22/10. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1575c — Field or Herd Dog Exception
The command to kill dogs, and its abrogation. The prohibition of keeping dogs, except for hunting, farming, (herding) livestock and the like
Keeping a Dog Hadith: Field and Herd Exceptions
Sahih Muslim : 1575c
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1575c
حَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ الدَّسْتَوَائِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَنْ أَمْسَكَ كَلْبًا فَإِنَّهُ يَنْقُصُ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ قِيرَاطٌ إِلاَّ كَلْبَ حَرْثٍ أَوْ مَاشِيَةٍ" .
Abu Hurairah Narrated from:
Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who kept a dog would lose out of his deeds equal to one qirat every day. except (one kept) for watching the field or herd.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1575cIn-book reference : Book 22, Hadith 71USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 10, Hadith 3824
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1575c
This short hadith about keeping a dog focuses on two exceptions: a dog for watching the field and a dog for watching the herd. Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said the one who keeps a dog loses from his deeds equal to one qirat every day, except for those stated needs. The message is easy to miss if the hadith is read too quickly. It does not speak about hunting in this particular wording, though other narrations in the same batch do. For this narration, the direct lesson is that a dog kept for field or herd protection is treated differently from a dog kept without that need.
What we learn from this hadith
- This wording mentions field and herd protection as exceptions.
- The report states a daily loss of one qirat from deeds.
- The narration should be explained by its own wording, not mixed with every other version.
- The hadith points to responsible choices that protect one’s deeds.
