22/10. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1575b — Field Protection and Reward Loss
The command to kill dogs, and its abrogation. The prohibition of keeping dogs, except for hunting, farming, (herding) livestock and the like
Hadith on Dog for Herd, Hunting, or Field Protection
Sahih Muslim : 1575b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1575b
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَنِ اتَّخَذَ كَلْبًا إِلاَّ كَلْبَ مَاشِيَةٍ أَوْ صَيْدٍ أَوْ زَرْعٍ انْتَقَصَ مِنْ أَجْرِهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ قِيرَاطٌ " . قَالَ الزُّهْرِيُّ فَذُكِرَ لاِبْنِ عُمَرَ قَوْلُ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ فَقَالَ يَرْحَمُ اللَّهُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ كَانَ صَاحِبَ زَرْعٍ .
Abu Hurairah Narrated from:
Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who kept a dog except one meant for watching the herd, or for hunting or for watching the fields. he lost two qirat of reward every day. Zuhri said: The words of Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) were conveyed to Ibn Umar who said: May Allah have mercy upon Abu Huraira; he owned a field.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1575bIn-book reference : Book 22, Hadith 70USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 10, Hadith 3823
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1575b
This narration from Abu Huraira says that whoever keeps a dog except one for watching the herd, hunting, or watching fields loses reward every day. The translation mentions two qirat at the start, while the Arabic wording here says one qirat. Because the input contains both, the explanation should not smooth over the difference by forcing one wording onto the other. The safe point is that the hadith clearly warns about dog keeping outside the listed needs. The report also records Ibn Umar’s response, asking Allah to have mercy on Abu Huraira and noting that he owned a field. This keeps the field wording tied to the report itself.
What we learn from this hadith
- The narration includes herd watching, hunting, and field watching.
- The text records Ibn Umar’s comment about Abu Huraira owning a field.
- The hadith warns that reward is reduced for keeping a dog outside the stated needs.
- The wording should be handled carefully when numbers differ in the report.
