank, (2006), Do dogs harbour riskfactors for human breast cancer? Medical Hyphotheses, 67, 21 – 26 p 25

3 - Dareh Gregorian, Braden Keil, (2007) Heir of the dog: leona wills $12m to a pooch but nothingto 2 grandkids, New York Post,http://www.nypost.com/p/news/regional/item_wgfEYokxm8aZhPXAklfidK

4 - Mark Maremont, Leslie Scism, (2010), Little Dog, Large Estate, Chihuahua at Center

of Fight Over Posner Heiress's Will, The Wall Street Journal,http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703513604575311020555877854.html

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/regional/item_wgfEYokxm8aZhPXAklfidK





http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=MARK+MAREMONT&bylinesearch=true


http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=LESLIE+SCISM&bylinesearch=true









These two examples are a few of the human sufferings in the Western cultures, people are being neglected at the expense of dogs, this according to Islamicteaching is extravagance, because Allah the Most Exalted created everything inthis earth and subjected it to mankind. Allah says:

“See you not that Allah has subjected to you all that is on the earth, and the

ships that sail through the sea by His command He withholds the heaven fromfalling on the earth except by His leave. Verily, Allah is for mankind, full ofkindness, Most Merciful” [Hajj: 65]

5.1. ConclusionApparently, Islamic position concerning dog-keeping is clear, more appropriate andmore beneficial to human. Dogs should not be disturb unless if there is a spread ofdiseases such as rabies and what have you. It should be noted that helping dogs leadto Heavenly reward, and no harm to the dogs will go unaccountable.Islam is not different to any other revealed religion in its treatment for dogs. Sheala

said: “there is a clear opposition to dogs on the part of institutionalized religions.Monotheistic doctrines, in particular, evince hostility toward canines, placing a strongemphasis on their negative aspects.”

[1] Hence Islam is not the first religion tocommand killing dogs.The Prophetic traditions concerning dogs are still relevant and intact and questioninghis credibility base on the issue of dogs is as questioning the credibility of all otherinstitutionalized religions, Judaism, Christianity, albeit the position of Islam on dogsis more compromising.

1 - Silas, ibid,

full paper calumniating the prophet muhammad abdulkadir usman ismail

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