VEGETARIANISM IN ISLAM

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VEGETARIANISM IN ISLAM

Vegetarianism In Islam

According to the Holy Qur'an, there are two ways of advancement -

through increasing the propensity to enjoy and decreasing the

propensity to enjoy. On the path of decreasing attachment, the

killing of animals is not recommended.

In the Holy Qur'an we can find following ayats:

 

"Beautified for mankind is love of the joys (that come) from

women and offspring, and stored-up heaps of gold and silver, and

horses branded (with their mark), and cattle and land. That is

comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more

excellent abode.

Say: Shall I inform you of something better than that? For the

righteous are Gardens in nearness to their Lord with rivers flowing

beneath. Therein is their eternal home with pure companions and the

good pleasure of Allah. Allah is Seer of His servants." (3.14-15)

 

"Some of you desired the world, and some of you desired the

Hereafter." (3.152)

 

Thus the Holy Qur'an described two class of people:

1. Those who are attached to sense gratification and desire of the

heavenly enjoyment; and

2. Those who renounce everything and strive for the love of God.

For the general masses of people who are still unable to control

their senses (tongue) provision for eating meat has been granted but

it is not recommended so rules and regulations exist to slowly help

one give up such bad habit (taste). But for those who desire the

highest perfection of life, love of God, meat eating is forbidden.

For example, we can find the following ayats in the Holy Qur'an:

 

"Forbidden to you (for food) are meat of dead animals, blood, the

flesh of swine, and that on which has been invoked the name of other

than Allah; and the dead through beating; that which has been killed

by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by

being gored to death; that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild

animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which

is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division

(of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety." (5.3)

 

Thus we can understand from this verse of the Holy Qur'an that

not every meat is permitted to eat. Only meat of an animal which is

expressly killed for food with the Takbir, or the solemn mode of

slaughter (zabh) in the name of Allah duly pronounced on it. This

means that killing animals for food is a personal affair. It does

not suggest opening slaughterhouses and killing hundreds of

thousands of animals in a organized way, everyday. Those who want to

eat meat, should do this the proper way individually, because

everyone needs to take responsibility for his own actions. On the

Day of Judgment, all dead creatures will come to life and will take

vengeance on those who had either teased them or killed them. This

concession is given by Allah to those who cannot restrain from meat

eating. By eating halal, lawful meat they will gradually subdue

their passion and give up meat eating. This will help to develop

fine spiritual sentiments, namely love for Allah.

Besides this it is mentioned in sura "Al-Ma'ida" that

within the

limits of Mecca, most holy place, slaughtering of animals is

prohibited:

 

"Animals of the chase are forbidden while you are in the Sacred

Precincts or in the state of pilgrimage." (5.1)

 

This means that hunting and the use of game are forbidden "while

you are hurumun," i.e., while you are

1. in the Sacred Precincts, Mecca or

2. in the special pilgrimage garb (ihram).

It is also explained in the sura "Al-Ma'ida" that:

 

"O you who believe! Kill not game while in the Sacred Precincts

or in the state of pilgrimage. If any of you does so intentionally,

the compensation is an offering, brought to the Ka'ba, of a

domestic animal equivalent to the one he killed. As adjudged by two

just men among you; or by way of atonement, the feeding of the poor

persons; or its equivalent in fasts: that he may taste of the

penalty of his deed. Allah forgives what has past; but for

repetition Allah will punish him for Allah is Exalted, and Lord of

Retribution." (5.95)

 

This means that if someone kills an animal inadvertently within the

limits of Mecca, one should then leave one of his pet animals there.

In case one has no pet animals, one should give in charity food

equivalent in value to the price of the killed animal. Otherwise the

offender must fast as many days as the number of the poor who would

have been fed under the second alternative. Thus killing animals is

a sin and therefore, it is prohibited in a holy place like Mecca.

In sura "As-Saffat" of the Holy Qur'an there is the

following narration:

 

"He (Ibrahim) said: `I will go to my Lord! He will surely

guide me! O my Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)!'

So We gave him the good news of forbearing son.

Then, when (his son) was old enough to work with him, (Ibrahim)

said: `O my dear son, I have seen in a dream that I must

sacrifice you. Now see what is your view!' (The son) said: `O

my father! Do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah so

wills one of the steadfast.'

So when they both submitted (to Allah), and he had laid him

prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice), We called out to him,

`O Ibrahim! You has already fulfilled the dream!' Thus indeed

do We reward those who do right.

For this was a clear test.

Then we ransomed him with a tremendous victim.

And We left for him among generations (to come) in later times:

`Peace and salutation to Ibrahim!'" (37.99-109)

 

Thus Ibrahim (Abraham) was born in Ur of the Chaldees, a place on

the lower reaches of the Euphrates, not a hundred miles from the

Persian Gulf. Where the worship of the sun, moon and stars was the

prevailing form of religion. Ibrahim revolted against this quite

early in life. They also had deities in their temples, which

probably represented heavenly bodies and celestial winged creatures.

He was still a youth when he broke the false deities. After this he

was marked down as a rebel and persecuted. He was thrown into the

fire. But the fire became cool by the order of Allah and Ibrahim was

saved. Then he left his ancestral lands, and avoiding the Syrian

desert, came to the fertile lands of Aram or Syria. This was the

Hijrat (Flight) of Ibrahim. He left his people and his land, because

the Truth was dearer to him than the ancestral falsehoods of his

people. He trusted himself to Allah, and under Allah's guidance

he laid the foundations for great people.

This was in the fertile land of Syria and Palestine when a boy was

born, the first-born son of Ibrahim, namely Ismail. The name itself

is from the root Sami'a, to hear, because Allah had heard

Ibrahim's prayer (The Qur'an. 37.100). Ibrahim's age when

Ismail was born from his maidservant Hajar was 86 (Gen. 16.16). The

boy's character was to be Halim, "forbearing". This title

is also applied to Ibrahim (The Qur'an. 9.114; 11.75). It refers

to

the patient way in which both father and son cheerfully offered to

suffer any self-sacrifice in order to obey the command of Allah.

 

Once, after Ismail had grown up to the age of discretion, Ibrahim

had a dream that he now had to offer his only son in sacrifice. The

command was conveyed to him via a dream. It was a test of the

devotion for both father and son. Ibrahim consulted his son. The son

readily consented, and offered to stand true to his promis if his

self-sacrifice was really required. Actually, the trial and

sacrifice was demanded of both Ibrahim and Ismail. Ibrahim had to

sacrifice his only dearmost son and Ismail had to sacrifice his dear

life. Finally this sacrifice was about to take place in the valley

of Mina, six miles north of Mecca. Ibrahim was ready to sacrifice

his son but his hand did not act. Then he covered his eyes with

cloth took a knife in his hand, and tried to kill Ismail. But at

that moment Allah replaced Ismail with a fine sheep or ram. So there

was a ram instead of his son. Thus the son was saved and the ram was

sacrificed (some scholars say that the ram was also saved).

Since that day, the `Id Day or Day of Sacrifice came into

practice.

 

On this day in the valley of Mina, six miles north of Mecca, a

commemoration sacrifice is annually celebrated as a rite of the Hajj

on the tenth of Zul-Hijjah in Memory of this Sacrifice of Ibrahim

and Ismail. This festival is also celebrated by all Muslims around

the world. Hundreds of thousands of animals are annually slaughtered

on this day. But let us carefully consider what was the main object

of Allah's teaching on that occasion. Did Allah ask for

Ibrahim's dearmost thing or did He ask for a ram. If Allah-Taala

had

liked a ram, He would have asked the ram itself. But merely to

examine the devotion of Ibrahim and Ismail, He had ordered this

sacrifice to test them both, and to save the son of Ibrahim, He had

replaced a ram for Ismail. Now, just think carefully, to try to

please Allah-Taala, instead of dedicating one's dearmost object,

to

kill a ram is how justifiable?

