The Quran provides no basis for the claim that dogs are dirty, prohibited, or that they cause impurity (najas). On the contrary, the Quran mentions dogs in positive contexts, reflecting their role as companions and helpers. Let us explore the Quranic perspective on dogs and refute baseless prohibitions derived from fabricated hadith.
Quranic Evidence About Dogs
The Companions of the Cave
وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌۭ ۚ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ وَكَلْبُهُم بَـٰسِطٌۭ ذِرَاعَيْهِۦ بِٱلْوَصِيدِ ۚ لَوِ ٱطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًۭا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًۭا
Wa-taḥsabuhum ayqāẓan wa-hum ruqūdun wa-nuqallibuhum dhāta al-yamīn wa-dhāta ash-shimāl wa-kalbuhum bāsitu dhirāʿayhi bil-wasīd; lawiṭṭalaʿta ʿalayhim la-wallayta minhum firāran wa-la-muliʾta minhum ruʿbā.
You would think them awake as they laid down. We turned them to the right side and the left side while their dog stretched out his forepaws at the entrance. Had you looked at them, you would have turned away from them and fled, and you would have been filled with fear of them.
(18:18)
The dog is mentioned as a companion of the righteous "Companions of the Cave." If dogs were dirty or prohibited, God would not include this detail positively in the story.
Permissibility of Using Dogs for Hunting
يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَآ أُحِلَّ لَهُمْ ۖ قُلْ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتُ وَمَا عَلَّمْتُم مِّنَ ٱلْجَوَارِحِ مُكَلِّبِينَ تُعَلِّمُونَهُنَّ مِمَّا عَلَّمَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ فَكُلُوا۟ مِمَّآ أَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ
Yasʾalūnaka mādhā uḥilla lahum, qul uḥilla lakumu aṭ-ṭayyibātu wa-mā ʿallamtum mina al-jawāriḥi mukallibīna tuʿallimūnahunna mimmā ʿallamakumu Allāh; fa-kulū mimmā amsakna ʿalaykum wa-udhkurū asma Allāhi ʿalayhi wa-ittaqu Allāh; inna Allāha sarīʿu al-ḥisāb.
They ask you what has been made lawful for them say "Lawful for you are all good things including what the trained birds of prey and dogs catch for you "You teach them from what God has taught you So eat what they catch for you and mention God
(5:4)
This verse permits the use of dogs for hunting and the consumption of what they catch with their mouths. If dogs were inherently impure, this command would be contradictory.
Dogs Are Najas (impure)?
The Quran only mentions the term najas (impure) once, and it doesn’t refer to physical purity, but actually a spiritual state.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا۟ إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجِسٌۭ فَلَا يَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلْمَسْجِدَ ٱلْحَرَامَ بَعْدَ عَامِهِمْ هَٰذَا
Yā ayyuhā alladhīna āmanū innamā al-mushrikūna najisun falā yaqrabū al-masjid al-ḥarāma baʿda ʿāmi-him hādhā
O you who have believed, indeed, the polytheists are impure, so let them not approach the Masjid al-Haram after this year.
(9:28)
Najas refers to impurity due to the evil deeds, wickedness, and associating partners with God. Dogs are not impure, nor can they cause one impurity.
General Quranic Principles on Prohibitions
God Alone Legislates What Is Prohibited
قُلْ أَٱللَّهُ أَذِنَ لَكُمْ أَمْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ تَفْتَرُونَ
Qul Allāhu adhina lakum am ʿalā Allāhi taftarūn.
Say, "Did God give you permission, or are you fabricating lies about God?"
(10:59)
Only God has the authority to declare things ḥarām (prohibited). Nowhere in the Quran does God prohibit dogs.
Prohibition of Fabricating Laws
وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ لِمَا تَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُكُمُ ٱلْكَذِبَ هَـٰذَا حَلَـٰلٌۭ وَهَـٰذَا حَرَامٌۭ لِتَفْتَرُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ لَا يُفْلِحُونَ
Wa-lā taqūlū li-mā tasifu alsinatukum al-kadhiba hādhā Halāl wa-hādhā ḥarām li-taftarū ʿalā Allāhi al-kadhib; inna alladhīna yaftarūna ʿalā Allāhi al-kadhiba lā yuf'liḥūn.
Do not utter lies that are portrayed by your tongues: "This is lawful, and that is unlawful," to fabricate lies and attribute them to God. Those who fabricate lies and attribute them to God will not succeed.
(16:116)
Refuting Fabricated Hadith on Dogs
Hadith that claim dogs are impure, void ablution, or must be killed are in clear contradiction with the Quran. For example:
Killing Dogs
Fabricated hadith suggest killing all black dogs because they are "devils" (Malik's Muwatta, Book 54). Such claims directly contradict the Quran's guidance that all animals are part of God's creation and have a purpose.
Dogs Void Ablution
There is no Quranic basis for this claim. Ablution rules are clearly stated in the Quran (5:6), and no mention is made of dogs.
Conclusion
- Dogs are not harām (prohibited) according to the Quran.
- Claims of impurity or prohibition come from fabricated hadith, not God's law.
- Muslims are encouraged to follow the Quran alone and dismiss fabrications that contradict it.
- God’s creations, including dogs, are blessings to humanity. They are companions, helpers, and, as seen in the Quran, even guardians of the righteous.
No one has the authority to prohibit what God has made lawful.
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلطَّيْرُ صَـٰٓفَّـٰتٍۢۖ كُلٌّۭ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُۥ وَتَسْبِيحَهُۥۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ
A-lam tara anna Allāha yusabbiḥu lahu man fī as-samāwāti wa-al-arḍi wa-aṭ-ṭayru sāffātin; kullun qad ʿalima salātahu wa-tasbīḥahu, wa-Allāhu ʿalīmun bimā yafʿalūn.
Have you not seen that everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies God, even the birds in their flight formation? Each has known its prayer and its glorification. God is Knowledgeable of what they do.
(24:41)