Haraam food

[czgibson]

Greetings everyone,

Maybe this topic has been covered before, in which case I apologise, but I haven't found a specific thread on this using the forum search. This is another Islamic subject I'd like to learn more about.

Here is a verse from the Qur'an:

“He has forbidden you only dead animals, and blood, the flesh of swine, and that which is slaughtered as a sacrifice to other than Allah.” [Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 173]

What are the reasons behind the famous prohibition of pork? Are they similar to Jewish beliefs concerning pork?

Does the prohibition on blood mean Muslims are not permitted to eat rare (lightly cooked) steak, for example? I can't stand rare steak myself, but lots of people say it has a nicer flavour than the well cooked steak I prefer. (Also, in Scotland many people eat "black pudding", which looks black but is in fact deep red from all the blood in it. Yuk!) So I can understand the prohibition of blood from a taste point of view, I'm just wondering about the specifics.

What about dead animals - does this refer to any dead animal, or perhaps only those that have not been slaughtered in the correct way?

Thanks in advance for any insights you can provide.

Peace

 

[Uthman]

Greetings Callum,

What are the reasons behind the famous prohibition of pork? Are they similar to Jewish beliefs concerning pork?

Question :

Why does Islam forbid pork, when the pig is one of the creations of God?. ​

Answer :
Praise be to Allaah. Firstly:

Our Lord has forbidden eating pork in definitive terms. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
​

“Say (O Muhammad): I find not in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be Maytah (a dead animal) or blood poured forth (by slaughtering or the like), or the flesh of swine (pork); for that surely, is impure or impious (unlawful) meat (of an animal) which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah (or has been slaughtered for idols, or on which Allaah’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering)”

[al-An’aam 6:145]

By the mercy of Allaah and His kindness towards us, Allaah has permitted us to eat all good things, and He has not forbidden anything but those that are impure. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
​

“…he allows them as lawful At‑Tayyibaat (i.e. all good and lawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods), and prohibits them as unlawful Al‑Khabaa’ith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods)”

[al-A’raaf 7:157]

We do not doubt for an instant that the pig is a dirty and filthy animal, and that eating it is harmful to man. Moreover it lives on dirt and filth, and it is something that is off-putting to those of a sound nature who refuse to touch it, because eating it is either a cause or a sign of a person’s oddness.

Secondly:

With regard to the physical harm caused by eating pork, modern science has proved a number of things, such as the following:

ý Pork is regarded as one of the kinds of meat that contain the most cholesterol, an increase of which in the bloodstream leads to an increased likelihood of blocked arteries. The fatty acids in pork are also of an unusual formation, when compared with the fatty acids in other types of food, which makes them more easily absorbed by the body, thus increasing cholesterol levels.

ý Pork meat and pork fat contribute to the spread of cancers of the colon, rectum, prostate and blood.

ý Pork meat and pork fat contribute to obesity and related diseases that are difficult to treat.

ý Eating pork leads to scabies, allergies and stomach ulcers.

ý Eating pork causes lung infections which result from tapeworms, lungworms and microbial infections of the lungs.

The most serious danger of eating pork is that pork contains tapeworms which may grow to a length of 2-3 meters. The growth of the eggs of these worms in the human body may lead to insanity and hysteria if they grow in the area of the brain. If they grow in the region of the heart that may lead to high blood pressure and heart attacks. Another kind of worm that is to be found in pork is the trichinosis worm that cannot be killed by cooking, the growth of which in the body may lead to paralysis and skin rashes.

The doctors have confirmed that tapeworm disease is regarded as one of the serious diseases that may result from eating pork. It may develop in the small intestine and after several months may grow into a large worm whose body is composed of a thousand segments, with a length of 4-10 meters, which lives alone in the intestine of the infected person and part of it may appear when he defecates. When the pig swallows and ingests its eggs, they enter the tissues and muscles in the form of larvae sacs containing fluid and the head of the tapeworm. When a person eats infected pork, the larva turns into a complete worm in the intestine. These worms cause weakness and vitamin B12 deficiency, which leads to a specific type of anaemia, which may in turn cause nervous problems. In some cases the larvae may reach the brain, causing convulsions, increased pressure within the brain, epilepsy and even paralysis.

Eating pork that is not thoroughly cooked may also lead to trichinosis (infestation with a hairlike nematode worm). When these parasites reach the small intestine, three to five days later many larvae appear which enter the intestine and reach the blood, from which they reach most of the tissues of the body. The larvae move to the muscles and form cysts there, and the patient suffers intense muscle pains. The disease may develop into infection of the cerebral membrane and brain, and infections of the heart muscle, lungs, kidneys and nerves. It may be a fatal disease in rare cases.

