Holding A Dog During Prayers And Praying On Animal Skin

Dogs are impure animals, or, at least, that their saliva is a contaminant that voids a Muslims' ritual purity. It is commonly known that the Muslims consider dogs and pigs najis; this includes their hair, bones, paws, nails and every liquid substance of their body. The messenger of Allah (saw) forbade the use of skins of the beasts of prey.

Al-Albani:

Aboo Al-Malih b. Usamah quoting his father said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) forbade (the use of) the skins of beasts of prey (an animal, especially a mammal, that kills and eats other animals.). 

Al-Albani: It is Saheeh (Authentic)

Source: Saheeh Sunan Aboo Dawood. Pg. # 738, H. # 4132.

The following law is present in the book of Hanafi jurisprudence, Al-Hidayah. This was a favour bestowed by a student and a successor of the great Imam. Now read a saying of another student, Imam Abu Yusuf in that there is no requirement of tanning the dog skin and that it is enough to slaughter it. Additionally, the skin of pig would become pure even though 'the great Imam' s declares it to be impure:

Muhammad Amin ibn Abideen:

And know that the dog is not impure according to Aboo Hanifa. So the fatwa is based upon that, even if some of them have opined it is impure, like ibn Shahna explained. So it can be sold, hired, owned, and its skin can be prayed upon and used as a water bucket (for wudhu)...it does not invalidate the Salaah of its carrier, even if it is grown up.

Commentary: And his statement: (It does not invalidate the Salaah of its carrier...), in Al-Badaye': Our scholars say: "Whoever performs Salaah with a puppy in his sleeve, his Salaah is permissible."

Source: Rad Al-Mukhtaar Ala Al-Durar Al-Mukhtar. Vol. 1, Pg. # 362 - 363.

As evidenced, this statement is suggesting that the skin of a dog can be prayed upon - why they cannot use the traditional praying mat I do not know - but those from the school of the so-called 'Ahl ul Sunnah' have at least been consistent in their bizarre habits regarding Salaah. Regardless, his statement says that it does not invalidate the Salaah and additionally, the Salaah is still permissible to whosoever wishes to perform Salaah with a puppy up his sleeve.

Burhanuddin Al-Marghinani:

Every type of skin (fur) which has been tanned is considered clean and it is lawful to pray with it and do Wudhu with it, except for the skin of swine and human. 

Furthermore, whatever skin can be cleaned through tanning, it will be also considered clean through slaughter, because the same action of tanning is carried out on it by removing the unclean liquids and likewise its meat becomes clean too and this is correct.

Commentary: Everything of pig is impure except for Imam Muhammad (Student of Aboo Hanifa) who opines otherwise about its hair.

Source: Al-Hidayah Sharh Bidayatul Mohtadi. Vol. 1, Pg. # 146 / 149 - 150.

To try and make sense of this, what these "scholars" from the so-called school of "Ahl ul Sunnah" are saying is that it is totally acceptable to perform your prayers on a prayer mat made of dog skin, you can wear dog skin and perform Salaah, you can perform ritual ablution (wudhu/ghusl) with water that came from a bag made of the skin of a dog and finally you can still perform Salaah whilst carrying a dog in your arms or whilst it is on your shoulders. 

Now, in the beginning of this article it was made very clear that the Prophet (saw) forbade the use of skins of the beasts of prey, but those from the so-called 'Ahl ul Sunnah' still issued fatwas contradicting the commands of the Prophet (saw). 

Again, this is a further example of the sheer ridiculousness that comes from this particular school of thought. We know pigs and dogs are najis and we have very clear instructions on what we can and cannot do with regards to the purification and the act of Salaah itself, but these people have attempted to deviate people from the path of truth and guidance. Which is why no rational, sane Muslim can and should take these people seriously.