['Aalim Network QR] Gold/Najasat of Dogs

[Mustafa Rawji <mrawji@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>]

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|       In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful       |\
|  Greeting of Allah be upon Muhammad and the pure members of his House |\
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Salamun alaykum

	The reply to the following question was kindly provided by Shaykh
Rasheed.

Wasalaam,

Mustafa Rawji
Moderator, 'Aalim Network

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QUESTION:

Salaams,

Most of my friends are not of the Shia faith and many times they ask me
'practical' questions which I cannot answer.
For example, they asked me why I am not allowed to wear gold and why is it
forbidden to keep dogs as pets (why are they haram).

As a Shia, I tell them that the only things I should question are about the
oneness of God and about the prophethood of Mohammed(a.s.).  Once I have
accepted these things then I should follow the teachings without question.
That is not say that I don't seek out the answers or the reasons, but I also
accept that Allah knows much more than I. However, these are usually not
satisfactory answers.

Please give me the answers to the above question and also some
reference books so that I may look up and answer these questions myself.


ANSWER:
 
Wa Alaikum As-Salaam,

The Prophet Muhammad (S) prohibited the men of his followers from wearing
gold and prohibited all Muslims from using gold as utensils for eating and
drinking. It is generally understood that one of the main reasons for this
is that gold was usually used in those times as jewelry for the very
wealthy and powerful who adorned themselves as a show of wealth and/or
power. It was usually the rulers who wore gold and used it as utensils. It
was also usually the case that they acquired their wealth by force,
oppression and corruption. The Holy Prophet (S) refused such things for
himself and others even when they were only symbolically connected with
unjust rulers and oppression. 

It can be seen in the incident of Mubahilah when the Christian leaders
first appeared to meet with out Holy Prophet (S), he observed how lavishly
they were adorned with gold. He refused to meet with them until they
removed these embellishments which he complained was inconsistent with
piety and godly men.

With regards to dogs, there are two animals which the Shari'ah has not only
forbidden its consumption but ruled it as impure. They are the dog and pig.
To make a long story short, Allah Ta'ala has turned disobedient and sinful
people into these animals as a punishment. This is mentioned in the Torah
and Islamic traditions. The Qur'an mentions that man was turned into apes in
a similar manner. Due to this, these animals have a specific status in
Islamic Law. 

Unfortunately, there are not adequate reference books in English that I
could refer that you might find these answers yourself. They exist in
Arabic and Persian and perhaps Urdu. You mentioned that after belief you
should follow without question. I personally disagree. You should ask
questions which strengthen your understanding and belief. You should avoid
such questions that cause doubt and confusion in your mind.

Was-Salaam,

Ali Rasheed