The Sale of Cats & Dogs

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The Sale of Cats & Dogs

The origin with respect to the sale or price of cats and dogs is that it is forbidden. There occurs in the hadeeth reported in Saheeh Muslim from Abuz-Zubair who said: I asked Jaabir regarding the price of a dog and cat. He replied: “The Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) sternly prohibited it.” (1569) This was stated also by Abu Hurairah, Jaabir bin Abdillaah and others. And it was the Madh-hab of Taawoos, Mujaahid and all the Dhaahirees. It concurs with one of the reports from Imaam Ahmad and was the preferred position of Ibnul-Qayyim and Ibn Hazm. The Arabic term “Zajr” used in the hadeeth indicates a strong prohibition, not that it is merely disliked.

The exception to the forbiddance of buying and selling dogs is the trained hunting dog as occurs in the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah who said: “Allaah’s Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wassallam) forbade the price paid for a dog except the hunting dog.” Reported by at-Tirmidhee (1281), declared Hasan by al-Albaanee as occurs in Saheeh al-Jaami’.