Question:There are specific rulings regarding hunting dogs and guard dogs. I have a question about a third type of dog which is “therapy dogs”. This type of dog is specially trained to assist individuals who are hearing- or visually-impaired, as well as others with certain disabilities. These dogs live closely with their owners, both inside and outside the home, constantly accompanying them everywhere. For example, they act as the ears for the hearing-impaired or the eyes for the visually-impaired, among other functions. What is the ruling on this type of dog in terms of purity and impurity, and what are the implications for acts of worship?

Answer:In the name of Allah, the ruling for this category of dogs is the same as that for hunting and guard dogs. Just as those types are permitted, so too is this one; however, it remains impure (najis) like all other dogs. Allah knows best.

Question:How should one deal with the excrement of domestic animals in the house, for example, if the animal laps water or food, or shares the same dining table?

Answer:In the name of Allah, if the animal is impure, its excrement is impure; if the animal is pure, its excrement is pure. Allah knows best.

Question:Is it permissible to pray in a house where we keep a cat? And if a cat hair is found on the worshipper’s clothes, is it true that the prayer becomes invalid, as I have heard?

Answer:In the name of Allah, it is permissible to pray, but one should know that the cat’s excrement is impure, and it is disliked if its place is free of its hair. If a hair is found on the worshipper’s clothing, then there is a doubt regarding the validity of the prayer. Allah knows best.

Question:Is it permissible to confine a bird in a cage while feeding, watering and taking care of it, as is common in the confinement of nightingales?

Answer:In the name of Allah, it is permissible on the condition of providing the bird with food, water and a companion such that if the bird was male, a healthy female of appropriate age is provided to it and vice versa. Without this condition, the confiner becomes an oppressor to the bird. Allah is the Guide and Knowing.