4 pages of jiber jabbing and hardly anything worth readnig let alone answer the poor guy's questions....
Sinbad,
You have to understand that everything that Muslims do today (religion wise) is based on the Quran and the Sunnah (way of the Prophet *saws*). What ever is haraam or halaal is becuase Allah made it to be. No one has any authority other than Allah to make that call. So An overall to all your questions is that Allah commanded us and we obey. Sometimes we know why but sometimes we don't know and won't know and sometimes we find out later as our knowledge of the world around us increases and then we understand the Allah's wisdom of making something haraam or halaa.
As you know Quran is thet word of Allah and so Allah is the author of this book and no on has put anything it or taken out since it's revelations. Here is what Allah says on all those questions you mentioned:
2: 173 " He has forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and flesh of swine , and on which any other name has been invoked besides that of Allah. But if one is forced by necessity without willful disobedience, nor transgressing, due limits.... than he is not guilty, for Allah is forgiving, merciful."
5:4 " Forbidden to you are: Dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine and that on which has been invoked a name other than Allah's, and that killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death: That which has been eaten by a wild animal: Unless you are able to slaughter it, that which has been sacrificed on stone: (forbidden) also is the divination of arrows: that is impiety.
6:145 "Say: I find not in the Message received by me by inspiration any meat forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat of it, unless it be dead meat, or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine, for it is an abomination, - or what is impious, (meat) on which a name has been invoked, other than God's. But even so, if a person is forced by necessity without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, - Your Lord is Oft-Forgiving , Most Merciful."
16:115 "He has-only forbidden you dead meat, and blood; and the flesh of swine, and any (food) over which the name of other than God has been invoked. But if one is forced by necessity without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, - Your Lord is Oft-Forgiving , Most Merciful."
And now i'll go into details inshallah to answer each question individually.
First, a little pre-information...
HORMONES:
These are the powerful secretions of Endocfine (internal) glands. They control the functions of all organs, and even individual cells. They are made from proteins (peptides) or sterols in nature. The endocrine glands are hypothalmus which secretes various releasing hormones for pituitary, and pituitary which secretes hormones for target endocrine glands. Both of them are inside the brain. Target endocrine glands are thyroid hormones.
Thyroid hormones control our metabolism, energy level, and temperature tolerance. Behind them are para-thyroid gland which control our calcium metabolism. In the abdomen are adrenal glands above the kidneys which secrete cortisone, the life saving essential hormone, and catecholamines and aldosterone which control our blood pressure and heart-rate. steroids and catecholamines are derived from cholesterol. Also in the abdomen is the pancreas which secretes insulin which lowers blood sugar, and glycogen which raises a low blood sugar. Lower down in the pelvis are gonads, ovaries in women, and testes in men, which secrete estrogen, progesterone and testosterone respectively. All these hormones have internal control, and influence each other. They control our growth, muscle mass, bone development, temperature tolerance, blood pressure, energy, fertility, sex desire, thirst, and well being in general.
HOW DO HORMONES AFFECT BEHAVIOR:
The site of secretion of releasing hormone, and of neurotransmitter in the brain are the same in the hypothalmic area. Most of the psychotropic drugs either act by increasing or decreasing the neurotransmitter levels i.e epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine or endorphrin level in the hypothalmic area. Similarly, peurotransmitters influence hormone secretion.
Clinically we see various behavioral manifestations in endocrine disorders. Hypoglycemic patients (low blood sugar) suffer from depression and poor mental concentration and patients with low thyroid have impotency and depression, while patients with high thyroid have agitation, irritability, and lack of sleep. Patients with low cortisone (Addison Disease) have severe depression while with high cortisone have hallucination and psychosis. Patients with high testosterone have been claimed to have criminal tendencies (i.e. rapists) while low testosterone have behavioral problems in adjustment. Patients with calcium changes.
Physiologically, boys and girls are different in playing behavior i.e. aggressive versus passive (playing with mechanical toys and guns versus dolls) due to difference in their sex hormone even in pre-pubertal age. This becomes more obvious after full sex differentiation takes place. In fact, by changing the sex hormone level of a given sex one can change not only the sexual behavior but the aggressiveness of a particular sex. Homosexual males have been noted to have less male sex hormones, and on the other hand, repeated sex offending males can be "cured" by castration or by the injection of the female hormone progesterone. In one experiment, female rats whose mothers were treated with testosterone while pregnant showed male behavior pattern of threatening peer, rough play, and increased sexual activity as compared to a control rat. This shows that testosterone not only affects the individual, but the offspring as well. Girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (excessive testosterone secretion) when in post puberty age show tomboy attitude with liking rough sports, preferring boys as playmates, and low interest in dolls and baby care. Sexual behavior is not only affected by testosterone, but also by the pineal gland which is turned off and on by light and darkness.
Hormones, not directly but indirectly by controlling\sugar, calcium, sodium balance,affect behavior in general to include anger, love, anxiety, panic attacks, and agitation. The hyperactivity in children could be due to low blood sugar or due to many food preservatives and coloring agent like nitrites, and Dye No. 5.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Sinbad
Why does islam say that pigs are haram? Iv heard its cause the arabs used to have sheeps that can stand being slaughtered and then exploited under the sun. while pigs have to be in cooled areas or they will be bad for you.
And the arabs slaughtered them let them stand and they got bad and they made it haram.
HORMONAL AND BEHAVIORAL EEFFECT OF PORK MEAT AND FAT INGESTION:
Pork meat and fat are not only prohibited to Muslims, but were also prohibited to Jews and Christians as well because "Swine were designed to be scavengers, to eat up filth." In old testament Leviticus Chapter 7-8, it is mentioned about swine " Though he divides the hoof and be cloven footed, yet he cheweth not the cud, he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall you not eat." There is no mention in the Bible that Jesus ever ate pork in his life. It was Paul who declared all food and drink permissible saying, "To the pure, everything is pure."
THE LIFE OF THE SWINE:
To get a first hand idea, I interviewed farmers of Fisher, Indiana, who breed swine. According to them "Swine is cheaper to breed, since it does not require pasture, it can live on manure and other such items including dead meat. In fact, it can even eat its own feces. Their sexual habits are also different from other animals like cow, sheep and goat. Swine have very little shame i.e. engage in sex acts anytime anyplace. The female hog is very aggressive in sexual activities when she is in "heat" she does not care about anything (i.e. food or privacy) until she has the sex. They i.e. swine, also lick the genitals of their partners after sex like dogs, but not other mammals like cow, sheep or goat."
WHY IS PORK FAT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER ANIMAL FAT:
Fats are lipids which are a source of energy. They can be of vegetable source or of animal source. Triglycerides are neutral fats with 1 molecule of glycerol and three fatty acids. The fatty acids can be saturated or unsaturated.The more unsaturated fats have high melting points. The iodine value of fat gives the degree of un saturation. The iodine value of lard is 65, beef 45, and mutton 32. After ingestion, emulsification of fat takes place in the stomach by gastric lipase. By pancreatic lipase hydrolysis of triglyceride into glycerol and fatty acids takes place. The fatty acids and glycerol are used by various tissues like muscle, heart, kidney, and liver for an energy source. Herbivorous (plant eating) animals have unsaturated fatty acid on the position 2 of the triglyceride (tg) molecule, while the carnivorous (meat eating )animals have saturated fatty acid at the position 2. Pancreatic lipase (pl) can not hydrolyze TG molecule if saturated fatty acid at position 2. Fat of dogs, rats, cats, and pork, have saturated fatty acids on positions 2. If a person eats fat of herbivomus animal, the fat will be hydrolyzed, absorbed, and then re synthesized and stored as human fat, while that of carnivorous animals and pork fat will not be hydrolyzed and therefore has to be deposited in humans as pork fat in the adipose tissue.
