How Should I Treat Clothing That Came in Contact with a Dog’s Nose?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

When I visit my friend who owns a dog or when I am on the street, it happens that a dog is touching me with his nose. No saliva comes on the clothes; only the nose makes contact. I am curious to know whether it is filth (najasa) or not. Until now, I would just put those clothes in the washing machine. What is the correct process?

Answer

Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for seeking the right steps to purification.

Dogs in Homes

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Nujayy al-Hadrami that his father said:

‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me, “I had a status with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) that no one else had. l used to come to him every morning before dawn and greet him with salam until he cleared his throat. One night I came in and greeted him with salam. I said, ‘Peace be upon you, O Prophet of Allah.’ He said, ‘Wait a moment, O Abu Hasan, until I come out to you.’

When he came out to me, I said, ‘O Prophet of Allah, has someone upset you?’ He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Why did you not speak to me in the past, but you spoke to me tonight?’ He said, ‘I heard a sound in the room and said: Who is this?’ He said, ‘I am jibreel.’ I said, ‘Come in.’ He said, ‘No, come out to me.’ When I came out, he said, ‘In your house, there is something that no angel will enter so long as it is there.’ I said, ‘I did not know, O Jibreel.’ He said, ‘Go and look.’

So I opened the door and did not find anything apart from a puppy that al-Hasan had been playing with. I said, ‘I did not find anything except a puppy.’ He said, ‘There are three things; no angel will enter so long as one of them is in the house: a dog, major impurity, or an image of an animate being.’” [Ahmad]

Dog Noses

My short research found that all dogs have wet noses due to a thin watery material secreted from their noses’ glands. They also lick their noses which makes them wet. This is a cooling mechanism for them. A dog might have a drier nose when it is sleeping. All of this wetness is greater filth, according to the Shafi‘i school, and must be purified.

Please see this link on types of filth: How Do I Clean Pre-Sexual Fluid That Is on the Floor? (Shafi‘i)

Purification

Please see the link below on how to purify filth from dogs, and note that you were following the weak position by putting them in the washing machine. I encourage you to follow the more reliable, strong opinion if possible.

Purity and Dogs

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin and completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.