It is well known that there are some diseases that are unique to humans and are nor shared with any other animals except pigs, such as rheumatism and joint pain. Allaah indeed spoke the truth when He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“He has forbidden you only the Maytah (dead animals), and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah (or has been slaughtered for idols, on which Allaah’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering). But if one is forced by necessity without willful disobedience nor transgressing due limits, then there is no sin on him. Truly, Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Baqarah 2:173]

These are some of the harmful effects of eating pork. Perhaps after studying them you will not have any doubts that it is forbidden. We hope that this will be the first step in your being guided towards the true religion. So stop, research, look and think, objectively and fairly, seeking only to find out the truth and follow it. I ask Allaah to guide you to that which is best for you in this world and in the Hereafter.

But even if we did not know about the harmful effects of eating pork, this would not change our belief that it is haraam in the slightest, or weaken our resolve to abstain from it. You know that when Adam (peace be upon him) was expelled from the Garden, it was because he ate from the tree from which Allaah forbade him to eat. We do not know anything about that tree, and Adam did not need to enquire into the reason why it was forbidden to eat from it. Rather it was sufficient for him, as it is sufficient for us and for every believer, to know that Allaah has forbidden it.

Look at some of the harmful effects of eating pork; look at the research of the Fourth Annual Conference of Islamic Medicine, Kuwait edition, p. 731 ff; and al-Wiqaayah al-Sihhiyyah fi Daw’ al-Kitaab wa’l-Sunnah by Lu’lu’ah bint Saalih, p. 635 ff.


Source

 

[Muezzin]

Even Samuel L Jackson agrees that 'A pig is a filthy animal' in Pulp Fiction

 

[Ansar Al-'Adl]

Hi Callum,

Does the prohibition on blood mean Muslims are not permitted to eat rare (lightly cooked) steak, for example? I can't stand rare steak myself, but lots of people say it has a nicer flavour than the well cooked steak I prefer. (Also, in Scotland many people eat "black pudding", which looks black but is in fact deep red from all the blood in it. Yuk!) So I can understand the prohibition of blood from a taste point of view, I'm just wondering about the specifics.

The verse on blood is the following:
5:3 Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah...

The word blood used here is further described in another verse to make it more specifc:
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 it, unless it be dead meat, or blood poured forth

Imaam Ibn Jarir Al-Tabari said in his Tafseer:

The phrase ‘blood poured forth’ means blood that flows copiously. This is how Allaah described the blood when He told His slaves that it is haraam. ‘Ikrimah said: were it not for this aayah, the Muslims would gone to extremes in avoiding the blood that remains in the veins as the Jews do. Al-Maawardi said that with regard to blood that is not ‘poured forth’, if it has solidified in the veins, as in the liver and spleen, then it is halaal, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Two kinds of dead meat and two kinds of blood have been permitted to us…"​

Blood has been forbidden as it is can carry many diseases.

What about dead animals - does this refer to any dead animal, or perhaps only those that have not been slaughtered in the correct way?

it refers to those animals who have died naturally. And you are correct that we can eat only animals that have been slaughtered in a special way.

peace

 

[czgibson]

Greetings everyone,

Thanks to Osman, Muezzin and Ansar for their contributions.

First of all - Muezzin, your reference to Pulp Fiction is wholly appropriate. For many youngsters in the West, that could have been the first time they heard about certain religious beliefs about food. Of course, it's also a thoroughly rockin' film.

On the issue of pork, Osman has provided the following:

Our Lord has forbidden eating pork in definitive terms. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning)
“Say (O Muhammad): I find not in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be Maytah (a dead animal) or blood poured forth (by slaughtering or the like), or the flesh of swine (pork); for that surely, is impure or impious (unlawful) meat (of an animal) which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah (or has been slaughtered for idols, or on which Allaah’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering)”

I'm interested in the part about animals being "slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah". In interpreting this verse, I'm torn between two interpretations: does this refer to the religious beliefs of those slaughtering the animals, or the specific slaughter method involved? So, if a Jewish person killed an animal according to Jewish methods, that would be OK, since the method is the same in Islam (I believe), but if a Christian did it, following different methods, that would be wrong?

By the mercy of Allaah and His kindness towards us, Allaah has permitted us to eat all good things, and He has not forbidden anything but those that are impure.

We do not doubt for an instant that the pig is a dirty and filthy animal, and that eating it is harmful to man. Moreover it lives on dirt and filth, and it is something that is off-putting to those of a sound nature who refuse to touch it, because eating it is either a cause or a sign of a person’s oddness.