WHAT HAS DEPOSITION OF PORK FAT TO DO WITH HORMONE AND BEHAVIOR IN HUMANS:
Circulating hormones are in bound form and free form. The free form has to be attached to receptor in fat tissue before becoming active. Obesity decreases the number of receptors therefore the hormones cannot be utilized. Therefore, if the hormone is insulin, it leads to diabetes (type 2); and if it is testosterone, it leads to sub fertility and amenorrhea. The amount of fat also controls hormone release. Therefore we see menarche is delayed in athletic girls with less fat, and occurs early in sedentary overweight girls.
It can be postulated that in humans who have pork fat deposit there is derangement in the binding of hormones, therefore they have a higher level of circulating active hormone. It is possible that the sexual promiscuity and deviant sexual practices of pork eating society is due to what they eat! After all, it has been said by nutritionists, "Yor are what you eat."
Since this is a paper on hormones and behavior, the time does not permit discussing the effect of pork on cholesterol, sodium and the relationship to heart disease.
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Also you will find this interesting.....
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A Pig’s Tale
Millions of dollars are spent each year to understand which foods are healthy and which are not. Did you know that this information was documented millennia ago?
BY BRADFORD G. SCHLEIFER
Each day, millions of people consume three square meals, intended to power their bodies throughout the day. In the hustle and bustle of our modern society, these meals are increasingly becoming more processed and less natural than at any time in history.
How is this affecting society’s overall health? The result can be seen in the explosion of sickness, disease and overall lack of good health. But most never make the connection between what they eat and how they feel-and are doomed to a lifetime of illness and fatigue.
Much of the problem is directly tied to a social ignorance of health, diet and our bodies. Modern science has not helped. While having a discussion relating to health and diet, one nutritionist, who develops menus for high schools, stated that the link between what one eats and how one feels has been blown out of proportion. She went on to state that the origin of sickness is unknown, and that this is the reason we have doctors.
But what have doctors and medical science been able to accomplish? Very few illnesses and diseases are actually cured, and fewer still are prevented! Western medicine has been designed to
react to an illness and not help one
prevent illnesses and maintain health.
It is interesting to note that most recognize what poisons do to the body. They understand that if one consumes cyanide, he will die. Conversely, many parents tell their kids to “eat your vegetables.” Yet, a broader connection to diet is never established.
There exists a book written millennia ago that details what mankind should and should not eat to maintain health and avoid disease. That book, man’s overall Instruction Manual on how to live, is the Bible. As you will see, science continues to prove the laws contained in its pages! However, mankind has ignored this book as a source of knowledge and has spent the last 6,000 years trying to “figure out” what was already written.
In the second book of the Bible, a very detailed set of dietary laws are established. These set the basis for what creatures were designed to be eaten and which ones were created for other purposes.
Leviticus 11 describes each of these animals in detail, but in this short article, we will cover only the most popular. We will look at the
science of the matter, and show that the Bible has been right all along.
The body of evidence is vast and it may change what makes up
your three square meals forever.
“The Other White Meat”
Without a doubt, the most popular of these animals are pigs. This pug-nosed “treat” is served in backyards as pork chops, at breakfast tables as bacon or as delicacies in five-star restaurants. Supporting its consumption are powerful organizations that push its health and safety in the media and political lobbies. The result is that swine comprises a large portion of the North American menu.
But is it as safe and healthy as some would have you believe?
Much insight into the pig can be ascertained by how they are raised and what
they will eat. Many have heard the expression, “you are what you eat,” and what a pig will eat is shocking. We will also look at how pigs digest their food and how they differ from many other meats.
A pig’s digestive system-unlike a cow’s-is not designed to filter toxins from its system. These toxins work their way through the pig and are deposited in the animal’s flesh-especially in its fat deposits. The pig itself is actually able to sustain very high levels of toxins in its system. As such, it can eat just about anything. So much so that it has actually been reported that in an effort to keep feed costs down, pig farmers will purchase garbage, such as rotting meat and vegetables from restaurants, to feed their pigs-and the pigs can be sustained on it. However, there is nothing in the pig’s digestive system, or the processing of the meat, that removes these toxins.
