Question:
A dog licked my clothes—can I pray in these garments, or should I change them?
Answer:
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
First: The Hadith on Washing Vessels
The most cited evidence on this issue is the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ:
“The purification of the vessel of one of you if a dog licks it is to wash it seven times, the first of them with soil.”
(Sahih Muslim)
Most jurists interpreted this hadith to mean that a dog’s saliva is impure (najis), and anything it touches, especially with moisture, must be washed thoroughly before it can be used again. This view is upheld by the Shafi’i, Hanbali, and Hanafi schools. The Shafi’i and Hanbali schools specifically require seven washes, one with soil or its equivalent. The Hanafi school also considers the saliva impure but clarifies that a dog’s fur and dry body are not najis unless wet saliva transfers impurity.
This interpretation became the majority position, and out of caution, it has been commonly followed.
Second: Rethinking the Hadith in Light of Other Texts
However, there is another perspective grounded in Qur’anic and hadith evidence that raises an important question: If dog saliva is impure, then how is it that Allah has permitted hunting with animals that catch prey in their mouths?
Allah says:
“They ask you what has been made lawful for them. Say: Lawful for you are all good things, and what those you have trained of hunting animals catch for you, teaching them as Allah has taught you—so eat of what they catch for you…”
(Surah al-Ma’idah 5:4)
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
“If you send your trained animal and mention Allah’s name over it, and it catches the game for you, then eat it.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari)
The prey is caught and held in the animal’s mouth, yet it is explicitly declared lawful to eat—without requiring purification or washing. This suggests that the saliva involved in hunting does not render the food impure.
Third: Additional Observations Supporting the Maliki View
Further support for the Maliki position comes from observing the practice of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions:
Dogs lived among the companions, moved freely in Madinah, and were not treated as a source of impurity.
Abu Hurayrah reported that dogs used to enter the Prophet’s masjid and eat leftover food off the floor, and the Prophet ﷺ never instructed anyone to clean the area or pour water afterward.
In contrast, when a Bedouin urinated in the masjid, the Prophet ﷺ clearly said:
“Pour water over it.”
This shows that actual impurity (najasah) required cleansing, while dogs’ presence and saliva were not treated the same way.
These reports indicate that the Prophet ﷺ did not regard the dog’s contact or saliva as najis, or else he would have ordered cleansing just as he did in the case of urine. Imam Malik and other scholars used these practices to conclude that the command to wash a vessel was specific to eating hygiene—not a general rule on impurity.
Fourth: Contemporary Context and Scholarly Adoption
Although the Maliki opinion is a minority view, many contemporary scholars and fatwa councils—especially in the West—have adopted it due to its strong evidential basis and practical benefits. In societies where dogs are present in public places, or guide dogs are used regularly, adopting the Maliki view removes unnecessary hardship and avoids repeated doubts about cleanliness.
Councils such as Dar al-Iftaa Egypt, MUIS Singapore, and bodies in North America and the UK have issued rulings that support the Maliki position in cases of need and general difficulty (umum al-balwa).
Based on this explanation, if a dog licked your clothes with its mouth, it is acceptable to pray in those clothes without washing them.
Those who follow the other madhahib may still choose to wash the clothing if dog saliva was present, out of caution and respect for their legal tradition.
Wallahu a’lam