The point about impurity seems to rest on two propositions:

1. The pig is a filthy animal, which lives in its own faeces etc.

2. Eating pork has been shown to be unhealthy, in that it a) makes you fat, since it clogs your arteries with cholesterol and other associated symptoms and b) contains impurities which can lead to various debilitations including the hosting of parasitic tapeworms.

With regard to 1., the pig is believed by biologists to be a relatively clean animal, since, unlike many other meat-providing animals, it is driven to bathe regularly. It is only when water is not available that it resorts to using its faeces.

For 2a), That is a risk people take when they eat chips, sweets and any number of other foods.

2b) I eat pork occasionally myself, and since it is part of a standard English breakfast, I know many others who do too, but it has to be said that ailments of the kind mentioned do not seem to be prevalent among these people.

I think there may be additional reasons for the prohibition on pork. Since pork "goes off" relatively quickly, and when it does the consequences are very harmful, in times when artificial preservatives were not available, a prohibition on it would have been very sensible, for the health of the community.

Also, since pigs cannot survive on grass, like other animals, they need water and shade where seeds can grow. These were not widely available in desert climates, where Hebraic religions developed, so any Arab farmer, for instance, who was keeping pigs would be setting himself up for ruin.

All these things make up a possible materialist explanation for the prohibition on pork. That's why I particularly appreciated the comment towards the end of the article that said roughly: even if none of these things were true, we would still not partake of pork, since it has been forbidden. Is this when it comes to being a matter of faith?

My big question is: has the prohibition on pork developed due to actual historical and biological circumstances, or does it show us that eating pork is wrong in another, religious, possibly moral way?

With regard to the blood prohibition, as I said my own personal taste is in agreement here, and Ansar's explanation, as usual, has given an informative view on the matter.

The quote from Al-Tabari seems to imply that there was, at some time, a difference in opinion between Jews and Muslims on the status of congealed blood - I was not aware of this. Am I right in thinking that Jewish kosher
methods of slaughter are halaal in Islam?

Perhaps, again, there is a range of views within Islam on the matter, since I have seen Islamic scholars providing answers on both sides of the issue, some agreeing with Al-Tabari, and some saying that congealed blood retains harmful uric acid, and therefore should not be consumed; others saying that meat consumed in non-Muslim countries where halaal food is not available, and possibly slaughtered using un-Islamic methods is, however, halaal. Muslims I have known have had varying degrees of strictness when interpreting this particular issue, so am I right in thinking this variety of opinion exists as standard?

Thanks for all the replies so far; this, like many other issues in Islam, is something Westerners can usually only perceive on a surface level - I'm grateful for the chance to examine the details, with your help.

Peace

 

[Abdul Fattah]

Some other interesting facts about pigs to considere:

First off all, if you'll look at a comparasing chart of common parasites viri and microbes found in animals you'll see pig's really stand out. It's not even a compitition.

But more importantly :
When a virus enters a cell it does so via a receptor wich has a unique shape so only a certain kind of virus can enter the cell. This is why when your cat has a cold, you can't catch it. The viri just don't get in your cells. When a virus is inside a cell and reproduces eventually when the copys will go outside again. When going out they take a piece of the cellmembrane with a receptor on it with them, thus enabling to enter another cell. Pigs have the same receptors on their cells as humans do. So we can take any disease from them. But it even gets worse. Pigs have two kind of receptors; the other they have in common with birds. When a virus exits the pigcell it can either take a "bird-receptor" or a "human-receptor". So a bird disease can easely be transformed into a human disease trough the pig. Eventually you'll end up with a whole chain of diseases that we can avoid by not eating pig. I'm not saying this has something to do with it, because I simply don't know that. It is however interesting that the animal we are forbidden to eat is coincedently the one most capable of bringing animal diseases to mankind.

 

[czgibson]

Hi Steve,

You make some interesting points I hadn't come across before.

Some other interesting facts about pigs to considere:

First off all, if you'll look at a comparasing chart of common parasites viri and microbes found in animals you'll see pig's really stand out. It's not even a compitition.

I believe you, but can this be shown to have had a significant effect throughout a human population? In other words, why isn't everyone I know getting sequentially cut down with parasitic or other infections?

So a bird disease can easely be transformed into a human disease trough the pig.

Is this relevant to the transmission of avian (bird) flu, as a matter of interest?

I suppose what I'm saying is that I haven't seen any evidence of serious disease follwing pork ingestion in people I know, and pork, aside from the possible resultant obesity, is generally regarded as safe in Western society. Is it really as dangerous as you say?