Farmers have even reported pigs chewing and eating the cancer of other animals!
More interesting still is the time it takes for such things, like the garbage and cancer described above, to become flesh. For most animals, this is a much slower process, taking about 12 hours. This gives the animal’s digestive system time to filter toxins, poisons and deadly parasites from entering the bloodstream and being deposited in its flesh. Also, because most food is turned into muscle, more time is required for that muscle to form.
The same is
not true for the pig. Much of what it eats quickly turns into flesh in just four hours. Not only does this mean that toxins are not filtered, but most of the flesh takes the form of fat!
Even in humans, body fat is where most toxins are stored. Typically, when the body does not know how to deal with a substance, it surrounds it with fat and stores it to keep the rest of the body safe from that substance. The same is true in pigs. While they have other methods to dump the extremely deadly toxins from their system, the highest concentration will be in the fat tissue.
This is why a March 1950
Reader’s Digest article stated that pork contains “myriads of baffling and sinister parasites.” But this should not be a surprise.
Cleaners-Not Clean Meat
Pigs are designed as natural vacuum cleaners. They will eat just about anything-garbage, carcasses or even their own urine and feces. Most of this consumption causes no harm to the pig. They were
designed to do such things. They are so efficient at the task that when land is cleared for a golf course, pigs are let loose to eat all the poisonous snakes-with no harm to the pigs.
Every animal has its purpose. Scavengers, such as the pig, are designed to clean-not to be eaten! Some of the “cleaning” features of the pig are remarkable.
One such feature is located under its hooves. Often referred to as poison ducts or running sores, these “sores” act as a conduit for poisons to ooze from the pig’s body. This is one reason pigs can eat poisonous snakes that would kill other creatures and not be affected themselves. However, these ducts will often become “plugged” from the amount of toxins pigs must excrete from their bodies. If this becomes the case, a farmer must quickly have the pig slaughtered and sent to the market before it dies. As you may well imagine, the meat from such an animal is riddled with parasites and toxins.
One case-in-point: A mink farm in New Holstein, Wisconsin ordered beef livers to feed their minks. The supplier accidentally shipped pig livers instead. The result? Every mink that ate the livers died!
The toxicity of the animal is not just limited to meat and organs! Even the saliva of the pig can be horribly infectious. In fact, one disease, called “mad itch,” will cause a cow to rub all the skin from its mouth-to the point of suicide. All that is required for cows to contract this disease is to come in contact with a pig’s saliva residue in shared food supplies!
Worm Civilizations
Inside the animal is a myriad of worms and parasites. For instance, a pig can sustain 19 different kinds of worms inside its body. Some have very minor effects in humans, but others have much more
long-lasting effects.
One such organism is the worm responsible for trichinosis. This is also the most widely published of the worms found in pork that affect humans.
Like most organisms found in pork, this worm is contracted when one consumes meat containing trichinae larva. Once in your intestine, these larvae hatch from their protective cysts and grow into adult roundworms. These roundworms then produce offspring that can burrow through your intestinal wall. From this point, they enter your lymphatic system and can move throughout your body via the bloodstream. They then implant themselves in tissues that allow them to grow.
Studies have shown that their larvae have been found in heart, diaphragm, lung and brain tissue. Those infected with trichinosis can experience a wide range of symptoms-abdominal discomfort, cramping, diarrhea, muscle pain (especially muscle pain with breathing, chewing, or using large muscles) and fever. If the damage to the tissue is severe, the long-term problems are never-ending.
And this is just
one of the 19 parasites found in pork!
SYMPTOMS OF TRICHINOSIS
Many assume that trichinosis is uncommon in the modern day. This is mostly due to the fact that this disease is extremely hard to detect in humans.
