Question Summary:
i am living with a non muslim family they sponsered me…and i am having problem cause they have a dog here and it keeps touchin me.

Question Detail:

salam there i am a muslim and i have moved from england to australia to play cricket ere for 6 months.... i am living with a non muslim family they sponsered me...and i am having problem cause they have a dog here and it keeps touchin me.. also the mosques are far as i dont know my directions in this new country.. how can i try pray namazes in a non muslim house please help me cos i am struggling alot thank you..ALLAH HAFIZ

Answer :

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh
Respected brother, a dog in is not the only problem a Muslim would face whilst staying in the house of a non-Muslim. We recommend that you find a close-by mosque where you can offer at least a few prayers daily and the Jumu’ah prayer on Fridays. This will give you the opportunity to interact with the Muslims and benefit from the Islamic environment. Every Muslim needs an Islamic environment to recharge and maintain his iman. Once you find a mosque you should be able to get in touch with a scholar or imam who could guide you further. Kindly inform us of the state and suburb you are in so that we can send you the addresses of a few mosques near-by.
As far as your queries are concerned; the body of a dog is not impure, only its saliva is impure. Hence, if the dog’s body touches your body or clothes, you do not have to wash it. However, it will be a different case if there is some impurity on the dog’s body. If, however, the saliva of the dog besmears your body or clothes and the besmeared area is more than three centimetres in diameter, you will have to wash the besmeared area before you can offer any salat.
One may offer the salat in any place including the house of a non-Muslim as long as the place on which salat is being offered is pure of all impurities (such as urine, stool, semen, etc.). However, if the impurity is of an excusable amount (less than three centimetres in diameter), there is no harm in this. The “place on which salat is being offered” refers to that place where the feet are placed and also those places which touch the ground when in sajdah, i.e. wherever the knees, hands, and forehead are placed. If the carpet or floor is impure you may spread out a clean sheet and pray on it.
In Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales the Qiblah is towards the west approximately. If in Northern Territory, Western Australia or South Australia then face West of North West when praying (face West and turn slightly to the right). For the exact direction of Qiblah from your location have a look at: www.qibladirection.com
Bahishti Zewar vol. 1 pg. 43, 147
And Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Ml. Faizal Riza
Correspondent Studen of Iftaa from Australia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah