Ruling on Paying the Price for Killing a Dog and Trading in Cats

✍ Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori

1. Paying the Price for Killing a Dog​

• (Majority opinion): Paying the price is not obligatory because its trade is prohibited.
• (Abu Hanifah رحمه الله): Paying the price is obligatory because its trade is permissible.
• (Malik رحمه الله): Its trade is not permissible, but paying its price is obligatory.

[الأم: 3/16, بدائع الصنائع: 6/3006, الحجة على أهل المدينة: 2/754, الكافي لابن عبدالبر: p. 327, الخرشي: 5/16, المغنى: 6/352, كشاف القناع: 3/154]


Preferred View:
If a dog whose sale is permissible (e.g., a hunting dog) is killed, then its price must be paid. However, for other types of dogs, paying the price is not necessary.

2. Difference of Opinion Regarding Trading in Cats​

• (Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه, Tawus رحمه الله, Mujahid رحمه الله): Trading in cats is prohibited.
• (Majority opinion): Selling cats is permissible because the hadith prohibiting it is weak.
• (Amir San‘ani رحمه الله): The claim that the hadith is weak is rejected.
• (Abdul Rahman Mubarakpuri رحمه الله): There is no doubt regarding the authenticity of the hadith.

[ابن أبى شيبة: 4/402, سبل السلام: 3/1052, تحفة الأحوذي: 4/568]


Preferred View:
Trading in cats is prohibited, based on the authentic hadith mentioned earlier.
[Nayl al-Awtar: 3/513]

3. Prohibition of Selling Blood​

➊ Narrated by Abu Juhaifah (RA):


أن رسول الله حرم ثمن الدم
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prohibited taking payment for blood."
[Bukhari: 2086, Ahmad: 4/308, Abu Dawood: 3483, Bayhaqi: 6/6]


➋ The sale of blood is prohibited by consensus.
[Fath al-Bari: 5/180]