Former Libyan Religious Official Hamza Abu Faris: It Is Permissible To Sell Cats For Their Skin, But Not For Their Flesh; Dogs May Be Kept For Hunting And Guarding But Not As Pets

Hamza Abu Faris, Libya’s former Minister of Islamic Affairs, said in an August 6, 2020 interview on Al-Tanasuh TV (Libya) that according to Islamic scholars, it is impermissible for Muslims to buy and sell cats unless they intend to derive benefit from their skin or fur. He also said that it is permissible for Muslims to buy or sell hunting dogs and watch dogs, but that it is impermissible to buy or sell any other kind of dog, including dogs that are kept as house pets.

Hamza Abu Faris: "Scholars of the Maliki school in Islam have talked about cats and said that selling them is permitted if the buyer is going to benefit from their skin. Some cats have a kind of fur that can be used and so it is permissible to sell them. But if the cat is sold for its flesh, the ruling is one of disapproval. Why? Since eating cat flesh is disapproved of, so is selling it. On the issue of selling dogs, the scholars are in disagreement. With regard to hunting dogs and watch dogs: Since it is permissible to hunt and keep watch, the scholars permitted the selling of these two types of dogs, because one can benefit from them. As for regular dogs that are not used for hunting or keeping watch, their buying and selling is not allowed. Yes."

Interviewer: "Sheikh, people buy dogs for their homes. They buy small dogs as pets. They take them for walks, and so on. Is this permissible?"

Abu Faris: "No. It's not permissible. A Muslim is not allowed to do such a thing."