Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question: Assalamu Alaykum, Is the wetness on the nose of a dog considered filthy in the Hanafi school?
Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
Yes, both the mucus which is present on a dog’s nose and its saliva is considered to be ritually filthy (najis). The reason for this is that the meat of predatory animals is impermissible to consume, and their saliva and nose mucus takes the same ruling, by extension, because of how such secretions are formed.
A dog is considered to be a predatory, carnivorous animal in its essential nature even if it has been domesticated and no longer actually hunts. This is because animals are generally dealt with on the basis of their biological taxonomy. Interestingly, a cat is a predatory animal, but it has an exceptional ruling according to the law.
Purifying the Affected Clothing
If you are affected by a dog’s mucus or saliva, you should wash the area thrice, or place it under a tap until the obvious traces of moisture disappear.
The Beloved Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “If a dog laps from the container of any one of you, let him wash it seven times, the first of them being with soil.” (Muslim) Accordingly, it’s good to use soil or the like mixed into the water for one of the washings, if reasonably able.
(Tahtawi, Hashiyat al-Tahtawi ‘ala Maraqi al-Falah)
Please also see: Dog’s Saliva [ Shafi’i ] and: Can I Get a Dog to Help My Son With Disabilities? [Video] and: Dog Saliva, Dog Hair, and How to Purify Impurities
And Allah Most High knows best.
Wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorized the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan, and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based on his family.