Disabled Muslims Australia
Disability assistance dogs
Assitance dogs are an essential service for many disabled people. Guide dogs assist those who are blind, or severely vision impaired, to access the community. Hearing dogs assist a deaf or hearing-impaired person to be alerted to such sounds including a fire alarm or door bell. Disability assistance dogs assist a disabled person to do many things needed every day that they are unable to do such as opening a door, picking up a dropped item and getting dressed. Allah (swt) always seeks to ease any suffering or difficulty. Here is a discussion about what the Quran and Hadith say on the matter of dogs as there are many misconceptions surrounding the matter. A person should never judge a person's need or ability. Access to tools required to be included in the community is very important. An assistance dog may enable a disabled person to undertake activities others take for granted, and may be the difference between life and death. The importance of the assistance dog to a disabled person must be respected. Allah (swt) is most understanding.
Disability assistance dogs and mosques
The Muslim Law Council UK (2008) issued a Fatwa stating that guide dogs (and thus any other disability assistance dog) are allowed to enter the interior of the mosque. Think, do you wish to be questioned by Allah (swt) about your involvement in a person being barred from attending the mosque, praying jummah and so on? Do you want to be charged with neglecting or excluding your brothers and sisters affected by disabilities who can be assisted by disability assistance dogs? Then stop discriminating against these critical animals, and follow the wise Fatwa issued by the Muslim Law Coucil UK (2008).
Disability assistance dogs and your workplace or home
Disability assistance dogs go through extremely rigorous training. As a result, you do not need to worry about the dog making a mess in your home. They will also stay with the person to assist them, thus they will not roam around your house or bother guests who are uncomfortable around dogs. It is extremely cruel and has no Islamic basis to refuse entry to a person with their disability assistance dogs. Doing so causes serious isolation since they cannot attend a social gathering without their dog at their side, and prevents that person from being able to do the every day things that you take for granted, like getting to work, doing their shopping and so on. Islam stresses kindness and doing no harm. By shutting the door on a person's disability assistance dog you are shutting your Quran, ignoring one of the greatest guiding principles of Islam's teachings.
References:
Q & A: how should Muslims view dogs?, 2013, online video, 7 January, created by Quran Speaks, viewed 10 June 2014, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLRlwsVyllE>
Written by Nicola Shebaily for Disabled Muslims Australia
Last updated: 16/07/2014