Today, if a Muslim is seen cuddling with a dog, or just petting the animal, expect many hate remarks from other brethren. Most of the time, we are good at being judgmental—we are quick to accuse someone of something that is obscure to us and we fail to see every reason behind it.
Two days ago, a Muslim man won many netizens’ hearts after he took home a puppy that was left outside by the pet’s owner. Sharul Nizam Ab Rahim, who is also known as Abang Kucing, rescued a puppy, which was believed to be tied to a car’s back tire and left alone for quite some time.
Sharul took this to his Facebook by posting several pictures of the puppy being tied to the car’s wheel, and a selfie of him with the puppy in the car after he rescued it. Many netizens, Muslims and non-Muslims alike praise him for his bravery in doing what is considered as haram in Malaysia, especially among the Muslim community.
Following the incident, Sharul has received many positive comments about his good deed.
Another user, Chloe Lee San Teoh showed concern for him having to go the extra mile to save the puppy.
A user goes by the name of Mohamad Arifin, stated that dogs were also created by God, just like any other animal.
Besides being an animal lover himself, he is also the president of Pertubuhan Pasukan Tindakan Haiwan (AAT), where he and the team fight for the animals’ rights and protect them from harm, including dogs, pigs and even endangered animals. According to Sharul on his Facebook page, dogs are one of their primary focus because dogs are seen as the most discriminated animal in an Islamic country like Malaysia.
Having said that, this brings the matter to a moot point—whether touching dogs is allowed in Islam, or not. It is good to learn that in Islam, showing empathy towards dogs or pigs doesn’t make you a heathen. In Islam per se, there are a number of stories related to dogs that educate people the importance of taking care of animals, regardless of dogs or pigs.
A hadith by the Prophet Muhammad about how a prostitute was forgiven by Allah because she gave a dying dog a sip of water for it was about to die of thirst, serves as the best example on how having compassion for all animals is considered as a good deed and is allowed in Islam.
In this case, we should take a moment to appreciate this man for doing something that many wouldn’t do. Rescuing animals takes a lot of dedication and motivation, and animal lovers should be applauded for what they are doing.
You can also visit Sharul’s community page, Abang Kucing The Incomparable to see more updates.
