Most Common Questions asked by Non-Muslims
Q6. Killing an animal is a
ruthless act. Why then do Muslims consume non-vegetarian food?
EATING NON-VEGETARIAN FOOD
Answer:
‘Vegetarianism’
is now a movement the world over. Many even associate it with animal rights.
Indeed, a large number of people consider the consumption of meat and other non-vegetarian
products to be a violation of animal rights.
Islam enjoins mercy and compassion for all living creatures. At the same time
Islam maintains that Allah has created the earth and its wondrous flora and fauna for the benefit of mankind. It is upto mankind to use every resource in this world judiciously, as a niyamat (Divine blessing) and amanat (trust) from Allah.
Let us look at various other aspects of this argument.
1.A
Muslim can be a pure vegetarian
A
Muslim can be a very good Muslim despite being a pure vegetarian. It is not compulsory
for a Muslim to have non-vegetarian food.
2.Qur’an permits Muslims to have non-vegetarian food
The
Qur’an, however permits a Muslim to have non-vegetarian food. The following Qur’anic
verses are proof of this fact:
“O ye who believe! Fulfil (all) obligations.
Lawful unto you (for food) are all four-footed animals with the exceptions
named.”
[Al-Qur’an 5:1]
“And cattle He has created for you (men): from them Ye derive warmth, and numerous benefits, And of their (meat) ye eat.”
Al-Qur’an 16:5]
“And in cattle (too) ye have an instructive example: From within their bodies We produce (milk) for you to drink; there are, in them, (besides), numerous (other) benefits for you; and of their (meat) ye eat.”
[Al-Qur’an 23:21]
3.Meat is nutritious and rich in complete protein
Non-vegetarian
food is a good source of excellent protein. It contains biologically complete
protein i.e. all the 8 essential amino acid that are not synthesized by the
body and should be supplied in the diet. Meat also contains iron, vitamin B1
and niacin.
4.Humans have Omnivorous set of teeth
If you
observe the teeth of herbivorous animals like the cow, goat and sheep, you will
find something strikingly similar in all of them. All these animals have a set of flat teeth i.e.
suited for herbivorous diet. If you observe the set of teeth of the carnivorous
animals like the lion, tiger, or leopard, they all have a set of pointed teeth
i.e. suited for a carnivorous diet. If you analyze the set of teeth of humans,
you find that they have flat teeth as well as pointed teeth. Thus they have
teeth suited for both herbivorous as well as carnivorous food i.e. they are
omnivorous. One may ask, if Almighty God
wanted humans to have only vegetables, why did He provide us also with pointed
teeth? It is logical that He expected us to need and to have both vegetarian as
well as non-vegetarian food.
5.Human beings can digest both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food
The
digestive system of herbivorous animals can digest only vegetables. The
digestive system of carnivorous animals can digest only meat. But the digestive
system of humans can digest both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. If
Almighty God wanted us to have only vegetables then why did He give us a
digestive system that can digest both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian
food?
6.Hindu scriptures give permission to have non-vegetarian food
a) There are many Hindus who are strictly vegetarian. They think it is
against the irreligion to consume non-vegetarian food. But the true fact is
that the Hindu scriptures permit a person to have meat. The scriptures mention
Hindu sages and saints consuming non-vegetarian food.
b) It is mentioned in Manu Smruti, the law book of Hindus, in chapter 5
verse 30
“The
eater who eats the flesh of those to be eaten does nothing bad,
even if he does it day after day, for God himself created some to be eaten and
some to be eater.”
c) Again next verse of Manu Smruti, that is, chapter 5 verse 31 says
“Eating
meat is right for the sacrifice, this is traditionally known as a rule of
the gods.”
d) Further in Manu Smruti chapter 5 verse 39 and 40 says “God himself
created sacrificial animals for sacrifice, ...., therefore killing in a
sacrifice is not killing.”
e) Mahabharata Anushashan Parva chapter 88 narrates the discussion between
Dharmaraj Yudhishthira and Pitamah Bhishma about what food one should offer to Pitris
(ancestors) during the Shraddha (ceremony of dead) to keep them
satisfied. Paragraph reads as follows:
“Yudhishthira
said, “O thou of great puissance, tell me what that object is which, if dedicated
to the Pitiris (dead ancestors), become inexhaustible! What Havi,
again, (if offered) lasts for all time? What, indeed, is that which (if
presented) becomes eternal?”
