Did You Know That The Dog Is Ahead Of Man? Allah does not grant wisdom to all but he does not deny them speech. Even the birds have tongues but they possess no hearts (spirituality), hence they also possess no knowledge. You can train a bird to utter a name. It will do so without understanding its significance. Whereas a human being is blessed with the capacity to acquire knowledge but he may not be blessed with wisdom.
Luqman of the Qur'an did not seek prophethood. Instead he sought wisdom. You can find many with educational degrees. Some will go into the intricate details of how a termite functions but never be able to recognise the Creator behind that termite. And this is one of the reasons why God (Allah) presents so many parables in the Qur'an for us to ponder upon. Take this example: "O men! Here is a parable set forth! Listen to it! Those on whom besides Allah you call, cannot create (even) a fly, if they all met together for the purpose! And if the fly should snatch away anything from them, they should have no power to release it from the fly. Feeble are those who petition and those whom they petition! (Surah Hajj 22:73). q Haji Mokhtar Stork.
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Did You Know That The Dog Is Ahead Of Man?
It is believed that the Dog is the second last animal to turn up at Buddha's feet just before the Pig. It is also said that the Cat overslept and by the time it came before the Buddha it was numbered thirteen. The cause for this was the Rat who had agreed to wake up the cat but purposely did not do so because it wanted to teach the Cat a lesson, as cats always chase rats.
In Hong Kong, Chinese seers refer to the Chinese New Year in 1994 as the Year of the Blind Dog. This is based on a 3,000 year old Chinese astrological system dating back to the Emperor Huang Ti. Apparently the Year of the Blind Dog is not a good year as it is considered to be unreliable. Call it folklore or whatever you like but apparently, like all animals, the dog too seems to find a place in history.
The position of the Dog in Islam is quite different. This is due to revelation from Allah Almighty. Allah says, "Lawful to you are all things good and pure, and whatever you have taught your trained hunting animals (to catch) in the manner directed by Allah: Eat what they catch for you, but pronounce the Name of Allah over it, for Allah is swift in taking account." (Surah Ma'idah 5:4).
From the Traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) we know that a dogs cannot be kept as a pet indoors. However, they can be kept in a separate enclosure (not chained or caged) and trained to guard one's house, or used to track drugs at the airport, or used for hunting purposes. It has been recorded that the Prophet was not able to receive revelation from Allah through the Angel Gabriel as a result of a dog being kept indoors. It is also reported that Abu Hurairah (r.a.) narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "When a dog drinks from a vessel, it must be washed seven times, and the first cleansing should be done with earth (mud or clay)." (Mishkat). Ibnu Umar (r.a.) in turn said, "If a dog be dry and not at all wet or perspiring its touch does not make one dirty, as during the time of the Prophet dogs used to enter the mosque and no water was used to clean it (the mosque)." (Mishkat).
As a whole, the dog does not hold a favourable position as man's best friend when it comes to keeping pets. There seems to be more negative aspects than positive ones when it comes to Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence). However from a spiritual point of view, the dog seems to be way ahead of man in terms of submission and obedience. In this respect, the dog has six advantages over the common man. These are as follows:
If you view these facts, they clearly indicate that the dog is way ahead of man in points. And yet the dog is generally held in low esteem by Muslims. q Haji Mokhtar Stork
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