Why do Dogs start Barking (Howling) at the time of Azan ?

Questions:

Why do dogs cry at the time of Fajr Azan? This is an incident that I’ve noticed very often.

Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

There are many wonders of Allah in His Creation. Dogs are among His Creatures. It is confirmed in a Hadith that dogs see what human beings cannot see.

Abu Dawud reported in his Sunan that Jabir Ibn Abdullah narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said:” If you hear the barking of dogs and the braying of donkeys by night, seek refuge in Allah, as they see what you cannot see”. Albani and others classified this Hadith as authentic.

In Sahih Al Jamie’, following the above Hadith is stated: ..’And reduce going out when it is quiet( when everybody is indoors at night time) as Allah diffuses by night what He wishes among His Creation, and lock your doors and mention the Name of Allah on them as Satan does not open a locked door on which the Name of Allah was mentioned..”

So, if we contemplate the words of this Hadith along with the words of the Hadith reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim narrated by Abu Hurairah from the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam), it could be possible to interpret the barking of dogs at Fajr time because they see the Satans flee away passing wind. Satans do not flee away at fajr Azan only, but they flee away at every Azan, as stated in the Hadith.

However, the barking of dogs at Fajr time is more noticeable than other times, as this time is usually quiet.

This barking could also because of an ordinary reason as before Fajr there is usually no movement of people and it is quiet, but after Fajr there is a movement so dogs start to bark, because of the noise after the time of quietness. Moreover, the barking of dogs at the time of the Azan could be because of reasons other than what is mentioned. It is a matter of the Unseen on which one cannot be absolutely sure except if Allah informs us about it.

Allah knows best.