“Bhishma
said, “Listen to me, O Yudhishthira, what those Havis are which persons conversant
with the rituals of the Shraddha (the ceremony of dead) regard as
suitable in view of Shraddha and what the fruits are that attach to
each.
- With sesame seeds and rice and barely and Masha and water and roots and fruits, if given at Shraddhas, the pitris, Oking, remain gratified for the period of a month.
- With fishes offered at Shraddhas, the pitris remain gratified for a period of two months.
- With the mutton they remain gratified for three months and
- with the hare for four months,
- with the flesh of the goat for five months,
- with the bacon (meat of pig) for six months, and
- with the flesh of birds for seven.
- With venison obtained from those deer that are called Prishata, they remain gratified for eight months, and
- with that obtained from the Ruru for nine months, and
- with the meat of Gavaya for ten months,
- With the meat of the bufffalo their gratification lasts for eleven months.
- With beef presented at the Shraddha, their gratification, it is said, lasts for a full year. Payasa mixed with ghee is as much acceptable to the pitris as beef.
- With the meat of Vadhrinasa (a large bull) the gratification of pitris lasts for twelve years.
- The flesh of rhinoceros, offered to the pitris on anniversaries of the lunar days on which they died, becomes inexhaustible.
- The potherb called Kalaska, the petals of kanchana flower, and meat of (red) goat also, thus offered, prove inexhaustible.
So but
natural if you want to keep your ancestors satisfied forever, you should serve them
the meat of red goat.
7.Hinduism was influenced by other religions
Though
Hindu Scriptures permit its followers to have non-vegetarian food, many Hindus adopted
the vegetarian system because they were influenced by other religions like Jainism.
8.Even plants have life
Certain
religions have adopted pure vegetarianism as a dietary law because they are totally
against the killing of living creatures. If a person can survive without
killing any living creature, I would be the first person to adopt such a way of
life. In the past people thought plants were lifeless. Today it is a universal
fact that even plants have life. Thus their logic of not killing living
creatures is not fulfilled even by being a pure vegetarian.
9.Even plants can feel pain
They
further argue that plants cannot feel pain, therefore killing a plant is a
lesser crime
as compared to killing an animal. Today science tells us that even
plants can feel pain. But the cry of the plant cannot be heard by the human
being. This is due to the in ability of the human ear to hear sounds that are
not in the audible range i.e. 20 Hertz to 20,000 Hertz. Anything below and
above this range cannot be heard by a human being. A dog can hear up to 40,000
Hertz. Thus there are silent dog whistles that have a frequency of more than
20,000 Hertz and less than 40,000 Hertz. These whistles are only heard by dogs
and not by human beings. The dog recognizes the masters whistle and comes to
the master. There was research done by a farmer in U.S.A. who invented an
instrument which converted the cry of the plant so that it could be heard by
human beings. He was able to realize immediately when the plant itself cried
for water. Latest researches show that the plants can even feel happy and sad.
It can also cry.
10.Killing a living creature with two senses less is not a lesser crime
Once a
vegetarian argued his case by saying that plants only have two or three senses while
the animals have five senses. Therefore killing a plant is a lesser crime than
killing an animal. Suppose your brother is born deaf and dumb and has two
senses less as compared to other human beings. He becomes mature and someone
murders him. Would you ask the judge to give the murderer a lesser punishment
because your brother has two senses less? In fact you would say that he has
killed a masoom, an innocent person, and the judge should give the
murderer a greater punishment.
In fact the Qur’an says: “O ye
people! Eat of what is on earth, lawful and good”
[Al-Qur’an 2:168]
11.Over
population of cattle
If
every human being was a vegetarian, it would lead to overpopulation of cattle
in the world, since their reproduction and multiplication is very swift. Allah
(swt) in His Divine Wisdom knows how to maintain the balance of His creation
appropriately. No wonder He has permitted us to have the meat of the cattle.
12.Cost of meat is reasonable since all aren’t non-vegetarians
I do
not mind if some people are pure vegetarians. However they should not condemn non-vegetarians
as ruthless. In fact if all Indians become non-vegetarians then the present
non-vegetarians would be losers since the prices of meat would rise.
1 comment:
Good reading your postt
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