The killing of a rabid dog (al-kalb al-'aqur) is permitted, because of what was narrated by 'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Five of the animals are 'fasiq' (harmful/vicious) and may be killed while in a state of ihram or outside of it: the crow, the kite, the scorpion, the mouse, and the rabid dog." Agreed upon (4). Each of these two (the solid black dog and the rabid dog) is to be killed, even if it is trained, due to the two reports. By analogy to the rabid dog, everything that harms people and causes damage to them in their persons or their property is permitted to be killed, because it causes harm without benefit; it resembles the wolf. That which contains no harm is not permitted to be killed, due to the report we have mentioned. It is narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he ordered the killing of dogs, to the point that a woman would come from the desert with her dog and we would kill it; then he forbade killing them and said: "Stick to the solid black one with the two spots (5), for it is a devil." Narrated by Muslim (6).
Section: It is not permissible to keep a dog, except for a hunting dog, or a dog for livestock, or for tillage, because of what was narrated from Abu Huraira, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that he said: "Whoever keeps a dog, except for a dog for hunting, livestock, or crops, a qirat (a portion) of his reward decreases every day" (7). And from Ibn 'Umar, who said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying: "Whoever keeps a dog, except for a hunting dog or a dog for livestock, two qirats of his reward decrease every day." Salim said: And Abu Huraira used to say: "Or a dog for tillage."
(4) Its extraction preceded in: 5/176. (5) In the original, M: "al-tafiyatayn". The confirmed text is from Sahih Muslim and the rest of the sources for the hadith's extraction. What is known from the hadith is: "Kill the snakes with the two spots and the abtar (short-tailed) ones." (6) In: The Chapter on the Command to Kill Dogs..., from the Book of al-Musaqat (The Watering/Sharecropping). Sahih Muslim 3/1200. It was also extracted by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on Keeping a Dog for Hunting and Other Purposes, from the Book of Sales. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/97. And Imam Ahmad, in: The Musnad 3/333. (7) Extracted by Muslim, in: The Chapter on the Command to Kill Dogs..., from the Book of al-Musaqat. Sahih Muslim 3/1203. And Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on Keeping a Dog for Hunting and Other Purposes, from the Book of Sales. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/97. And al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Said Regarding One Who Keeps a Dog and What Is Diminished from His Reward, from the Chapters on Hunting. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 6/285. And al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on the Concession for Keeping a Dog for Tillage, from the Book of Hunting. Al-Mujtaba 7/166. And Imam Ahmad, in: The Musnad 2/267.