This whole event is symbolical. As it is proclaimed in the Holy

Qur'an:

 

"It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah; it is

your piety that reaches Him." (22.37)

 

Thus Allah does not require the flesh and blood of animals, much

less of human beings. No one should suppose that meat or blood is

acceptable to God. It was a Pagan fancy that Allah could be pleased

by blood sacrifice. But Allah does accept the offering of our

hearts. Allah does not delight in flesh and blood. But He does

desire the giving of our whole being to Allah, the practical symbol

of which is that we should give up something which is very dear to

us, if duty requires that sacrifice. It was indeed a great occasion,

when two men, the father and the son, showed the example of self-

sacrifice in the service of Allah which is needed to qualify one for

the supreme goal of life. This example made it clear that the only

sacrifice which God requires from man is the Surrender of his will

and purpose - i.e. Al-Islam.

 

Actually qurban, the animal slaughtering process ordained for

Muslims, have an esoteric and exoteric meaning. While qurban

externally refers only to Muslim dietary laws, inwardly qurban

requires that we sacrifice our life to the devotion and service of

God, and that we sacrifice our beastly qualities instead of the life

of an animal.

 

"Qurban is not slaughtering chickens and cows and goats,"

explains Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. "There are four hundred trillion, ten

thousand beasts here in the heart which must be slaughtered. They

must be slaughtered in the qalb [the inner heart].

After these things have been slaughtered, what is eaten can then be

distinguished as either halal [permissible] or haram

[forbidden]."

 

Ultimately, the great ustad [preceptor] concludes, "everything

that is seen in the world is haram. What is seen in Allah [God]

alone is halal. Please eat that." (M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen,

Asma'ul-Husna: The 99 Beautiful Names of Allah, 1979, p. 181)

 

In the traditional qurban, the prayer known as the Kalimah is

recited to remove the baser qualities of the animal. The recitation

of the powerful Third Kalimah will not only purify the animal

slaughtered for consumption, but also all those involved with the

sacrifice, so that they will no longer want to slaughter animals.

This will only work, however, if the prayer is said with pure

devotion.

In Islam, sacrificial animal slaughter is a detailed process.

Factually the whole procedure is meant to minimize the killing of

animals. Thus, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen explains:

 

"While you recite the Kalimah, you must complete the severing in

three strokes of the knife, one for each recitation. The knife has

to be swept around three times, and it must not touch the bone. It

must be extremely sharp, and the length is prescribed according to

each animal - so much for a fowl, so much for a goat, so much for a

cow. ... Also, the animal must not regurgitate any food, and it

must not make any noise; otherwise, it becomes haram.

The person who holds the animal and the person who cuts it must

always observe the five times prayer. Therefore, it must be the Imam

and the mu'azzin who perform the qurban, because very often they

are the only ones who regularly observe the five times prayer. This

also means that the qurban must take place near a mosque where two

such people can always be found. Before beginning the slaughter,

they must first perform their ablutions, and then they must recite

the kalimah three times and feed water to the animal which is to be

sacrificed. The neck of the animal must be turned in the direction

of the Qiblah [Mecca], so that the eyes of the sacrificial animal

look into the eyes of the person who is doing the sacrifice. The

person must look into the eyes of the animal and then, saying the

kalimah, he must cut the neck. And he must continue to look into the

eyes of the animal until its soul departs, repeating the Zikr all

the while. Then after the soul has departed, he must say the kalimah

once again and wash the knife. Only then can he move on to the next

animal. He has to look into the animal's eyes, he has to watch

the tears of the animal, and he has to watch the animal's eyes

until it dies - hopefully, his heart will change." (M. R. Bawa

Muhaiyaddeen, Asma' ul-Husna: The 99 Beautiful Names of Allah,

1979, p. 182)

 

Once, Allah told the Holy Prophet Muhammad, "With this qurban the

killing will be greatly reduced, for where they used to kill 1,000

or 2,000 in one day, they will now be able to slaughter only ten or

fifteen animals. If they started after morning prayers, it would be

ten o'clock by the time they are ready to begin, and they could

slaughter only until eleven o'clock when they must prepare for

the next prayer. In addition, it takes about fifteen or twenty

minutes for each animal, because he has to wait until the soul has

departed." This is how Allah instructed the Holy Prophet.