Trichinosis is often misdiagnosed as any of the following: Arthritis, acute alcoholism, conjunctivitis, food poisoning, lead poisoning, heart disease, laryngitis, mumps, asthma, rheumatism, rheumatic fever, rheumatic myocarditis, gout, tuberculosis, angioneurotic edema, dermatomyositis, frontal sinusitis, influenza, nephritis, peptic ulcer, appendicitis, cholecystitis, malaria, scarlet fever, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, undulant fever, encephalitis, gastroenteritis, intercoastal neuritis, tetanus, pleurisy, colitis, meningitis, syphilis, typhus and cholera.
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UNDER FINGERNAILS: Trichinosis, as shown here, can be manifested by splinter hemorrhages under the finger nails.
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MICROSCOPIC VIEW: This micrograph reveals developing Trichinella cysts within human muscle tissue. After exposure to gastric acid and pepsin, the larvae are released from the cysts and invade the small bowel mucosa where they develop into adult worms. After one week, the females release larvae that migrate to the striated muscles where they encyst.
This is why Dr. Maurice C. Hall, Zoology Chief at the U.S. Public Health Service, stated, “It appears to be a legitimate demand that, when a man exchanges dollars for pork, he should not do it, on the basis that he may be purchasing his death warrant.” This statement was made many years ago, leaving some to wonder if the pork purchased today is much leaner and healthier (as asserted by suppliers).
So-called experts will argue that properly cooking pork at 167 degrees Fahrenheit will destroy all the bacteria and worms in it. But studies have proven this not to be the case. One university heated trichinae-infested pig meat to an incredibly high temperature (nearly 500 degrees Fahrenheit) to test this theory. Even when the meat reached temperatures that could not be viably reproduced in one’s home, it still contained living worms. Simple organisms like these worms are remarkably resilient, and thoroughly cooking the pork does not make it safe.
And some of these parasites, like trichinosis, can be incredibly hard to detect. Former chairman of the New York Trichinosis Commission, Senator Thomas C. Desmond, stated, “Physicians have confused trichinosis with some 50 ailments, ranging from Typhoid Fever to Acute Alcoholism…That pain in your arm or leg may be arthritis or rheumatism, but it may be trichinosis. That pain in your back may mean a gall-bladder involvement, but it may mean trichinosis.”
Body’s Response
Another interesting fact about pork is related to how the human body digests animal fat. The process is called hydrolysis. Studies show that when you eat animal fat, it undergoes a conversion process that changes it from beef fat, for instance, into human fat-the form in which it is stored in the body. This allows the body to remove some of the toxins and to create tissue that is able to be converted into energy when needed.
Yet, pork is not subject to hydrolysis. Anytime you have pork chops or sausage, its fat is stored in the body as PORK FAT! As we have seen, fat stores much of the toxins. Therefore, you are storing the most toxic form of the animal!
As previously stated, when the body does not know how to deal with something-like toxins-it isolates it. In the case of toxins, it stores them in fat. Since your body was never designed to ingest swine fat, it does not know how to do deal with it. So it isolates it, unchanged as pig fat on your body!
And this tissue is not even useful for energy. To convert these pork fat deposits into usable energy, the body must burn up large amounts of glucose-an essential element of brain function. This can lead to a feeling of chronic hunger, which leads to the consumption of more meat-and the vicious cycle continues.
Studies have also shown that those who regularly eat pork are more prone to ulcerous skin infections. This should not be surprising, because ulcerous skin infections are COMMON on living pigs and, as we have seen, cooking does not kill all the worms and parasites in pork.
Other Deadly Creatures
We have focused on the most popular of unclean meats, but there are many reasons why certain birds, seafood and other creatures are also unhealthy. One example is that of clams and oysters. Typically, these shellfish are eaten raw. It has been found that 50 to 70% of all clams and oysters are contaminated with salmonella. Not only that, but such bottom-feeding creatures are typically saturated with heavy metals, such as mercury.
Another example would be that of armadillos. Not only are these creatures unclean to eat, but studies show they may even be dangerous to handle, as they may serve as reservoirs for leprosy.
