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Lesson - 28
Al-Baqara
"O men, eat the lawful and good things from what is in
the earth." Ch. 2:168
Dietary laws in Islam
For this lesson I have selected the injunctions regarding food
in Islam. The reason for this is that some young men and women who
have been influenced by western values, raise questions regarding
the prohibition of certain foods. The Divine commandments regarding
food are as follows:
- Eat of whatever is in the earth, provided it is lawful (halal),
and good (tayyib). Those things are lawful which Allah
has declared lawful, and are earned in a manner that is consistent
with the law of God, and the law of the land. Allah has declared
all things lawful, with the exception of a few, but it is essential
that they should be earned in a lawful manner, and those means
that are prohibited by God, and the law of the land should be
avoided.
- The second important law in this matter is:
" Eat and drink and be not prodigal" (7:31).
Most of us eat more than is needed, and this leads to many illnesses,
particularly due to excessive weight gain. Most of us are aware
of the harmful effects of excessive food consumption, however,
excessive consumption of beverages such as water, tea and coffee
can also adversely affect one’s health and well being. In fact,
doctors frequently recommend moderation in the consumption of
both tea and coffee for heavy users. People are not ordinarily
aware of the fact that drinking water in excess of one’s thirst,
can also lead to weight gain, and just as over watering of land
can lead to water logging, excessive consumption of fluids can
be deleterious to the human body. Water consumption should be
regulated by the thirst drive, and over consumption should be
avoided.
- The third significant injunction in this matter is:
"O you who believe, forbid no the good things
which Allah has made lawful for you" (5:87).
What are these good things which have also been previously mentioned
with the lawful ones? Good (tayyib) means that which is
pure, or desirable. An item which is lawful may not be pure, clean
and desirable under certain circumstances. For example, the flesh
of a goat which has been slaughtered in the prescribed manner
is lawful, but it becomes unsuitable (not good) for consumption
if it rots. Eating sugar is lawful, but it is not good (tayyib)
for a patient of diabetes. Islam, according to the Holy Quran
respects the natural likes of people. For example, it is lawful
to consume the meat of a crow, but some people do not like to
eat its meat. It is inappropriate to insist that they should eat
it because it is lawful. Before Islam, the Arabs used to eat dhabb,
a larger variety of a lizard. Islam did not declare it unlawful,
however, when a man cooked some of it and brought it for the Holy
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he declined
to eat it. it is therefore all right to eat lawful things which
are clean, provided they are not rotten or prohibited by the doctor,
and are to one’s liking. The verse that I just quoted states that,
‘do not prohibit for yourself certain good and lawful things.’
This is to discourage certain practices common among some religions,
and unfortunately also practiced by some Muslims, where so called
pirs (spiritualists) prohibit certain foods to practise
self deprivation.
- In the fourth category we will discuss those things which Allah
has forbidden. These are basically four in number, as stated in
this verse:
"He has forbidden you only what dies of itself,
and blood, and the flesh of the swine, and that over which any
other name than that of Allah has been invoked" (2:173).
More details of this are provided in chapter five, verse three,
where it is stated that, ‘what dies by itself,’ includes which
dies by strangulation (for example, a goat which gets strangulated
on its tie), that dying of injury, or that which the wild beasts
have eaten except what you slaughter before it dies. In all these
situations blood letting by slaughtering which is essential for
purifying the meat has not occurred. It has also been further
clarified in this verse that animals which are slaughtered without
invoking the name of Allah include those that are slaughtered
in front of the idols.
Why certain foods are forbidden
Now I will further discuss the above mentioned forbidden foods
in order to elaborate the philosophy behind this Divine injunction.
First let us consider the animal that dies naturally. Obviously
such an animal was stricken by some disease. Eating its flesh creates
the possibility of being infected by it. It is also quite possible
that such an animal may have putrefied inside, although this may
not be apparent by superficial observation. The process of slaughtering
eliminates the blood from the flesh as the heart of the animal continues
to beat and pump the blood out, although the animal is unconscious
and not feeling any pain. The flesh of an animal that is not slaughtered
still contains blood, and decomposes at a faster rate. Food affects
human character, as I will discuss later on, and also affects physical
appearance. For example, animals like vultures and hyenas that eat
the flesh of other dead animals, have an abominable appearance.
This has been my personal observation as well. Several years ago
while employed in Bombay, I noticed that races which consumed carrion
possessed not only bad habits, and low levels of morality, but also
had unpleasant physical characteristics. In any case, one cannot
deny the fact that the animal which dies of itself is usually disease
infected. And consumption of its flesh creates a health hazard.
Now let us discuss the prohibition on blood consumption. Scientific
research has now proven that all germs, bacteria, viruses, and waste
materials circulate n the body through the bloodstream. Disease
causing germs, toxic materials, and waste products of metabolism
are carried to and from body organs and the skin by the circulation
of blood. Blood deteriorates faster than flesh, and for this reason
meat that contains blood putrefies quickly. Consuming blood separately,
therefore, can be deleterious to health. You may be surprised to
learn that there are certain groups amongst the Sikhs and the Gurkhas
who consume blood. Since food affects the character traits of the
consumer, those who have fought against such groups are well aware
of their bloodthirsty ferocity. Those who do not consume blood separately,
but consume it along with the meat are also more ferocious than
the nations that do not consume blood at all, such as the Jews and
the Muslims. That is why a Muslim soldier is a more civilized soldier.