 

Then the people complained, "How can we do this? We can kill only

so few! Our enjoyments and our festivals are being curtailed."

But Allah said, "Each one of you does not need to sacrifice one

animal; you do not need to sacrifice one animal for each family. In

place of forty fowls, kill one goat. In place of forty goats, kill

ten cows. And in place of forty cows, kill ten camels. Sacrifice ten

camels and then share the meat among the different families." So

in place of four hundred animals only forty might be killed. The

killing was reduced by that much. Thus, Allah passed down the

commands to the Holy Prophet to reduce the taking of lives.

 

So, the conclusion is that if one understand the qurban from within

with wisdom, its purpose is to reduce killing the poor animals. But

if one look at it from outside, it is meant to supply desire with

food, to supply the craving of the base desires.

Thus, the esoteric imperative behind Islamic dietary laws is that

Muslims aspire after compassion and mercy, first by minimizing the

amount of animals one is able to kill (by following all the

regulations), and then, it is to be hoped, by giving it up

altogether. It is mentioned in sura "Al-An'am," or

"Cattle" that:

 

"There is not an animal on the earth, nor a flying creature

flying on two wings, but they are people like unto you." (6.38)

 

Thus "animals living on the earth" include those living in

the water - fishes, reptiles, crustaceans, insects, as well as four-

footed beasts. Life on the wing separately mentioned. "Tair,"

which is ordinarily translated as "bird," is anything that

flies, including mammals like bats. In our pride we may exclude

animals from our purview, but they all live a life, social and

individual, like ourselves, and all life is subject to the Plan and

Will of Allah. We have no right to destroy or kill these creatures,

even flies and insects what to speak of birds and beasts. We never

creates them to destroy. The Holy Qur'an said that they are

people like you. They are also citizens of this planet and different

countries. They are also under the protection of God and

Governments. It is the duty of government to protect it's

subjects, which includes the innocent helpless animals, and punish

those who torture and kill them.

It is clearly mentioned in the Holy Qur'an what kind of food

Allah creates for the human beings:

 

"Therewith He causes corn to grow for you, and the olive and date-

palm and grapes and all kinds of fruit. Truly, in this is a sign for

people who reflect." (16.11)

 

"A sign for them is the dead earth. We revive it and We bring

forth from it grain so that they eat thereof.

And We produce therein gardens of the date-palm and grapes, and We

have caused springs of water to gush forth therein.

That they may eat of the fruit thereof, and their hands made it not.

Will they not, then, give thanks?" (36.33-35)

 

"It is God Who sends down water out of the sky, and with it

quickens the earth after it is dead. Surely, in that is a sign for

people who have ears to hear. In cattle, too, there is a lesson for

you: We give you to drink of what is in their bellies, between filth

and blood - pure milk, sweet to those who drink. And we give you the

fruits of the date-palms and the vines from which you derive sweet-

tasting liquid and fair provision. Indeed, this is a sign for men of

understanding. And your Lord inspires the bees, saying, `Build

your homes in the mountains, in the trees and in the thatch of

roots; then feed on every kind of fruit and follow the ways of your

Lord, so easy to go upon.' Then there comes forth out of their

bellies a liquid of various colors wherein is healing for men.

Truly, in this a sign for people who reflect." (16.65-69)

 

>From these ayats it is obvious that Allah creates milk, honey, corn,

grain, olive, dates, grapes and all kinds of fruit as food for

mankind. Verily it is a sign for people who have an understanding.

We should be thankful to Allah for His mercy and not ungratefully

shed blood of innocent helpless animals simply to please the

uncontrolled tongue.

