What is the rule on keeping a dog as security for my family?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
To keep a dog for the security of one’s house and family is permissible. On the other hand, to keep a dog merely for pleasure and companionship, as the kuffar do, is not permissible; and according to the ahadith, doing so drives away the angels of mercy (Bukhari and Muslim) and reduces one’s good deeds by a qeerat (a unit of measurement) on a daily basis (Bukhari and Muslim).
(Fatawa Mahmudiya: 18/263-267)
And Allah knows best.
Mufti Faizal Riza
30/10/2011