Convert: Issues with Family Dog & Learning Fiqh

I have been Muslim for about one year now Alhamdulillah and I currently live with my parents. I am 23 years old and attend college so I can’t afford my own place. Before I became Muslim we adopted a dog. Now that I am Muslim I know that dog is not allowed for a pet but I can’t tell my parents to get rid of him. They probably would tell me to move out before they got rid of the dog. I try to keep him out of my room but sometimes he comes in when I am not watching him. A friend told me that my prayers that I prayed in the house may not be valid now due to the dog being in the house. Is she right? And what should I do? I currently do not follow a madhab but I am most interested in learning about hanafi or hanbali so an answer in that direction would be best.

Wa Alaykum Assalam wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful & Compassionate

As Sidi Faraz and others previously mentioned: “In the Hanafi school, the saliva of a dog is filthy, not its skin or hair. [Multaqa].”

However, the position of the Maliki school is that “spittle/saliva of all living animals is pure (even if it is from a dog or a pig). The entire living animal itself is also pure (even if it is a pig or a dog).” – From Guiding Helper, p. 40, http://www.guidinghelper.com/downloadBooks.cgi 

Please see the following links for the Hanafi positions related to your questions:

Dogs

What is the ruling of keeping dogs in the Shariah?

Keeping a Dog: Impermissibility Explained

What is the ruling if a dog touches you or your clothes i.e. his nose or other parts of his body? And what if you touch it?

RE: Washing off a dog's touch

Dogs Coming in Contact with Clothing

Learning Your Basic Fiqh

You would do well to take the courses now offered through www.SunniPath.com in order to acquaint yourself with the essentials of Sunni Islam – in particular the course on “The Absolute Essentials of Hanafi Fiqh” and “Imam Laqani's Jawharat al-Tawhid Explained”, both taught by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, will be useful in the beginning. (Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s translation of The Absolute Essentials of Hanafi Fiqh is forthcoming, and will make for an aid to Hanafi students)

You should also familiarize yourself with the excellent articles by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller and Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad on Sidi Masud’s site: http://www.masud.co.uk/ 

For the Basic Ghusl, Wudu, and Prayer in the Hanafi School, the following links, when read carefully are quite helpful.

THE COMPLETE PURIFICATORY BATH (GHUSL)

THE COMPLETE ABLUTION (WUDU)

THE COMPLETE HANAFI PRAYER

May Allah Most High grant you ease and success in your practice of His Deen, Ameen. Please feel welcome to ask any other questions you have.

Wassalam,

Sunni Path Fiqh Team