Is Keeping A Pet Sunnah?

September 4, 2010

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Question

I was recently told that it is a sunnah to keep a pet (any acceptable animal) in the home. Also, that keeping a pet more easily drives away the ‘evil eye’ from reaching anyone in the home?

Is this a confirmed sunnah?

I was also told that Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) kept a cat as a pet?

Answered by: Mufti Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf

Assalamu alaykum

I consulted with some scholars concerning whether the keeping of pets was a sunnah, but could not find much on the issue. Though, it is related that the great Companion Abu Hurayra radhiyallahu anhu had a kitten, hence his title, and that another young Companion had a bird.

However, I could not find that the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam kept a pet cat. Although it is related abundantly regarding his kindness with animals and how some animals were known to have even complained to him of the harsh treatment by their masters.

Therefore, the ruling for keeping certain pets would be that it is permissible (mubah) (Radd al-Muhtar 5:257) but not necessarily a sunnah. This is as long as the animal is not imprisoned, treated badly, or they
cause nuisance to others, in which case it becomes impermissible.

As far as it driving away the evil eye, there is something related by Daraqutni and Daylami that keeping a pigeon or dove (hamam) in the house repels the effects of the jinn from the children. However, this has been considered extremely weak and unsubstantiated (wahi) by the Great Hanafi scholar Ibn ‘Abidin in his Radd al-Muhtar and fabricated by Ibn al-Jawzi (Kashf al-khafa’ 1:30, Radd al-Muhtar 5:257).

Wassalam
Mufti Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf

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Dr. Mufti Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf

Dr. Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera is a British Muslim scholar educated in both the Islamic and Western traditions. He memorised the Qur’an by heart and graduated from the Darul Uloom seminary Bury, UK, and later earned a specialised licence to issue fatwa (legal responses) at Mazahir ‘Ulum Saharanpur, India. He earned his BA from the University of Johannesburg and completed his MA and PhD in Islamic Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He holds an honorary fellowship at The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Amman, Jordan. Shaykh Abdur-Rahman has the unique experience of serving as an imam in Muslim communities on both sides of the Atlantic, eight years in Southern California and over five in the great city of London—and his continued work as an international speaker and lecturer enables him to address and offer pertinent advice on current challenges that face Muslims in the West. He is the founder of Whitethread Institute, a post-graduate insititute for Islamic scholars. He is an avid traveller and continues to teach hadith and work on scholarly publications through White Thread Press (www.whitethreadpress.com). Many of his lectures are available on www.zamzamacademy.com and his courses through Rayyan Institute (www.rayyaninstitute.com).