The Holy Qur'an offers concessions as intermediary stages toward

a pure and spiritual diet:

 

"O you who believe! Eat of the good things with which we have

supplied you, and give God thanks if you are His worshippers. Only

that which dies of itself, blood, and swine's flesh, and that

over which any others name than that of God's has been invoked,

has God forbidden you." (Qur'an 5.1)

 

Here the Qur'an clearly states that pork is impure and that

animal blood is not fit for human consumption. The Muslims, then,

run into a dietary contradiction: blood is forbidden - it is

impossible to completely separate blood from animal flesh - so if

one eats meat, blood is being consumed as well. In the words of the

Holy Qur'an, this, indeed, is a "portent for people who

think."

 

Ultimately, the Holy Qur'an encourages Muslims to eat wholesome,

healthful foods. In describing lawful and unlawful foods, the Holy

Qur'an emphasizes that

 

"He [the Holy Prophet] makes lawful to them the good things of

life and he forbids them the bad things." (Qur'an 7.157)

 

Once the Holy Prophet Muhammad orders Hazrat Ali:

 

"Don't make your stomach a grave yard of innocent birds and

animals."

 

>From that day Hazrat Ali had faithfully followed this instruction.

Another time the Holy Prophet Muhammad said:

 

"Whoever is kind to the lesser creatures is kind to himself."

 

It is explained in the Hadith (traditions):

 

Once the Prophet passed by certain people who were shooting arrows

at a ram, and hated that, saying, "Maim not the brute beasts."

 

Another time, the Prophet, seen wiping the face of his horse with

his wrapper, and being questioned in regard to it, said, "At

night I received a reprimand from God in regard to my horse."

 

A man once robbed some eggs from the nest of a bird, whereupon the

Prophet had them restored to the nest. "Fear God in these dumb

animals," said the Prophet, "and ride them when they are fit

to be ridden - and get off them when they are tired."

 

Verily, are there rewards for our doing good to quadrupeds and

giving them water to drink?" asked the followers. And the Prophet

answered, "There are rewards for benefiting every animal having a

moist liver." (M. Hafiz Syed, Thus Speak Muhammed, Madras, 1962,

p. 6.)

 

The Holy Prophet Muhammad always stressed the importance to show

mercy to the lesser creatures. We should deal with them as if they

are our younger brothers. If younger brother is less intelligent, it

does not mean that we have right to kill him but more so we have a

duty to protect him. The father will never be happy if his elder,

more intelligent son will kill the youngest son because he is less

intelligent and more weak. Similarly Allah is never happy when He

observes humans killing and giving pain, and suffering to His lesser

creatures. According to the Hadith, the Holy Prophet Muhammad said:

 

"One who kills unnecessarily, even a sparrow will be questioned

by Allah on the day of Judgment."

 

"One who takes pity on cutting the head even of a sparrow, and

feels compassion towards the sparrow, Allah will similarly show

mercy towards him on the day of Judgment."

 

"Killing any living beings besides those who are inflicting pain

is forbidden." (O. Gudratov, N. Gudratov, Muhammad Peygambarin:

Hayati va Kalamlari, Baki, 1990, p. 114, 147)

 

"If the beasts will know about their inevitable death, as humans

do, they will not eat flesh." (Mahammad Ali, Muhammad Peygambarin

Hayati, Baki, 1993, p. 150)

 

Biographies of the Holy Prophet Muhammad include narrations that

clearly depict his love for animals. For instance, Margoliouth, one

of the Holy Prophet Muhammad's chief biographers, writes,

 

"His humanity extended itself to the lower creation. He forbade

the employment of towing birds as targets for marksmen and

remonstrated with those who ill-treated their camels. When some of

his followers had set fire to an ant-hill he compelled them to

extinguish it. . . . Acts of cruelty were swept away by him."

(V. A. Holmes-Gore, These We Have Not Loved, London, 1946, pp.6-7.)

