What Is the Ruling on Keeping a Hamster or a Bearded Dragon as a Pet?

Question: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Shaykh. May Allah preserve you and grant you success. What is the ruling on owning a hamster or a bearded dragon (التنين الملتحي) as a pet? Jazakallahu khayran.

Summary:

The basic principle regarding keeping and raising animals is that it is permissible, except for those concerning which evidence has been reported prohibiting their keeping, such as pigs, dogs which one has not been permitted to keep, and harmful predatory animals. The Sunnah indicates that it is permissible to keep a permissible animal for companionship and play. In the hadith of Anas رضي الله عنه, a young brother of his had a small bird which he used to play with. When it died, the Prophet ﷺ said to him: “O Abu Umayr, what happened to the little nughayr?” As for the bearded dragon and similar lizards, if there is a recognized benefit in keeping it, such as education and the like, then there is no harm in that in principle. However, as for keeping it merely as a hobby without any benefit, it is better to leave it, and it should not be kept, especially if doing so results in wasting money or becoming excessively occupied with it. The Permanent Committee was asked about keeping animals for decoration and as a hobby, including reptiles such as snakes and lizards, and it said: “Snakes have no benefit; rather, they are harmful, so it is not permissible to sell or buy them. Likewise, lizards... have no benefit, so it is not permissible to sell or buy them.” [Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Da'imah (13/38)] Accordingly, the bearded dragon is a type of lizard. If keeping it is without a recognized benefit, then it is better to leave it, and this is even more emphasized if it involves wasting money. However, if there is a need or a recognized benefit, such as education and the like, then there does not appear to be anything preventing one from keeping it, while avoiding harm and extravagance. As for the hamster, there is an issue of scholarly disagreement among contemporary scholars based on its classification and whether it is considered analogous to a mouse. Some scholars have classified it among mice and therefore prohibited keeping it, while others have held that it is not the mouse intended in the hadith and therefore permitted raising it. Therefore, the safer course is to refrain from keeping it, unlike the bearded dragon, for which the basic principle is permissibility.

Answer:

First: The Basic Principle Regarding Keeping Animals

The basic principle is that it is permissible for a Muslim to keep an animal concerning which the Shariah has not prohibited keeping, so long as it does not cause harm and raising it does not entail anything prohibited by the Shariah.

Among the evidence for this is the hadith,

From the Sunnah:

Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.Anas رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ used to say to his young brother:
“O Abu Umayr, what happened to the little nughayr?” Abu Umayr used to play with a small bird called a nughayr.
The scholars have used this as evidence for the permissibility of keeping an animal for companionship and permissible play.

From the Scholars:

Shaykh Ibn Baz رحمه الله said regarding raising birds:
“We do not know of any harm in that... if they treat them well by providing water and food and do not wrong them, then there is no harm in that.”
This is a general principle that includes permissible animals concerning which there is no specific evidence prohibiting their keeping.

Second: The Bearded Dragon The bearded dragon, known as Pogona, is a type of lizard from the family Agamidae, and it is not a gecko. Scientific sources classify the common species under the genus Pogona and the family Agamidae. The Ruling on the Bearded Dragon as a Type of Lizard: The Permanent Committee prohibited selling and buying lizards when they are of no benefit. Accordingly, it is not permissible to keep one merely as a hobby or for decoration if there is no benefit in doing so.

From the Scholars:

The Permanent Committee for Ifta was asked about the ruling on keeping animals to satisfy a hobby or for decorative purposes, including reptiles such as snakes and lizards. It replied:
“One of the conditions for the validity of a sale is that the object being sold must have a permissible benefit without necessity. Snakes have no benefit; rather, they are harmful, so it is not permissible to sell or buy them. Likewise, lizards, namely, sahabil, have no benefit, so it is not permissible to sell or buy them.” End quote from Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Da'imah (13/38).

Third: The Ruling on the Hamster: It is not permissible to keep a hamster or raise it in homes because it is from the kinds of mice which the Shariah has commanded to be killed. Therefore, it is not legislated to keep them for raising or decoration. It has been authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ that he included the mouse among the harmful creatures that are to be killed. For this reason, al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar رحمه الله stated that the various kinds of mice share the ruling that they may be killed. The scholars have also cited this when discussing the ruling on hamsters. Ruling on Raising Hamsters: If the hamster is one of the kinds of mice, then it is not permissible to keep or raise it. Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Barrak رحمه الله was likewise asked about hamsters, and he prohibited raising them because they are considered analogous to mice, which the Shariah has described as harmful creatures. Fourth: The Obligation of Treating Animals Well: Even an animal which it is permissible to keep must not be tortured, starved, or neglected.

From the Sunnah:

Bukhari and MuslimThe Prophet ﷺ said:
“A woman entered the Fire because of a cat which she confined. She neither fed it nor allowed it to eat from the creatures of the earth.” Agreed upon.
Whoever keeps an animal which the Shariah has permitted him to keep must fulfill its rights by providing it with food and water, preparing a suitable environment for it, and refraining from torturing or neglecting it.

Fifth: Advice:- A Muslim should recognize the value of his lifespan and should not consume his days and hours caring for animals and pursuing hobbies to such an extent that they distract him from that for which he was created. A person's lifespan is his capital, and every day that passes will never return. He will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection about his life and how he spent it, about his youth and how he used it, and about his wealth, where he earned it from and how he spent it. Therefore, he should make use of his free time to learn Tawhid, the rulings of purification, wudu, prayer and fasting, to read the Quran, memorize it and reflect upon it, and to learn what is halal and haram. These are branches of knowledge that he needs every day, and they are his provisions for his grave and the Hereafter. How many people have wasted hours in entertainment and permissible matters, only for death to reach them before they gained understanding of their religion or increased in righteous deeds! A Muslim should therefore not make his share of this worldly life his greatest concern. Rather, he should take advantage of his health and free time before illness and preoccupation, and his life before death. Whatever he sends forward for Allah, he will find before him, while whatever he wastes of his lifespan can never be recovered. Conclusion: The basic principle is that it is permissible for a Muslim to keep animals which the Shariah has not prohibited keeping, provided that they are not harmful and raising them does not entail anything prohibited by the Shariah. Ruling on the bearded dragon: The bearded dragon is a type of lizard. The Permanent Committee prohibited selling and buying lizards when they are of no benefit. Accordingly, it is not permissible to keep one merely as a hobby or for decoration if there is no benefit in doing so. Ruling on the hamster: It is not permissible to keep a hamster or raise it in homes because it is from the kinds of mice which the Shariah has commanded to be killed. Therefore, it is not legislated to keep them for raising or decoration. The obligation of treating animals well: Whoever keeps an animal which the Shariah permits him to keep must treat it well and fulfill its rights by providing food, water, care, and a suitable environment. It is prohibited to torture it, neglect it, or burden it with anything that harms it.

And Allah knows best.

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What Is the Ruling on Keeping a Hamster or a Bearded Dragon as a Pet?

Summary:

From the Sunnah:

From the Scholars:

From the Scholars:

From the Sunnah:

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