Regardless of race and religion, we all agree that animals can bring great joy to our lives.

Encouraged children to pat dog

On June 16, Rin Han shared an experience on the Golden Retriever Club - Singapore Facebook group that happened to her over the long weekend.

In her post, she wished all Muslims a "Selamat Hari Raya", and included a picture of a Muslim family in Singapore interacting with her dog.

She wrote that the father of the family encouraged his children to come pat her dog:

The father told his children 'Come, pat the dog. They are also God's creation.'

Muslim scholars' opinion on dogs

In Han's post, she wrote that the father told his children to be "careful around its mouth", as dogs' saliva is considered to be impure in Islam.

But that did not deter them from showing the dog some love.

"If the saliva touches you, we can always do a thorough ritual wash", he said to his children.

According to Muis, also known as the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, this ritual involves cleansing the area that came into contact with the saliva once with water that is mixed with soil, and then followed by clean water six times.

Muslim scholars and jurists hold different opinions with regard to the ruling that dogs are considered impure. 

Some consider dogs' saliva and excrement impure, while others only consider dogs' saliva as impure.

However, it is stated on Muis that "touching and holding dogs... is not against Islamic law and is not a sin."

Earned praise

Han wrote that she had "major respect for this family" for "teaching [their] kids well".

Many responses were also full of praise for the family:

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This is Rin Han's Facebook post:

Top photo by Rin Han, from Golden Retriever Club - Singapore Facebook group.