The
Almighty and Al-Wise created human beings in a way that what ever
they eat influences their bodies and the most important of all their
soul. According to a Tradition Allah loves man seventy times more
than his mother. Hence, in His profound Wisdom, He has allowed
certain foods (Halal) and prohibited certain foods (Haram). This
has been mentioned in the Surah al-Baqarah and Surah al-Ma'idah in
which 12 items have been stated, these are; pig,blood, dead animals,
liquor, animals not slaughtered according to Islamic rules, animals
dead by beating, strangled animals, animals killed by wild animals,
stabbed animals, animals dead by falling from height, animals
sacrificed to idols, animals slaughtered by lottery.
Although,
a faithful should accept the Divine directives but it is human nature
to ascertain the validity of any prohibition.
It
might be of interest to note that Professor Schultz and Doctor Hazim
of the Hanover University, Germany, proved through an
experiment,using an electroencephalograph (EEG) and electrocardiogram
(ECG) that Islamic slaughter is the most humane method of slaughter
and the captive bolt stunning, practiced by the Western method causes
severe pain to the animal. (www.themodernreligion.com)
Pig:
It is scientifically proven that its meat contains 2 dangerous
parasites; Trichina and Measles. Trichina spawns 15,000 eggs every
month, causing anemia, dizziness, diarrhea fever, rheumatic pains,
nerve injury, itching, excess fat, fatigue, difficulty in chewing,
swallowing and breathing. The meat of every animal carries the
features of that animal, and it influence the conduct of the one who
eats it. Consuming pig can lead to sexual laxity and indifference to
reputation and chastity of one's wife and daughters or other
prohibited relatives.
Blood:
Eating of the blood is
detrimental both to the body and soul. Blood is haven for microbe
growth. Microbes are single cell organism so tiny that millions can
fit into the eye of a needle. All microbes entering the body
concentrate in the blood, the white blood cells destroy the bacteria.
When blood stops circulating in the body, the white cells are
destroyed, and microbes multiply rapidly making the body filthy. Thus
a man who consumes the blood, it influences his glands and producing
hormones, it affects his temperament and conduct making him a cruel
and hard-hear ted man.
Dead
animals: The scientific reasons
for the harmful effects of the blood of a dead animal has been stated
above. The Infallible Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (a.s.) said: “No
body eats a dead animal, but he becomes feeble and has no
off-springs; the one who eats pig die unexpectedly. (Tafsir-e-Namoona
volume 1 page 585)
Moreover,
it becomes impure (Najis) and should be avoided altogether.
Liquor:
It includes each and every
intoxicating fluid. The physical harmful effects includes the
disorder of the stomach, intestine, liver, lungs, nerves, blood
vessels, heart, and the five senses. Statistics indicate that the
consumption of the intoxicants may lead to heart disease, stroke,
throat cancer, breast cancer, and high blood pressure.
The
adverse moral effects apart from negative effects on soul,includes a
person's gracelessness, or committing unintentional actions such as
insulting, harming others, committing crimes or murder, divulging
personal or others secrets and trampling on social rules and
sanctity. It dissipates one's wisdom and disrupts sound decision
making capability and kills perception and discretion. It is one
of the “Greater Sins”
Recent
reports say that the predominant reason for insanity is the
consumption of intoxicants. An English scholar by the name of
Bentham writes: “The religion of Islam has prohibited all kinds of
alcoholic drinks and this is one of the distinctive features of
Islam.”
Animals
dead by beating, strangled animals, animals killed by wild animals,
stabbed animals, animals dead by falling: In
all these cases, since the animal's main artery is not properly cut
and consequently the blood does not completely oozed out and remain
in the body of the animal, hence it becomes unfit for human
consumption. Moreover, in all these cases the Islamic rules of
slaughter are not followed. Hence it is prohibited.
Animals
sacrificed to idols and also animals slaughtered by lottery:
In
both these cases, the prohibition relates to ancient practices.
Lottery relates to gambling which is prohibited, hence such meat s
are also prohibited. The reason for such prohibitions are moral and
spiritual.
Conclusion:
The philosophy behind these prohibitions is to protect human beings
from physical and moral harm to their bodies as well as souls!
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