Thesis statement in the title

In Islam, dogs are not allowed to be kept inside your house as the angels of mercy do not visit a house with dogs (or paintings of living beings in them) and good deeds from your prayers are deducted if you keep a dog inside your house. When a dog licks something, you're supposed to, according to Islamic scriptures, wash the object 7 times with water, and the 8th time with soil. Also if a dog walks in front of you while you're praying, the prayer will be annulled. Dogs can be kept as pets in Islam, but they cannot enter your house and you have to have them for protection or hunting, they must have some kind of purpose or service to provide. Prophet Muhammad ordered the killing of dogs and frequently called the black dog "the devil" and ordered them to be killed.

So I am a former Muslim, so I know very well that in Islam and MOST muslim families, dogs are not allowed to be inside your house and dogs are considered impure and dirty (some only consider the saliva of a dog impure). The rules concerning dogs are not some fringe radical thing that's only observed in Saudi Arabia, most Muslims all around the world observe these rules, some do not observe these rules and do have a pet dog and treat them well. But these are rules are backed up by the Islamic scriptures, which I will cite.

Keep in mind, I am quoting Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim and Sunan Abu Dawood, and they all are considered sahih (sahih hadiths are regarded as the most authentic and trustworthy reports about Muhammad's life and sayings by Islamic scholars and jurisprudence)

Most important hadith regarding dogs:

From Muslim #5248

Maimuna reported that one morning Allah’s Messenger was silent with grief. Maimuna said: Allah’s Messenger, I find a change in your mood today. Allah’s Messenger said: Gabriel had promised me that he would meet me tonight, but he did not meet me. By Allah, he never broke his promises, and Allah’s Messenger spent the day in this sad mood. Then it occurred to him that there had been a puppy under their cot. He commanded and it was turned out. He then took some water in his hand and sprinkled it at that place. When it was evening Gabriel met him and he said to him: You promised me that you would meet me the previous night. He said: Yes, but we do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture. Then on that very morning he commanded the killing of the dogs until he announced that the dog kept for the orchards should also be killed, but he spared the dog meant for the protection of extensive fields or big gardens.

From Muslim #3813

Abu Zubair heard Jabir Abdullah saying: Allah's messenger ordered us to kill dogs and we carried out this order so much so that we also killed the dog roaming with a women from the desert. Then Allah's apostle forbade their killing. He said: "It is your duty to kill the jet-black (dog) having two spots (on the eyes) for it is a devil.

From Bukhari Vol. 4, #540

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar: Allah's Apostle ordered that the dogs should be killed.

From Abu Dawud #2839

Abd Allah B. Mughaffal reported the apostle of Allah as saying: Were dogs not a species of creature I should command that they all be killed**; but kill every pure black one**.The Hadith's note for #2839 says, "The prophet did not order the killing of all the dogs, for some are to be retained for hunting and watching. He ordered to kill the jet black ones. They might be more mischievous among them.

From Muslim #3814

Ibn Mughaffal reported: Allah's messenger ordered the killing of dogs and then said, "what is the trouble with them (the people of Medina? How dogs are nuisances to them (the citizens of Medina)? He then permitted keeping of dogs for hunting and (the protection of) herds. ...[and for] for the protection of cultivated land.

From Muslim #Number 055

Ibn Mughaffal reported: The Messenger of Allah ordered killing of the dogs, and then said: What about them, i. e. about other dogs? and then granted concession (to keep) the dog for hunting and the dog for (the security) of the herd, and said: When the dog licks the utensil, wash it seven times, and rub it with earth the eighth time.

From Bukhari Vol. 3, #515

Narrated Abu Huraira: "Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever keeps a dog, one Qirat of the reward of his good deeds is deducted daily, unless the dog is used for guarding a farm or cattle." Abu Huraira (in another narration) said from the Prophet, "unless it is used for guarding sheep or farms, or for hunting." Narrated Abu Hazim from Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "A dog for guarding cattle or for hunting.""

From Muslim Number 3815:

Ibn Umar reported Allah's Messenger as saying: He who keeps a dog other than that meant for watching the herd or for hunting loses every day out of his deeds equal to two qirat.

From Muslim Number 2062:

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger as saying: He who attends the funeral till the prayer is offered for (the dead), for him is the reward of one qirat, and he who attends (and stays) till he is buried, for him is the reward of two qirats. It was said: What are the qirats? He said: They are equivalent to two huge mountains. Two other narrators added: Ibn 'Umar used to pray and then depart (without waiting for the burial of the dead). When the tradition of Abu Huraira reached him, he said:" We have lost many qirats."

From Bukhari Vol. 1, #490

Narrated 'Aisha: "The things which annul the prayers were mentioned before me. They said, "Prayer is annulled by a dog, a donkey and a woman (if they pass in front of the praying people)." I said, "You have made us (i.e. women) dogs. I saw the Prophet praying while I used to lie in my bed between him and the Qibla. Whenever I was in need of something, I would slip away, for I disliked to face him.""

From Muslim Number 1032

Abu Dharr reported: The Messenger of 'Allah said: When any one of you stands for prayer and there is a thing before him equal to the back of the saddle 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 dog which distinguish it from the red dog and the yellow dog? He said: O, son of my brother, I asked the Messenger of Allah as you are asking me, and he said: The black dog is a devil.

From Abu Dawud Number 0704:

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:Ikrimah reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas, saying: I think the Apostle of Allah said: When one of you prays without a sutrah, a dog, an ass, a pig, a Jew, a Magian, and a woman cut off his prayer, but it will suffice if they pass in front of him at a distance of over a stone's throw.