 

Other biographers, such as Dr. M. Hafiz Syed, point out that the

Holy Prophet Muhammad instructed those who eat meat to wash out

their mouth before going to pray. While it is certainly a Muslim

custom to clean one's mouth before going to prayer, many

biographers say that only meat is emphasized in this connection and

not any other food. (M. Hafiz Syed, Thus Spake Muhammed, Madras,

1962, p. 6)

 

The Holy Prophet Muhammad always showed the greatest compassion -

"universal compassion" - and he exhorted his followers to do

the same. A touching example from his life shows how far his empathy

extended. Awaking from a nap one afternoon, he found a small, sick

cat fast asleep on the edge of his cloak. The Holy Prophet cut off

his garment so that the cat could sleep undisturbed. Is this a man

who would advocate the unnecessary slaughter of harmless

beasts? "Show sympathy to others," the Holy Prophet Muhammad

taught, "especially to those who are weaker than you."

(Bilkiz Alladin, The Story of Mohammed The Prophet, Delhi, 1979, pp.

12-13)

 

In one popular Hadith (tradition), the Holy Prophet Muhammad is

depicted as having rebuked his followers for not showing universal

compassion. "But we do show compassion," they insisted,"

- to our wives, children and relatives." The Holy Prophet

Muhammad

responded, "It is not this to which I refer. I am speaking of

universal mercy."

 

The Holy Prophet Muhammad's earliest biographers indicate that he

preferred vegetarian foods, saying that he liked milk diluted with

water, yogurt with butter or nuts, and cucumbers with dates. His

favorite fruits, which he was known to subsist on for weeks at a

time, were pomegranates, grapes and figs, and he liked a morning

drink of soaked, crushed dates. He was particularly fond of honey,

often eating it mixed with vinegar, and he is quoted as saying that

in a house where there is vinegar and honey, there will certainly be

the blessings of the Lord. He also liked a preparation called hees,

made from butter, dates and yogurt. According to extensive

biographical accounts, furthermore, the Holy Prophet Muhammad has

been quoted as saying, "Where there is an abundance of

vegetables, hosts of angels will descend on that place."

 

The Holy Prophet Muhammad's death emphasizes the harmfulness of

meat-eating. The story goes that a non-Muslim woman invited the Holy

Prophet and some of his companions to a meal and served them

poisoned meat. The Holy Prophet Muhammad knew by spiritual insight

that the meat was poisoned, for he spat out piece of meat which he

chewed, but one of his companions died on the spot. Although it was

not his custom to eat any food prepared by non-Muslim, on this

occasion, mysteriously, he did. The poisoned meat put him in a

sickbed for about two years, and finally, in A.D. 632, he died.

According to some scholars, the Holy Prophet Muhammad ate the

poisoned meat just to show the stubborn masses the harmfulness of

meat-eating.

 

Those Muslims who go for Haj (pilgrimage) to Mecca, wear a simple

garment of unstitched cloth in two pieces which is called ihram. The

putting on of the pilgrim garb (ihram) is symbolical of his

renouncing the vanities of the world. From the time he put on this

religious dress, absolutely no killing is allowed: not mosquitoes,

bugs, grasshoppers, or any other living creatures. If a pilgrim sees

an insect on the ground, he will gesture to stop his comrades from

inadvertently stepping on it. After this and until the end of the

pilgrimage he must not wear other clothes, or ornaments, anoint his

hair, use perfumes, hunt, or do other prohibited acts. If any louse

appears on that ihram it is not thrown on the ground but allowed to

remain where it is. If the throwing away of a insignificant living

being like louse is forbidden in Islam just think how much

inauspicious is killing of animals.

 

It is said in Aine-Akbari that on several occasions such as from

Friday to Sunday and eclipse days Akbar abstained from taking meat.

Saints of Islam have laid great stress on leading a noble life, a

life of renunciation and compassion, eating simple foods and

abstaining from meat. They themselves avoided any meat eating.

Sheikh Ismail, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, Hazrat Nizammuddin Aulia, Bu

Ali Qalandas, Shah Inayat, Mir Dad, Shah Abdul Karim etc., were

Muslim saints whose path was pious living, centered on self-

restraint, love and affection for all and vegetarian eating. They

said:

 

"Ta bayabin dar bahishte aden ja, shafkate banumaye ba khalke

Khuda" - "If you want to live in heaven for all time to come,

then behave in a spirit of compassion and sympathy with the entire

creation of God.

