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Fatwa CenterWhether dogs are from the jinn
Question
Assalaamu alaykum, dear Scholars. My questions are in regard to the following hadith: Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr reported on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with, and some elevated this hadith to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as having said, “Dogs are the weakest of the jinn, so when they attend your food, chase them away or feed them, as they have the evil eye.” 3/192
My first question is: some people on social media report that this hadith is cited in Al-Aadaab Ash-Shar‘iyyah of Ibn Muflih; is this the correct reference for this?
My second question is: what is the authenticity of this hadith?
My third question is: I learned in Islam that we are supposed to be kind to animals and that not all black dogs are the devil; however, this hadith says that dogs are jinn and that we are supposed to chase them or feed them because they have the evil eye, so does this mean that all dogs are evil? Please explain for I am confused; please provide an explanation for this. May Allaah reward you for your time.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
This report was cited by Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr as a Mawqoof report (a hadeeth that stops at the level of a Companion) and attributed it to Ibn ‘Abbaas 
. Ibn Muflih also cited it in his book Al-Aadaab Ash-Shar‘iyyah and attributed it to Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr. He commented on it that some scholars classified it as a Marfoo' hadeeth (attributable directly to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Ibn Muflih 
did not cite the ahaadeeth and reports in his book Al-Aadaab Ash-Shar‘iyyah along with their chain of narration. Rather, he cited the ahaadeeth and reports and mentioned the Hadeeth books in which they were cited.
We did not find any narration of this report classified as a Marfoo’ hadeeth attributed directly to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and we did not find any statement of Hadeeth scholars declaring it authentic or inauthentic. In fact, Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr himself cited it in the form of uncertainty (Seeghat At-Tamreedh, namely the passive voice, like by saying, 'it was said', 'it was narrated'), which is used by some scholars to indicate the inauthenticity of the ahaadeeth and reports.
Even if this report is proven authentic, it does not contradict the enjoined kindness towards animals. The report enjoined chasing the dog away so as to avoid the evil eye but at the same time commanded feeding it.
Dogs are not all evil and harmful; rather, there are some benefits in them as well. Ibn Qutaybah wrote, “There are benefits in dogs for people; in guarding their houses, cattle, and crops, and in hunting. Many Bedouins and desert people cannot secure food nor make a living without dogs. Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means): {So, eat of what they catch for you...} [Quran 5:4] This is proof that Allaah, The Exalted, has created them for our benefit...” [Ta'weel Mukhtalaf Al-Hadeeth]
Allaah knows best.
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