A Malaysian man has recently caught online attention after a video of him feeding food to a group of stray dogs near his home in Inderapura, Kuantan went viral.
Not long after, he spoke to Harian Metro explaining in further detail why he chose to feed the dogs, who are largely considered to be forbidden (haram) for Muslims.
M’sian man feeds stray dogs who often roam near his house
In an interview with the Malay daily, 52-year-old Mohd Ridzal Abdul Latip said he had been feeding the dogs since last year after three puppies were born to a dog which belonged to an orchard owner.
He also added that the dogs would often come over to his house to play with 14 of his cats as well as look for food.
The puppies like to come to my house every morning, noon, and evening. At my house, the dogs and cats play together without fighting each other or causing trouble, including not defecating everywhere.
“I feed the dogs with chicken feet and heads, and whenever I feed or need to touch them, I will put on gloves and perform sertu afterwards (a cleansing ritual),” he said.
‘Nothing wrong with showing dogs compassion’
Mohd Ridzal added that ever since the video went viral, he has received both positive and negative comments from netizens but isn’t too bothered by it.
It’s not wrong to show compassion to dogs as long as we understand the laws and boundaries as Muslims. We do not keep them as pets because it is prohibited in our religion.
“If you don’t like animals, that’s fine; just don’t hurt them, be it dogs or cats. I hope the video can also inform others that we (Muslims) can feed dogs but not keep them as pets or hug them,” he said.
A huge thanks to Mohd Ridzal for his kindness and we hope more people will follow his footsteps!
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