Animals that consume blood, such as lions and tigers, are also well
known for their ferocity.
The prohibition on the consumption of the flesh of the swine
will now be discussed. The Jewish religion prohibits the flesh of
the swine, and Jesus showed his disdain for it by making some evil
spirits enter into the swine. The adverse health affects of pork
are also being gradually discovered. Not only is it the most indigestible
form of flesh, but it can also spread many illnesses which are not
prevented even by cooking it. The greatest disadvantage however,
is that food affects character. The swine has a particular character
trait of being the only animal which has no territorial instincts,
or sense of honor regarding its female mate, or with regards to
sexual behavior in general. Not only does it not protest the mating
of other swine with its female, but actually encourages such behavior.
The shamelessness which has occurred as a result of pork consumption,
is quite evident in the western societies, today. The fact that
food affects the character of an animal, has now been confirmed
by some scientific experiments. These are mentioned in the January
1973 issue of the Reader’s Digest magazine, where it is proven that
the character traits of one animal can be transmitted to another
by means of food. If this is true for the animals, it has to be
true for the humans as well.
Finally, the consumption of the flesh of an animal over which
any other name than that of Allah has been invoked, is prohibited.
The reason for this is that since Allah is the Creator of Allah
life, only He has the right to take it. Since it is not practically
possible for man to seek permission from Allah every time an animal
is to be slaughtered, therefore, Allah permitted man to invoke His
name whenever he slaughters an animal. This is equivalent to seeking
Divine permission for taking the life of that animal. If mention
is made of the name of an idol, or a religious personality, then
it is tantamount to considering that idol, or person as the master
and creator of the animal being slaughtered, and this amounts to
association with God, Who is the real Creator and Master. Hence,
an animal sacrificed before an idol is considered unlawful. As far
as monotheism is concerned, Islam has perfected the law to such
a degree that anything which even slightly affects its sanctity
is prohibited.
Dietary laws relaxed in times of necessity
The Holy Quran, while prohibiting the four things mentioned above,
has provided for exemption in case of a person who is driven by
necessity. This is stated in the verse:
"Then whoever is driven by necessity, not desiring,
nor exceeding limit, no sin is upon him. Surely Allah is Forgiving,
Merciful" (2:173).
For example, if a person’s life is endangered due to hunger, or
there is some other compulsion (as was done to some Muslims by non-Muslims),
transgression of the dietary law is not a sin, provided the transgressor
does not desire such unlawful things, and also does not go beyond
what is necessary. His situation is under the forgiveness and mercy
of Allah.
Hadith relating to dietary prohibitions
In the Hadith, it is stated, that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited all beasts of prey
with a nab (the canine tooth), such as the lions, wolves,
dogs and all birds of prey with a claw, such as kites etc. The Holy
Quran states:
"Not does he speak out of desire. It is naught
, but revelation that is revealed" (53:3,4)
i.e., the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
does not say anything out of his own desire, but only what is revealed
to him through inner revelation. All sayings of the Holy Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fall under this category,
and therefore, these types of animals are also forbidden.
All of marine life has been made lawful , as stated in this
verse:
"Lawful to you is the game of the sea and its food"
(5:96).
These do not require to be slaughtered (Bukhari 11:72). Some of
these do not contain blood, and the ones that do have it in very
small quantity, and its effect is different. All game is lawful,
even if it is caught with hunting dogs, or hunting birds, provided
that the name of Allah is recited on it. (5:4). If there is no opportunity
to slaughter the game, one should recite, ‘In the name of Allah,
Allah is the Greatest (Bismillah, Allahu Akbar),’ before
letting the hunting dog or bird lose. The same injunction applies
to hunting with a bow or a rifle.
The food of the people of the book is lawful (5:5). The Holy
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, if you
are in doubt as to the name of Allah having been recited on it,
or to its being slaughtered properly, recite yourself, ‘In the name
of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, Allah is the Greatest,’
on it before consuming it (Bukhari 20:72). The people of the book
include all those nations that have a revealed scripture, such as
the Christians, Jews, Hindus, Parsees, etc.
Allah has made lawful all foods except the few mentioned above.
To insist on eating these unlawful things is rebelling against the
authority of Allah which is the result of persuasion of the devil,
as stated in this verse:
"O men, eat the lawful, and good things from what
is on the earth, and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Surely
he is an open enemy to you" (2:168).
How can man learn to submit, if he is not prohibited from certain
things, and given the opportunity to comply with such prohibition.
If a person insists on eating the four or five items that Allah
has prohibited when He, Allah has given him hundreds of thousands
of lawful things to eat, then this is nothing else but rebellion
and insubordination an instigation of the devil. I have already
shown that these Divine injunctions in this matter are not without
a reason.
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