Hadith Regarding Washing a Vessel After a Dog Has Licked It
Narrated by Muhammad ibn Sirin, from Abu Huraira (رضي الله عنه), who reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:"The purification of one of your vessels after a dog has licked it is to wash it seven times, the first time with soil."
[Sahih Muslim]
Verification and Referencing: Muslim: 279
In another narration from Ali ibn Mushir, reported by Muslim, through Al-A‘mash, from Abu Razin (whose name is Mas‘ud ibn Malik Al-Asadi Al-Kufi), and from Abu Salih, who narrated from Abu Huraira (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
"If a dog licks a vessel belonging to any of you, he should spill its contents and wash it seven times."
Verification and Referencing: In Sunan Abu Dawood, the phrase "seven times" appears as "seven instances."
Key Points Derived from the Hadith
✔ The Preferred Opinion: If a dog licks a vessel, it should be washed seven times—one of these times using soil and the remaining six times with water.✔ Dogs Are Impure (Najis): A dog is considered an impure and prohibited animal. Scientific studies indicate that a dog's saliva contains dangerous bacteria and germs, which, if transmitted to a human body, could lead to severe illnesses, including cancer.
✔ Preventing Contact with Dogs: It is necessary to prevent dogs from coming near food containers and drinking vessels. One should not follow the European lifestyle, where people kiss their dogs, tolerate their habits, and even share their meals from the same dish. Such practices render the vessel impure, making everything in it contaminated (najis).
✔ The Superiority of Soil Over Modern Cleansing Agents: Contemporary soaps and chemical disinfectants do not provide the same level of purification as pure soil, which is recognized in Islam as an effective purifier. Soil is also used in Tayammum (dry ablution) as a substitute for water in certain conditions.
Hadith Regarding Cats
Imam Tirmidhi reported from Al-Mu‘tamir ibn Sulayman, from Ayyub, from Muhammad ibn Sirin, from Abu Huraira (رضي الله عنه), that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:"A vessel should be washed seven times if a dog licks it, with the first or last washing being with soil. However, if a cat licks it, it should be washed only once."
Tirmidhi authenticated this hadith, though there is some disagreement regarding its chain of transmission.
[This content is taken from the book Diya' Al-Islam Fi Sharh Al-Imam Bi Ahadith Al-Ahkam by Sheikh Taqi Al-Din Abu Al-Fath, translated by Maulana Mahmood Ahmad Ghaznfar.]