Hadith 4490

Ibn ‘Abbas told on Maimuna’s authority that one morning God’s messenger was silent with grief, and said, “Gabriel promised to meet me last night, but he did not do so. I swear by God that he has never broken his promise before.” He then thought of a puppy which he had seen under a (Fustat Mirqat, iv, 484 considers that here it means a couch) tent of his, and when he had given orders and had it put out he took some water in his hand and sprinkled the place where it had been. In the evening Gabriel met him and he said, “You promised to meet me yesterday,” to which he replied, “Yes, but we do not enter a house which contains a dog or a picture.” So next morning God’s messenger ordered that dogs should be killed, even to the extent of ordering that dogs which guarded small gardens should be killed, but leaving out of account those which guarded large gardens. Muslim transmitted it.