The short answer
The man who gave water to a dog is a story the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, told. A thirsty man climbed down a well to bring a thirsty dog water, and Allah thanked him and forgave him. He said there is reward in caring for every living creature. It is in Sahih al-Bukhari 2363, also recorded in Sahih Muslim, graded sahih.
The story
1Thirst
A man was walking when his thirst grew severe.
2The well
He went down into a well, drank, and came back out.
3The dog
He saw a dog panting and eating damp earth from thirst.
4The water
He went back down, filled his leather sock, and gave the dog water.
The Prophet described a man who was walking along when his thirst became severe. He went down into a well, drank from it, and came back out. There he saw a dog panting and eating damp earth because of its thirst. The man said: this dog has reached the same state I was in.
He went back down the well, filled his leather sock (khuff) with water, held it in his mouth as he climbed up, and gave the dog water to drink. Allah thanked him for it and forgave him. The people asked whether there is reward for them even in caring for animals. The Prophet answered that there is reward in every living being.
A note from us: the "shoe" in the English translation is a khuff, a leather foot covering.
Where does this story come from?
1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 2363
- Collection
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2363 Book 42, Hadith 11
- Grading
- Authentic
- Narrated by
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him
- Record checked
- 17 October 2026
"This (dog) is suffering from the same problem as that of mine. ... Yes, there is a reward for serving any animate."
USC-MSA translation via sunnah.com (bukhari:2363)
What it teaches
- Mercy to animals is rewarded by Allah.
- Empathy that turns into effort: he recognised his own suffering in the animal and went to real trouble to help.
- There is reward in caring for every living creature.
What it does not mean
- That one good deed erases every sin regardless of repentance or the rights of others.
- That the man was from an earlier nation: the narration only says "a man".
- Any name, place or backstory for the man.
- Rulings on keeping dogs or on their purity; this narration is not about that.
Mum told me the story of the man and the thirsty dog when I was small and had been unkind to the cat next door. I was embarrassed. I still think of it when I walk past a bowl of water.
Try it: what do you remember?
Three questions on the story. Each answer points to its source.
1What did the man carry the water in?
Answer: His leather sock. He filled his leather sock (khuff) with water and held it in his mouth as he climbed. Source 1
2What did Allah do for him?
Answer: Thanked him and forgave him. The narration says Allah thanked him for it and forgave him. Source 1
3What did the Prophet say there is reward in?
Answer: In caring for every living being. Asked whether there is reward in caring for animals, he said there is reward in every living being. Source 1
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
The Prophet told of a thirsty man who drank from a well, saw a dog suffering the same thirst, climbed down again to bring it water in his shoe, and Allah thanked him and forgave him; he then said there is reward for kindness to every living creature.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2363 Book 42, Hadith 11
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
Next
Join the email list
New guides by email, now and then. No spam, and you can leave at any time.
Ilmwell is free and kept going by readers. See how to support it.