(part 1 of 2): Obeying God’s Laws
Islam is a holistic way of life that encompasses physical, spiritual and emotional well-being, each one but overlapping parts of the structure of a human being. God created us for the purpose of serving Him (Quran 51:56) but He did not deliver us to a world of instability and insecurity. He gave us a book of guidance, the Quran, and the example of the prophets and messengers to explain that trust in God is a way for us to achieve success in this life and beyond.
A Muslim spends his or her life consistently pleasing to God by worshiping Him and obeying His laws or rules. One of these rules is that eating pork or pork products is prohibited.
First, you might be wondering what harm pork may cause, a product that is consumed in many parts of the world, and the fact that pork contains parasites and can cause diseases that are harmful to humans comes as a justification for refraining from mind. However, if one analyzes why Muslims are prohibited from eating pork, this becomes a secondary reason. Muslims simply do not eat pork or products from it because God has forbidden it.
„He has only forbidden you (the enjoyment of) those who have died naturally, blood, pork and what has been called for other than Allah.“ (Quran 2: 173)
Sometimes we don’t know or understand why God has commanded some things and forbidden others. In the case of pork, there is no particular reason for this in the Quran, except in Quran 6: 145 where God says regarding pork meat: „because that is an impurity“. A Muslim voluntarily submits to God’s orders without necessarily knowing the reason behind the divine destiny. God also declared that the believer hears and obeys His Lord’s words.
„“ We hear and we obey. “ And they are the ones who will succeed (ie come to paradise). ” (Quran 24:51)
“And it is not fitting for a believing man or woman that when God and His Messenger have resolved a matter, they make a different choice in their matter. And the one who disobeyed God and His Messenger is obviously going astray. ” (Quran 33:36)
A believer understands that God is the wisest and most righteous; therefore, His regulations serve the purpose of using us in our everyday needs, be they physical, emotional or spiritual. The Creator knows the best way for His creation to live in this world and as preparation for the hereafter. A Muslim is not permitted to consume pork under any circumstances, except in extreme need, for example, if a person’s life depended on it. Forbidden things are allowed in cases of extreme need.
God allows us all the good things that are allowed and forbids us to use things that could harm our faith, our health, our well-being or our morals. [1] Accordingly, Muslims are aware of the dangers of eating prohibited things and therefore strive to find permitted foods, even if the effort is greater or more expensive.
If a believer consumes pork unwittingly or through a mistake, it is not a sin for him or her. God does not punish anyone for lack of knowledge or for unintentional mistakes or forgetfulness. However, if a believer is certain or thinks that some pork or products of it might be in their food, drink or medicine, then they are not allowed to consume it. If in doubt, he must make an effort to investigate the ingredients. [2] Nowadays knowledge of ingredients and production methods is easy to obtain and the ban extends to both small and large portions of pork or its products.
The scholars of Islam have different views on whether or not the ban is lifted if the form of the impurity (in the case of pork products) changes. The Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences believes that changing the form (e.g. food and medical additives) so that it becomes something else will lift the ban. However, there is no doubt that it is forbidden to consume meat derived from pork, including ham and bacon.
The recent swine flu outbreak in Mexico and North America has led some countries to mass slaughter pigs, however there is ample scientific evidence to suggest that pigs harbor parasites that are harmful to humans and the pig has long been considered one ideal breeding ground for influenza.
Footnotes:
[1] At Tabarani (classified as authentic by Sheikh al Albanee).
[2] Scholars of the Standing Committee for the Resolution of Fatwas (Islamic Regulations) Saudi Arabia.
(part 2 of 2): Is the pig impure?
In the first part, we discussed the main reason why Muslims refrain from eating pork and pork products, and that was that God forbade it. As the creator of mankind and of everything that exists, God knows what is good for us and He has sent us guidance that enables us to make wise decisions. Just as a computer would not work properly if it was not programmed correctly, a human being cannot function properly if it does not feed properly. Islam is a holistic religion that recognizes the connection of spiritual, emotional and physical health. What a person eats and drinks has a direct impact on their overall health and wellbeing.
Virologists have long been aware that the pig is an ideal breeding ground for influenza, so it is no surprise that the latest swine flu threat came from pigs. Microbiologist and immunology expert Dr Graham Burgess [1] says: “Viruses that normally grow in chickens can potentially multiply in pigs and those that grow in humans can potentially multiply in pigs. So we think of the pig as a big mixing bowl for viruses and this is where it can play a real role in generating new viruses.
The pig is known to house parasites as well as bacteria and viruses. Cysticercosis is an infection caused by the tapeworm Taenia solium. Infection occurs when the tapeworm larva enters the body and forms cysts. If cysts are found in the brain, the condition is called neurocysticercosis. This tapeworm is found in pigs around the world, but in poor and developing countries, pigs are allowed to roam freely and often eat human waste. This infection can also occur in the most civilized countries, but the CDC reports that it is extremely rare in Muslim countries where pork is prohibited. [2]
Trichinellosis is caused by eating raw or undercooked meat from animals infected with the larvae of a worm species called Trichinella. The infection usually occurs in certain wild canine (carnivorous) animals, but it can also occur in domesticated pigs. CDC warns that if a person eats meat that contains infectious Trichinella cysts, the stomach acid dissolves the hard shell of the cyst and releases the worm.
The worms enter the small intestine and after 1-2 days they become sexually mature. After fertilization, adult females lay eggs. These eggs develop into mature worms, travel through the arteries and are transported to the muscles. In the muscle, the worms tangle into a ball and encapsulate themselves. Infection occurs when the encapsulated worms are eaten in the meat. The number of trichinellosis infections in the world has decreased steadily due to the awareness of the dangers of consuming raw and semi-cooked pork products and the ban on feeding raw meat waste to pigs. [3]
Pigs are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals. Pigs roam around foraging and eat all kinds of food, including dead insects, worms, tree bark, carrion, garbage and even other pigs. Pigs have few sweat glands and are therefore unable to completely rid their bodies of toxins. New evidence has shown that agricultural practices directly lead to the spread of bacterial infections in humans.
Pigs often live in small spaces and in foul smelling conditions that are part of everyday life in many modern factory farms, and research has shown that pigs often harbor antibiotic-resistant staphylococcal bacteria. This drug-resistant bacterium is now entering our food chain and recent research in the United States indicates that 49% of pigs and 45% of pig-related workers are home to these bacteria, which are responsible for the deaths of over 18,000 People in the US are responsible annually. [4]
“He only forbid you (the enjoyment of) those who died naturally, blood, pork …” (Quran 2: 173)
“because that is an impurity” (Quran 6: 145)
Muslims refrain from eating pork and pork products because God has forbidden it. A little research into the anatomy and way of life of pigs, however, reveals that it is definitely an impure animal. Those interested in consuming healthy, natural, and pure food would do well to avoid pork and pork products.
Footnotes:
[1] James Cook University, Queensland Australia. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/27/2554021.htm)
[2] (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/cysticercosis/factsht_cysticercosis .htm)
[3] (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/trichinosis/factsht_trichinosis.htm)
[4] (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=sick-farms-infected-food) &
(http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=new-drug-resistant-mrsa-in-pigs)
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/warum-schweinefleisch-im-islam-verboten-ist