Angels refraining from entering a p...

Egypt's Dar Al-Ifta

Angels refraining from entering a place where a dog is present

Question

Do angels refrain from entering a place where a dog is present?

Answer

Some people have read in the Sunnah that angels do not enter a house where a dog is present. The hadith, which is authentic, recounts how one day Jibril was late in visiting the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) although he had promised to visit him. The Messenger went out of his house to wait for Jibril and when he turned up, inquired about the reason for his delay. Jibril said that the reason was that there was a puppy under the Messenger’s bed.
The point is that the angel’s refusal to enter a place where a dog was present does not evidence the impurity of dogs but rather that the angels, who belong to the realm of the unseen, do not like to enter a place where there is a dog.
In our lives, a person may refrain from something even though it is permissible. Therefore, whoever wants to raise a dog at home must allocate a place for it or allocate a place for prayers so that the angels may enter the house. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once contemplated exterminating dogs on the basis that angels dislike them and so Jibril came to him and said, “They are a nation among nations.”
It is permissible to keep a dog in the house and you can dedicate a special room for prayers where it is not allowed to enter.

And God Almighty knows best.
 

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