To what extent is the report valid, narrated from Uthman ibn Affan in Musnad Ahmad, that he ordered the killing of dogs and the slaughtering of pigeons? And does that mean the unlawfulness of raising pigeons? And what is the validity of the statement that it was a hobby of the people of Lut?

Only one hadith has been authenticated regarding the dispraise of keeping pigeons: "a devil following a she-devil," and it was interpreted as a dispraise for negligence in remembering Allah. Some of the Salaf dispraised playing with pigeons, and scholars interpreted this dispraise as applying to specific situations: such as peeking at people's private parts, harming neighbors, stealing pigeons, or being distracted by them from one's duties. As for keeping pigeons for breeding, selling, eating, or companionship, there is no harm in it.