Is it permissible to apply dog fat to the body?

In our Sharia, the meat and saliva of a dog are considered impure and haram. This is because the dog is classified among predatory animals with fangs.

Regarding this, the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

كُلُّ ذِي نابٍ مِنَ السِّباعِ فأكْلُهُ حَرامٌ

“The consumption of every predatory animal with fangs is haram” [1].

Additionally, concerning the prohibition of using money earned from selling dogs, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

ثَمَنُ الكَلْبِ خَبِيثٌ

“The earnings from selling a dog are haram” [2].

As for using dog fat for medicinal purposes, in the Hanafi madhhab, it is not permissible to use the meat or any other part of animals whose consumption is forbidden for treatment [3].

According to Ibn an-Nujaym al-Hanafi: “Treatment with haram substances is a matter of scholarly debate. However, in the book 'Az-Zahira' it is stated: 'If no other remedy is found except something haram, and it is certain that it will cure the illness, then it is permitted to use it'” [4].

Moreover, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “There is no healing for you in what Allah has made haram” [5]. This hadith applies only to things for which there is no cure [6]. Therefore, scholars have permitted the use of dog fat only if a halal and pure medicine cannot be found and a doctor recommends it as the only effective treatment [7].

Thus, if a trustworthy and competent Muslim doctor concludes that applying dog fat is the only cure for an illness and there is no harm in it, and no halal alternative is available, then its use for medicinal purposes is allowed.

Tabarak Qamit

Fatwa Specialist for Jetisu Region

• [1] Muslim, No. 1933.

• [2] Muslim, No. 1568.

• [3] Hashiyat Ibn Abidin, 1/325.

• [4] Al-Bahr ar-Ra’iq Sharh Kanz ad-Daqa’iq, 1/122.

• [5] Narrated by Bukhari.

• [6] Radd al-Muhtar, 1/365.

• [7] Hashiyat Ibn Abidin, 7/480.