 

The famous Muslim saint, Mir Dad, said that anyone who eats the

flesh of any living being shall have to repay it with his own flesh.

He who breaks another living being's bone shall have his own

bones broken. Every drop of blood shed, will have to be accounted

for by one's own. Because that is the eternal law.

 

The great Muslim saint Sarmad condemned meat-eating by saying that

the light of life is asleep in metals, is dreaming in plants, is

awake in animals and is completely alert in human beings. Kabir,

addressing Muslims, makes it clear that even fasting (Roza) is in

vain if its practitioner lets his tongue dictate the killing of

living beings for the sake of its taste. Allah will not be pleased

this way.

 

During Silloh also no meat is taken, because it is said, that meat

is a bad food which disturbs the prayers. Everyone knows that meat

eating increases passion. It is very difficult to pray and

concentrate the mind on Allah in a passionate condition. Therefore

it is recommended by great saints of all ages that vegetarian food

is much more appropriate for spiritual practices. If one wants to

increase peace of mind and concentration on Allah he should decrease

or, better, stop meat eating. It is practical advise from which

everyone will get immense benefit.

 

Summarizing the above mentioned statements, we can easily and

naturally conclude that meat eating is a great impediment on the

path of self-realization. Those who are sincerely trying for

spiritual progress should restrain from meat eating. On the path of

decreasing material attachments and increasing spiritual attachment

to Allah, restraining meat eating is compulsory.

 

 

Cow killing

 

In the Qur'an not one single verse allows killing cows or bulls .

But very clear instruction is given about what is intended for human

as food:

 

"And We (Allah ) said: O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the

Garden, and eat you freely of the fruits thereof where you will."

(2.35)

 

"And give glad tidings (O Muhammad) to those who believe and do good

works, that theirs are Gardens beneath which rivers flow; every time

they are fed with fruits therefrom." (2.25)

 

"Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth, and causes water

to descend from the sky, thereby producing fruits as food for you."

(14.32)

 

"Who has appointed the earth a resting-place for you, and the sky

a canopy; and causes water to pour down from the sky, thereby

producing fruits as food for you." (2.22)

 

>From these four ayats of the Qur`an it is obvious that when Allah

created Adam and Eve, He gave them in food, the fruits. And when the

pious will go to paradise they will have their food in the form of

fruits. Then when Allah created earth He "produced fruits as food

for" mankind. Also from the very life of the Hazrat Muhammad, we

can see His daily food was bread, milk and palm-dates. Sometimes in

His life he sacrificed sheep or camels, but never cows or bulls.

There is only one story in the Holy Qur'an which describes the

sacrifice of a cow:

 

"When Moses said to his people: `Allah commands you that you

sacrifice a cow.'

They said: `Does you make game of us?'

He answered: `Allah forbid that I should be among the

foolish!'

They said: `Pray for us unto your Lord that He make clear to us

what (cow) she is.'

(Moses) answered: `He says, that the cow should be neither too

old nor too young, but of middling age; now do what you are

commanded!'

They said: `Pray for us unto your Lord that He make clear to us

of what color she is.'

(Moses) answered: `He says, that she is a yellow cow. Bright is

her color; gladdening beholders.'

They said: `Pray for us unto your Lord that He make clear to us

what (cow) she is. To us are all cows alike; if Allah wills, we may

led aright.'

(Moses) answered: `He says, that she is a cow not trained to till

the soil or water the fields; whole and without a mark.'

They said: `Now has you brought the truth.' Then they

sacrificed her; though they scarcely did it.' (2.67-71)

 

This story was accepted in Jewish traditions, which are themselves

based on certain sacrificial directions in the Old Testament. The

cow story of Jewish tradition is based on Num. 19.1-10, in which

Moses and Aaron ordered the Israelites to sacrifice a red cow

without a spot. Thus Moses announced the sacrifice to the

Israelites, and they treated it as a jest. When Moses continued

solemnly to ask for the sacrifice, they put him off on one pretext

followed by another, asking a number of questions which they could

have answered themselves if they had listened to Moses's

directions.

