Dog Love

Today Lily jumped up on my side of the bed to tell me she's back in the game. So we walked around and walked up the hill to see the expansive view of the city.

Taking your dog for a walk is an important ritual in keeping your dog (and dog owner) mentally stable. A dog, as an animal, is a walker/traveler by instinct. Packs of dogs get up in the morning and walk.
- Dog Breed Info


Before embarking on discussion of the Sufis’ attitude towards the dog and commenting on the dogs attributes, let me first introduce this text by quoting ‘Ali ebn Abi Taleb, the seminal figure of Sufism:

Happy is the one who leads the life of a dog! For the dog has ten characteristics which every believer should possess. First, the dog has no status among creatures;
second, the dog is a pauper having no worldly goods;
third, the entire earth is his resting place;
fourth, the dog goes hungry most of the time;
fifth, the dog will not leave his master’s door even after having received a hundred lashes;
sixth, he protects his master and his friend, and when someone approaches he will attack the foe and let the friend pass;
seventh, he guards his master by night, never sleeping;
eighth, he performs most of his duties silently;
ninth, he is content with whatever his master gives him;
and tenth, when he dies, he leaves no inheritance.

- Dogs from a Sufi Point of View by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh

Sufism takes advantage of an Arabic pun: a dog (kalb كلب) and the heart (qalb قلب).