Ex-mufti: It’s okay to have dogs in Islam
Former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri nevertheless questions the motive of a Muslim woman for making a video celebrating Hari Raya with her dogs
Lisa J. Ariffin, FMT
Former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said it was not wrong for Muslims to care for or even own a dog.
“In fact, it is rewardable in Islam to care for a dog. In a hadith, a prostitute was forgiven by Allah because she gave some water to a dog,” he said.
“There is also a story of a bunch of youths who revolted against the government and were forced to flee to a cave, where they lived for a long time. These youths were joined by a dog.
“Therefore, the dog is not always a bad connotation. They are not our enemies,” he added.
Mohd Asri was responding to a video showing a Muslim woman and her three dogs with ‘takbir raya’ playing in the background.
The video, made three years ago by Maznah Mohd Yusof, 38, also known as Chetz, surfaced recently on Facebook, and quickly provoked a firestorm of protests among Muslims groups.
The video, which lasts 1:44 seconds, portrays her in a black Baju Melayu performing ablutions before preparing kuih raya for her dogs.
It also broadcasts the words ‘Raikanlah Aidilfitri bersama-sama, tanpa mengira spesis, warna, asal usul’ (Celebrate Aidilfitri together regardless of species, colour, origin) while featuring the three dogs.
