Assalamu alaikum World Peace starts on the sidewalk

I was enjoying my usual early morning double shot latte at MG's this week with an employee who saw and remarked on the following scene which had just taken place on the sidewalk out front:

56572's most open Christian and frequent sidewalk user was being pulled down the sidewalk by his two dogs on separate leashes. Not an uncommon sight. One of 56572's newer residents, all frequent sidewalk users and a Muslim I presume, was walking north on the same sidewalk. Not an uncommon sight. The two appeared to be on a collision course for a greeting op. (Good morning-Hello-Assalamu alaikum). When the Muslim saw what was coming at him, he took a hard right off the curb into the street. The Christian, probably not seeing the fear on the face of the Muslim, must have wondered what prompted such a quick detour.

My employee asked me if Muslims were afraid of dogs. Not knowing the answer, but wanting one, I was happy to see a Muslim friend walk in for his regular double shot latte with extra sugar.

"Assalamu alaikum."
"Malaikum salaam my friend, how are you?"
"Fine, thank you. Could you please answer a question for me? Are Muslims afraid of dogs?" "Yes, of course we are afraid of the dog. For two reasons: First there is the bite. Maybe the dog bite you. Second, there is the Book. In the Book it says we cannot have dog as pet. Also, if dog licks you, you must wash your hands seven times."

I could not find any reference to this in the Koran. There is some mention of dogs in the Hadith, but I could find nothing specific. I did find the following in the Canadian Muslim News website under the pages "Ask the Scholar":

Question Is it permissible for a Muslim to own a dog? Is there any restriction of keeping the dog inside the house? Question number: 2478 Date posted: 07/26/2003 Answer A dog can be owned for purposes such as the following: 1. A trained dog for hunting; remember in Islam we are only allowed to hunt for food; there is no such thing as hunting for fun, for we are not allowed to kill or torture animals or drive them out of their habitats for the kick of it. 2. A trained dog as a guide; this would be the case if a person is blind and he/she has no choice but to keep a dog for essential services; in this case, it is permissible for him/her to keep a dog inside the house once it has been trained for service; it is still recommended that the dog has its own sleeping arrangement. 3. A dog trained for police duties. 4. A guard dog to be used guard houses or property 5. A dog used by farmers to shepherd cattle and sheep. 6. We are, however, not allowed to keep a dog as a pet, since it is not a very clean animal. How often you come across the nasty sight of dogs taken for a walk licking their own excrements? Isn’t it disgusting to see their owners kissing the mouth of such animals after such incidents as if nothing happened? Would you kiss the mouth of your own baby if he were to do the same? Think how many parasites may be hiding in their mouths? The Prophet has spared us from being contaminated by such filth when he ordered us to stay clear of the saliva of dogs; if we ever were to come into contact with a dog’s saliva we must wash the spot seven times, the first of which should be with mud. It is also possible to use a bacterial soap instead of mud. In conclusion: Don’t contemplate taking a dog home as a pet. If, however, you do need to keep a dog for reasons given above, then you may do so; but take every precaution not to be contact with its saliva, and also arrange for a separate living arrangement.

I have bookmarked the "Ask the Scholar" pages. There is much to learn. Stay tuned.