The Puppy and the Prophet Muhammad

As a Muslim I never knew about this hadith about dogs.

Check it out.

A'isha reported that Gabriel (peace be upon him) made a promise with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to come at a definite hour; that hour came but he did not visit him. And there was in his hand (in the hand of Allah's Apostle) a staff. He threw it from his hand and said:

Never has Allah or His messengers (angels) ever broken their promise. Then he cast a glance (and by chance) found a puppy under his cot and said: 'A'isha, when did this dog enter here? 

She said: By Allah, I don't know He then commanded and it was turned out. Then Gabriel came and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to him: You promised me and I waited for you, but you did not come, whereupon he said: It was the dog in your house which prevented me (to come), for we (angels) do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture.

حَدَّثَنِي سُوَيْدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ، الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ وَاعَدَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فِي سَاعَةٍ يَأْتِيهِ فِيهَا فَجَاءَتْ تِلْكَ السَّاعَةُ وَلَمْ يَأْتِهِ وَفِي يَدِهِ عَصًا فَأَلْقَاهَا مِنْ يَدِهِ وَقَالَ ‏"‏ مَا يُخْلِفُ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ وَلاَ رُسُلُهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ الْتَفَتَ فَإِذَا جِرْوُ كَلْبٍ تَحْتَ سَرِيرِهِ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ يَا عَائِشَةُ مَتَى دَخَلَ هَذَا الْكَلْبُ هَا هُنَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَتْ وَاللَّهِ مَا دَرَيْتُ ‏.‏ فَأَمَرَ بِهِ فَأُخْرِجَ فَجَاءَ جِبْرِيلُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ وَاعَدْتَنِي فَجَلَسْتُ لَكَ فَلَمْ تَأْتِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ مَنَعَنِي الْكَلْبُ الَّذِي كَانَ فِي بَيْتِكَ إِنَّا لاَ نَدْخُلُ بَيْتًا فِيهِ كَلْبٌ وَلاَ صُورَةٌ ‏.‏

Reference     : Sahih Muslim 2104 a
In-book reference     : Book 37, Hadith 126
USC-MSA web (English) reference     : Book 24, Hadith 5246

Now, my previous Muslim mind was conditioned to believe that Aisha said these words and that this is a true story. That this was a way of teaching Muhammad and a way of teaching us, his followers. I would not have questioned it.

But, this hadith is full of serious holes and serious questions.

Firstly, Aisha did not say these words. Someone said to Bukhari, that somebody said that he heard from someone who heard from Aisha that.....and so the story continues. (Sorry I didn't want to try and spell the Arabic names into English - I'm lazy!)

So it's a story. A tale. Whether Aisha said it or not who can know? But these are not even words of the Prophet - they're Aisha's words of his words and if you look in Bukhari you will find different versions of this hadith with different bits missing or new details added. This clearly shows the Chinese Whispers effect in terms of what Bukhari ended up with.

Secondly, hold on................. the Prophet threw his staff from his hand? That does not sound like the Prophet according to other hadith and according to history in which Muhammad is painted as a master of patience. Surely throwing your walking stick away in a tantrum because an angel broke a promise to you is not Prophet-like behaviour? Which makes me believe this never happened.

Thirdly, you're telling me the Prophet of God, in receipt of revelation and waiting to commune with the Angel Gabriel, who is hyper-aware and tuned into all dimensions of space and time, didn't realise there was a puppy under his cot? LOL. If you have ever spent 3 mins. with a puppy you will know this is plain absurd and makes a mockery of Muhammad ("unless the puppy was asleep?" but come on...that's making excuses because you have to - apologetics). This is not a hadith - this is nonsense someone made up for some stupid reason!

Fourthly, let's just think about what happened here - a meeting between Gabriel and the Prophet of God was postponed because of a puppy and a picture? If he was a Prophet then why the hell did he have a picture in the house anyway or allow it to be there? And how the hell can an angel with a divine mission be put off by a puppy? A puppy? You are an angel from God, who has ALL power, so how can a puppy "prevent" you?

Come on!? This does not make sense - that makes Islam look dumb. Why aren't Muslims calling this shit out? All we get are people making stuff up about this hadith not being about the house but about your heart, and the dog represents the lower self, the ego. No, sorry - you're making excuses where you can't. It sounds nice but that's crap. Why not just say that instead of a weird story with silent puppies hiding under cots?

Fifthly, did the Prophet really make appointments with Gabriel? We were always taught that Gabriel gave Muhammad revelation randomly, from Allah, not by appointment. I don't get it.

I don't get it because none of this makes any sense that's why. Either the hadith is a total lie or the Prophet did say those things. Either way, it's not good is it?

Dogs are cool - no God would want anyone not to have a dog. If it does, it can not be God. That sounds more like something an idiot human would want or think up.