UNDERSTANDING
ISLAM
ISLAM AND VEGETARIANISM
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/bhaktiyoga/islamveg.htm
According to the Holy Qur'an,
there are two ways of
advancement - through increasing
the propensity to enjoy and
decreasing the propensity to
enjoy. [VEDA: Analogous to Vedic
pravrtti-marga and nivrtti-marga.]
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 promise 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 symbolic. 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 is 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. He
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 its
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
worshipers. 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
ordered 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 Spake
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, p. 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
symbolic 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 food
and abstaining from meat. They
themselves avoided any meat-eating.
Sheikh Ismail, Khwaja Moinuddin
Chisti, Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia,
Abu 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
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 (rosa) 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 prayers. Everyone
knows that meat-eating increases
passion. It is very difficult to
pray and concentrate 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
advice from which everyone will
immensely benefit.
Summarizing the above-mentioned
statements, we can easily and
naturally conclude that
meat-eating is a great
impediment on the path of 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.
In the Qur'an very clear
instruction is given about what
is intended for human 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)
All is He Who created the
heavens and 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 ayats of the
Qur'an it is obvious that when
Allah created Adam and Eve, He
gave them fruits as food. 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
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 (2.67-71) which
describes the sacrifice of a
cow.
"When Moses said to his people:
'Allah commands you that you
sacrifice a cow.'
They said: 'Do 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 makes clear to
us what (cow) is.'
(Moses) answered: 'He says that
the cow should be neither too
old nor too young but middling
age; now do what you are
commanded!'
They said: 'Pray for us unto
your Lord that He makes 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 makes clear to
us what (cow) she is. To us are
all cows alike; if Allah wills,
we may be lead 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."
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
Aron 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 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
pretense that they were
genuinely seeking for guidance.
When hey at last 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
high authority, Prophet Moses.
So this particular sacrifice was
not carried whimsically but with
due consideration. We should
understand also that the cow was
not simply killed for the sake
of eating but the body of the
cow was burnt and ashes were to
be used for the higher purpose
of purifying the people from
their sins. It is very important
to mention that also in the
present age cow sacrifice is
forbidden because no qualified
persons are available to conduct
such a sacrifice.
Thus by reading Holy Qur'an we
can conclude that cow killing is
not sanctioned there and the
only mentioned cow sacrifice was
not meant for meat-eating but
for purification from sins.
The Iranian scholar Al-Ghazzali
(1058-1111) 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 in 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 virtues of ghee and milk
from cow are stated:
"The meat of cow is marz
(disease), its milk is safa
(health) and its ghee is
davat (medicine)."
It is not more intelligent ot
protect cows and use their milk
and ghee for our benefit? The
cow is considered a mother of
mankind because she gives us
such valuable product 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
one's memory capacity increases
thus favoring remembrance of
Allah. Therefore the cow and its
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 can eat less
important animals like sheep and
goat but cows should be
protected.
Imam of the Shah Jehan Mosque in
London, England, Al-Hafiz B. A.
Masri, says that the Qur'an is
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 is time to
ensure that all precepts laid
down in the Qur'an against
cruelty to animals are followed
strictly everywhere in the
world. Therefore he wants to
start a unit of the Society for
Protection from Cruelty to
Animals in the Islamic world.
Animal welfare worker Al-Hafiz
B. A. Masri would love to see
the world embrace vegetarianism.
In his book Islamic Concern
for Animals Al-Hafiz Masri
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
cutting of trees is prohibited
in Islam. On page 18 Imam Saheb
has repeated the saying of the
Holy Prophet Muhammad:
"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 Judgement."
Imam Masri is himself a
vegetarian and advises everyone
to adopt vegetarianism.
Related:
Islamic Concern: Animals in
Islam (islamveg.com)
Islamveg.com: Islam and
vegetarianism
Vegetarian News - Islamic
vegetarians
International Vegetarian Union -
Food of the Gods
Islam Online- Health & Science
Section
vegetarian ABC -- why/how
Muslims can't be Vegetarian? :
Islam : Dietary Law
Feasts of the prophet: Ramadan
and vegetarianism in Islam
JesusVeg.com: Scholarly Works:
Islam & Vegetarianism
vegeterian muslims
Here
are some key articles and
websites to increase our
understanding of Islam:
1.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/prophet/lifeofprophet.html
"Gibbon,
a historian of world repute says,
"A pernicious tenet has been
imputed to Mohammadans, the duty
of extirpating all the religions
by sword." This charge
based on ignorance and bigotry,
says the eminent historian, is
refuted by Quran, by
history of Musalman conquerors
and by their public and legal
toleration of Christian worship.
The
great success of Mohammad's
life had been effected by sheer
moral force, without a stroke of
sword.
But
in pure self-defense, after
repeated efforts of conciliation
had utterly failed,
circumstances dragged him into
the battlefield.
But the prophet of Islam
changed the whole strategy of
the battlefield.
The total number of
casualties in all the wars that
took place during his lifetime
when the whole Arabian Peninsula
came under his banner, does not
exceed a few hundreds in all."
MOHAMMAD DID NOT LIVE BY THE
SWORD, HE WAS FORCED INTO WAR
FOR SELF DEFENCE, ONLY A FEW
HUNDRED DIED IN THE WARS HE
FOUGHT, THEN HE FORGAVE ALL HIS
ENEMIES, EVEN THE MURDERER OF
HIS UNCLE.
ISLAM WON OVER THE PEOPLE DUE TO
ITS MESSAGE OF SUBMISSION TO GOD
AND THE EXAMPLE OF THE LIFE OF
THE PROPHET LIVING IN SIMPLICITY.
Goethe,
the greatest of German poets,
speaking about the Holy Quran
declared that, "This book
will go on exercising through
all ages a most potent influence."
George Bernard
Shaw
says, "If any religion has a
chance or ruling over England,
say, Europe, within the next 100
years, it is Islam".
Mahatma Gandhi,
in his inimitable style, says "Some
one has said that Europeans in
South Africa dread the advent
Islam -- Islam that civilized
Spain, Islam that took the torch
light to Morocco and preached to
the world the Gospel of
brotherhood.
The Europeans of
South Africa dread the Advent of
Islam. They may claim equality
with the white races.
They
may well dread it, if
brotherhood is a sin. If it is
equality of colored races then
their dread is well founded."
2.
Muhammad
Yunus
a Muslim,
wins the 2006 NOBEL Peace prize:
Born
June
28,
1940
Chittagong,
Bangladesh
Occupation Founder,
Grameen
Bank
Spouse Afrozi Yunus
3.
What non-muslims
say about
Prophet Mohammad
4.
In Studies in a Mosque,
Stanley Lane-Poole writes:
"For nearly eight centuries
under her Mohammedan rulers
Spain set to all Europe a
shining example of a civilized
and enlightened state. * * * Art,
literature and science prospered
as they then prospered nowhere
else in Europe. Students flocked
from France and Germany and
England to drink from the
fountains of learning which
flowed only in the cities of the
Moors. The surgeons and doctors
of Andalusia were in the van of
science; women were encouraged
to devote themselves to serious
study, and a lady doctor was not
unknown among the people of
Cordova. Mathematics, astronomy
and botany, history, philosophy
and jurisprudence, were to he
mastered in Spain and in Spain
alone."
5.
the Sword of
Islam