Their questions were carping criticisms rather than the result of a

desire for information. It was a mere thin pretence that they were

genuinely seeking for guidance. When at last they were driven into a

corner, they made the sacrifice, but if they did this willingly then

the sacrifice would have been more efficacious for their

purification from sin. The cow's body was to be burnt and the

ashes were to be kept for the purification of the congregation from

sin.

We can see and learn from this narration that the killing of a cow

was very dangerous and not part of the teachings. So much so that

the people were very hesitant to commit such an act even when the

order came from the high authorities, Prophet Moses. So this

particular sacrifice was not carried whimsically but with due

consideration. We should understand also, the cow was not simply

killed for the sake of eating but the body of the cow was burnt and

the ashes were to be used for the higher purpose of purifying the

people from their sins. It is very important to mention that in the

present age also, cow sacrifices is forbidden, because no qualified

persons are available to conduct such a sacrifices.

Thus by reading the Holy Qur'an we can conclude that cow killing

is not sanctioned in the Holy Qur'an and the only cow sacrifice

which has been described was not meant for meat eating but for

purification from the sins.

 

The Iranian scholar Al-Ghazzali (1058-1111 AD) was one of the most

brilliant philosophers of Islam. He has stated that besides pieces

of bread whatever we eat is simply to satisfy our urges. At the age

of 28, he headed the institute of Islam at Baghdad. His main book,

Ihya Ulum ul-Din - The Revival of Religious Sciences is highly

respected. In this book (part 2, page 23, lines 17-19) the

detrimental effects of beef, and the virtues of ghee and milk from

a cow are stated as follows:

 

"The meat of cow is marz (disease), it's milk is safa

(health) and it's ghee is dava (medicine)."

 

Is it not more intelligent to protect cows and use their milk and

ghee for our benefit? The cow is considered a mother of mankind

because she gives us a valuable product such as milk. As a mother

feeds her child with her breast milk similarly the cow feeds mankind

with her milk. It has been scientifically proven that if one

regularly drinks cow milk his fine brain tissues develop. As a

result of this one's memory capacity increases, favoring

remembrance of Allah. Therefore the cow and it's milk is very

important for proper development of human society and killing the

cow is the greatest sin. Those who are eager to eat meat, they can

eat less important animals like sheep and goats but cows should be

protected.

 

A Imam of the Shah Jehan Mosque in London, England, Al Hafiz B. A.

Masri says that the Qur'an itself is very specific about

prevention of cruelty to animals. Muslims, who form one-third of the

world's total population, need to begin a movement for the

prevention of cruelty to animals based on Islamic tenets. It was

time to ensure that all precepts laid down in the Qur'an against

cruelty to animals were followed strictly everywhere in the world.

Therefore he wants to start a unite of the Society for Protection of

Cruelty to Animals in the Islamic world. Animal welfare worker Al

Hafiz Masri would love to see the world embrace vegetarianism.

 

In his book Islamic concern for Animals, Al Hafiz Marsi has

expressed sorrow about the excessive killing of animals in the name

of religion. Quoting from the Holy Qur'an Majeed and the

teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, he described all acts of

torturing of animals, and even keeping birds in cages as sinful.

According to him even the cutting of trees is prohibited in Islam.

On page 18 the Imam Saheb has repeated the saying of the Holy

Prophet Muhammad as under:

 

"There is no one who kills even a sparrow or anything smaller,

without its deserving it, but God will question him about it."

"He who takes pity even on a sparrow and spares its life. Allah

will be merciful on him on the day of Judgment."

 

The Imam Marsi is himself a vegetarian and advises everyone to adopt

vegetarianism.

 

Originally written by Akif Manaf Jabir, Ph.D. Put out by

www.harekrishnaturkey.com (nararatna das)