Hadith Text and Context

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: "Verily, Allah has forbidden the price of a dog, the earnings of a prostitute, and the fee of a fortune-teller." This hadith is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari (2282) and establishes clear divine prohibitions regarding specific types of transactions and earnings.

Prohibition of Dog's Price

Scholars explain that the prohibition of selling dogs applies to all dogs except those specifically permitted for legitimate purposes - hunting dogs, guard dogs for livestock, and farm dogs. The wisdom behind this prohibition includes the dog's ritual impurity (najasah) in Islamic law and the prevention of keeping dogs as mere luxury pets, which contradicts the dignified purpose of creation.

Imam An-Nawawi commented that the majority of scholars consider the price of a prohibited dog to be unlawful (haram), whether the purchaser knew the prohibition or not, as the transaction itself is invalid.

Earnings of Prostitution

This prohibition emphasizes the sanctity of human sexuality in Islam, confining it to lawful marriage. Prostitution violates human dignity, spreads corruption in society, and breaks family ties. The earnings from such illicit relationships are considered impure and unacceptable, regardless of the amount.

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani explains in Fath al-Bari that this prohibition extends to all forms of unlawful sexual relations and their financial proceeds, as they involve the violation of Allah's boundaries.

Charges of Soothsayers

Soothsayers and fortune-tellers claim knowledge of the unseen, which belongs exclusively to Allah. Taking payment for such false claims constitutes earning through deception and falsehood. This prohibition protects the Islamic creed (aqidah) from shirk (associating partners with Allah) and superstition.

Classical scholars like Ibn Qudamah state that this prohibition includes all forms of occult practices - astrology, palm reading, and any claim to supernatural knowledge - as they involve trespassing into Allah's exclusive domain of the unseen.

Legal and Ethical Implications

This hadith establishes the Islamic principle that the means of earning must be lawful (halal) and pure. Wealth acquired through prohibited means carries no blessing and may lead to spiritual corruption. Muslims are required to seek lawful sustenance and avoid any transactions involving clear prohibitions.

The comprehensive wisdom behind these prohibitions includes protecting society's moral fabric, maintaining spiritual purity, preserving human dignity, and upholding the sanctity of Islamic creed and transactions.