One final study also bears some investigation. Though it was conducted many years ago, a modern “update” of this study, with a more exact toxicology analysis, would show similar results. A 1953 study published in the “Bulletin of the History of Medicine,” and written by Dr. David Macht, M.D., tested a variety of biblically clean and unclean animals for levels of toxicity. His finding confirmed everything covered so far. Every animal that the Bible declared as clean was found to be non-toxic. Conversely, each animal declared as unclean was found to be toxic and inedible based on these tests. Keep in mind that this study took place in a much less toxic society, so the same animals would be much more toxic today! It took mankind 6,000 years to determine this fact that has always been in the pages of the Bible!
Time and time again, study of these scavengers show that they are well-designed to clean, but they are not clean to eat. Just as you would not go into a sewage plant for dinner, you should not eat these natural sewage processors!
It takes very little investigation to learn why the Bible teaches what it has for thousands of years. God declares certain animals unclean and they are designated as such for a reason!
The Bible itself has
never wavered on these teachings. If you look at the first book of the Bible-Genesis-you will find that Noah was instructed to take seven pairs of clean animals and one pair of unclean. Even then, God wanted mankind to eat what was created to be food and not to eat things that would poison him.
This is particularly important in the context of the account of the Flood. God was cleansing the world to start anew. He could have easily allowed for anything to be eaten if that was His choice. But He inspired this grouping of animals and the recording of it in Genesis as a lesson for us today.
For centuries, the Bible has been discounted as either a book of “stories” or some “good concepts”-it is not
believed for what it says!Man ignores its plain teachings-including that of clean and unclean meats. You have seen that before science could prove it to be true, God’s Word told the truth. And this truth is only the tip of the iceberg. If you follow the laws that God set forth regarding diet, not only will you be pleasing the Creator of the universe, but you will enjoy bounding energy and solid health. Continue to dig deeper-what you may discover will most certainly surprise you!
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So just to sum up all that,
1. pig is natur'e trashbin that eats anything and everything
2. pig is infested with all kinds of parasites, worms and other creatures
3. pig doesn't really have a neck that can be sliced properly in an islamic way
4. Most important of all, Quranic verses above clearly forbid it and we obey
Why is blood forbidden to drink or eat? I love blood, especially as pudding but sausage is good to!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pudding
Black pudding or blood pudding is a sausage made by cooking blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. Blood sausage is a more recent North American term for the same as well as a useful term for similar blood-based solid foods around the world.
Firstly, it is forbidden as stated in the Quran in the above verses. That alone suffices us and we obey our Lord. As for medically speaking, read on...
EFFECTS OF DEAD MEAT AND BLOOD INGESTION:
Dead meat is the meat of animal which died before slaughtering and blood could not flow out, and blood ingestion is not only the drinking of blood as it was prevalent in the Jahiliya of Arabia or even now in Africa (and in France) but also the blood which is retained inside the meat by improper killing of the animal. All hormones, and antibodies are retained in the blood, and all infective organisms including virus flourish in the blood media, therefore ingestion of such will be dangerous midecally. It may also induce animal instincts as seen in carnivorous animals like dogs, cats, and lions.
Also, read...
The reason why it is forbidden to eat meat without draining the blood
Why does islam say that dogs are filthy and bad?
Iv heard that its cause they lick people, and the arabs didnt like that, thinking they made them filthy.
Islam doesn't say dogs are filthy and bad, but rather certain spots of them like the saliva, muzzle and the mouth area. They drink from toilets, lick their private parts and other stuff which makes all that area impure and touching it makes one impure as well. Arab's have no say in all of this, it is Allah who decides what is haraam and halaal and we obey the Lord as He commands.
Now this does not mean dogs are evil and what not. One is allowed to have a dog under certain conditions (hunting, guarding, etc). And even if one does not have a dog, it does not mean one can treat a dog as he/she sees fit. Islam emphasizes kindness to all of Allah's cretures.
Inshallah check out the link below.
Ruling on having a dog
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Also as an end note, you should check out
www.islamqa.com as it's a great site for questions and answers and 9 out of 10 times you'll find an answer to your question over there inshallah :)