From Bukhari Vol. 4, #448

Narrated Abu Talha: "I heard Allah's Apostle saying; "Angels (of Mercy) do not enter a house wherein there is a dog or a picture of a living creature (a human being or an animal).""

From Bukhari Vol. 7, #843

Narrated Salim's father: "Once Gabriel promised to visit the Prophet but he delayed and the Prophet got worried about that. At last he came out and found Gabriel and complained to him of his grief (for his delay). Gabriel said to him, "We do not enter a place in which there is a picture or a dog.""

From Muslim, #5276:

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger as saying: Angels do not accompany the travelers who have with them a dog and a bell.

THESIS ARGUMENT: People in the past used to be more weary of dogs than we are today as dogs may have been more prone to carrying and transmitting diseases and also because of aggressive traits and behavior displayed by certain dogs, particularly stray and undomesticated. Therefore, some Islamic rules may have been culturally relevant and a manifestation of 7th century Arabian culture, norms, technology, and knowledge, however in the 21th century, we vaccinate our dogs and can easily ensure that they do not carry any harmful or transmissible disease, we can also train our dogs and the vast majority of dogs today do not harm their owners or other human beings. Dogs are an incredible net benefit to humanity, and we shower our love and care on to them for a reason. However, Islam did not seem to foresee 21th century technology and norms, despite claiming to be a perfect religion for all time, and therefore these rules and scriptures put unnecessary restrictions and rules on our interactions with dogs, not only for the 21th century, but these rules were harsh even for the 7th century.

Some Muslims I have met have told me that dogs are allowed to come inside your house but they are not allowed inside your prayer room; however this is just whitewashing and trying to distort Islam to make it fit their lifestyle. That is not what Islam says, Islam is very clear that it does not allow dogs to come inside your house at all.

MY DEBATE PROPISITION: I am open to arguments as to why these rules put in place by Islamic scriptures are a net benefit to society, how these rules should be observed even today despite our much more advanced technology and culture, any refutations to the quotes from the Islamic hadiths

I'm a revert in the US, and I wanted to make my first post on here to talk about dogs, specifically how they should be viewed and also if we should keep them as pets, as I know many struggle with it like myself. I know many conservatives/Wahhabis/Salafis will say that I have no authority to speak on this, but after doing talking to an Imam/Mufti and reading and pondering myself, I've come to this conclusion.

Before reverting, I had a dog, and he was truly one of my best friends and helped me a lot emotionally, even now he does. After reverting, I used to have quite a bit of guilt having him, and I thought that in the future, I wouldn't be able to have another dog when I'm older (For context I'm a uni student and live with my parents)

I just want to point out a couple things. As Muslims, we SHOULD

1. Have the Quran as the primary source of what we can and can't do (Doesn't say to kill all dogs here and it also doesn't say you will go to hell for having a dog)

2. Follow the five pillars that Rasulallah ﷺ mentioned before passing away in his final sermon: O People, listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers (Salaah), fast during the month of Ramadhaan, and give from your wealth in Zakaat. Perform Hajj if you have the means. So these are what makes one fundamentally Muslim. Even if you believe Hadiths are infallible like our Salafi friends and should be followed word for word across every era, a Muslim is not a kafir for having dog and won't be thrown in hell simply based off that.

So even if you believe in the truthfulness of all Hadiths, we should follow these things.

For the main points of this post, I want to talk about how the role of dogs changed throughout human history. In the time of our beloved Prophet ﷺ, dogs kept by humans were mainly used for hunting and guarding. Back then, there was no hygiene for them and no way to ensure that they didn't carry any diseases or pests. Another point to note is that also back then, commoners and our Sahaba and Prophet ﷺ lived in very small houses as they lived like commoners too. So having an animal without any health precautions would increase the chance for disease and bugs inside of already tiny houses. Now this is my own take on this, but it is known that a prayer is not accepted if a dog comes in front of the prayer from Hadith. In small houses where you do everything in one room including praying, that dog will always be across your prayer. However, in bigger houses like we are able to have these days (Alhamdulillah) dogs won't be coming in front of you if you have a separate salah room which you don't allow them to enter. My local Mufti/Imam also said that if you keep a dog, to keep it in a separate room from your salah room and that it's not completely forbidden to have a dog inside your house, and I believe that his reasoning is what I've said in this paragraph.

Now the MOST important argument I have that we should keep dogs is that again in the time of the Prophetﷺ dogs along with other animals were allowed to roam freely throughout society as they didn't interrupt the happenings of society. People walked and used camels and horses for travel, and dogs and cats and other domestic animals running around towns posed no harm to them or us. However, in current society where cars and huge vehicles are the norm, if we let dogs run around, that is a harm to both them and us and can cause accidents and would impede the efficiency of our society. If we keep them in shelters without adopting them, they are euthanized, something that goes against the broader Islamic principles of being kind to all things and not killing another life unless absolutely necessary.

Finally, I know for sure that some people will say that it's allowed to keep a dog, just not inside the house even though they know what I mean by this post, and I want to address that as well. Dogs are social animals. Having a dog and keeping it outside the house will just bring it sadness as they also feel love and care for their owners. With the amount of hygiene and healthcare like vaccines we can afford for them now(Alhamdulillah) I want to say that it is fine if we keep them inside now, as long as they are not kept or let in the place that you do salah in. To the conservatives and Salafis that say Hadiths are perfect and unchanging, I want to remind them about how slavery was practiced in our religion, and it was slowly dragged out. I want to also start dragging out the exclusion of dogs from society as I believe we have been in place where having them won't cause harm. Dogs are beautiful creatures and they deserve the utmost care and respect, and I thank God for letting me have one.

Allah knows best and Jhazakallah for everyone that made it here to the end.