Peace

 

[Abdul Fattah]

Good point, but I'd say it's a lil bit more complicated then that. When you get a disease you don't always have knowledge of it's origen. My mother still thinks you can get a cold just from sitting in the cold to long. Maybe you babysitted your sick nephew a couple of days ago and you do know where you got it, but this is'nt always the case. And even then If you would look at it from a bigger scale, where did the virus origenate from? Do we really have that much knowledge of pig-disease to recognise it when humans catch it? I really don't know. I'm not a vet. What I do know is that I saw this theory (of how we can easily get pigs disease in school's biology-class. I'm sorry but I cant provide any further detailed information. I am interested in looking up that bird disease though because I remember a lot of crisises here in belgium and holland due to bird diseases wich we theoreticly shouldn't be able to obtain... I'd have to get back to you on that when I find the time....

As for not everyone having problems with this, when you cook meat long enoughf you get rid of all viri ,bacteries etc. Notice that it's also forbidden to eat rare meat.

 

[Ansar Al-'Adl]

All these things make up a possible materialist explanation for the prohibition on pork. That's why I particularly appreciated the comment towards the end of the article that said roughly: even if none of these things were true, we would still not partake of pork, since it has been forbidden. Is this when it comes to being a matter of faith?

I'm glad this came up, because I wanted to point out that before we get into a discussion on health effects of eating pig/blood etc. the main point to be remembered here is that we don't eat it because God has forbidden us to do so. Whether there is any health benefit behind that is a bonus, but even if there wasn't it wouldn't make a difference because it would just be part of out test. Just like when God forbade Adam to eat from the tree, it wasn't a special tree, it was just a simple tree picked as a test (this is where Islam differs from Christianity).

My big question is: has the prohibition on pork developed due to actual historical and biological circumstances, or does it show us that eating pork is wrong in another, religious, possibly moral way?

I'm sure that atheists would have to explain this using a method similar to the former statement as it wouldn't make sense to them for so many nations to suddenly unite against eating a random animal.

The quote from Al-Tabari seems to imply that there was, at some time, a difference in opinion between Jews and Muslims on the status of congealed blood - I was not aware of this. Am I right in thinking that Jewish kosher methods of slaughter are halaal in Islam?

Yes, you're correct. But [some of] the Jews went to an extra extreme that was not necessary, they stated that blood could not be consumed even in the smallest quantity (Lev. 3:17).

Muslims I have known have had varying degrees of strictness when interpreting this particular issue, so am I right in thinking this variety of opinion exists as standard?

The biggest argument in this area right now is concerning Muslims living in the west - can we eat the regular food or not? There have been numerous well-respected scholars who say yes and just as many well-respected scholars who say no. Both sides have very strong arguments to back up their case.

The issue arises because in Islam we cannot eat any non-muslim meat except from the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), because they also believe in One God and follow roughly similar rules. So that's why Muslim's eat Kosher foods, but with Christians there is a huge controversy because the vast majority no longer adhere to the special code in slaughtering the animal, and many in the west are secular anyway. So you might find that two equally devout Muslims walk into McDonalds - one orders a Fish Fillet (seafood is unanimously considered halal). and the other orders a burger. The former Muslim would not eat the meat burger but the latter would based on the justification that these people are Christians, therefore its permissable.

I hope this helps.
Regards

 

[Genius]

Re: What is a sabian?in the qu'ran

Breakthrough's in Biotechnology mean that in the not so distant future, food manufacturers will be able to produce synthetic meat with out killing an animal, (all they need is a cell). What's the ruling on this? Can we eat this meat?Seems a bit wierd to me, but nevertheless it would be good if a scholar could address this.

 

[Ansar Al-'Adl]

Since this does not involve any slaugthering of an animal, then it certainly is an exceptional case - and most scholars would go with the ruling that everything in mubaah (permissable) until proven otherwise.

(some scholars believe that meat is haraam (prohibited) until proven halal (lawful), but that principle can hardly apply here).

 

[Sabi]

Some edible things from the sea are essentially animals by cell-structure, but have neither a heart nor brain nor blood, and I think it seems we would be talking about a similar living creature. Of course if it needs to grow in a clear water-like substance then it is probably ok. To make a land animal Halal it needs to be slaughtered with a prayer and have its blood drained. Strangled meat is not permissable, therefore neither is electrocuted meat. So how would they kill this living creature? I do not like the idea of eating flesh taken from a living creature, it does seem particularly barbaric. Anyway the question on GM foods is still open as far as I am aware is it not? IMHPO it sounds dodgy.