| Bismillah-hir
Rahman-nir Rahim
(In the Name of God, Compassionate and Merciful)
A closer examination of Islamic
teachings reveals that Islam is a deeply compassionate religion,
especially regarding animal welfare. In particular, Islam does
not prohibit vegetarianism. It is noteworthy that many Islamic
countries are now waking up to the benefits of a vegetarian
diet and seeing that vegetarianism is supported by the Islamic
faith. For instance, the fundamentalist Islamic country of Iran
is also home to the Iranian Vegetarian Society, which is very
active in promoting the benefits of a pure vegetarian diet in
the modern Islamic world, both in terms of health and the well-being
of animals. In 1995, a Muslim Vegetarian/Vegan Society was formed
in the UK, which promotes vegetarianism in accordance with the
Koran’s teachings and demonstrates how kindness and compassion
to animals are virtues expounded by Islam.
The Holy Koran and Compassion towards Animals
Numerous verses in The Holy
Koran refer to the sanctity of animal life and the equal rights
of an animal to have a peaceful life, seeking God and developing
towards God consciousness, very similar to human beings on the
planet:
“There is not an animal
(that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings,
but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have We omitted
from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord
in the end.” (Sura 6:38).
“Seest thou not that
it is Allah Whose praise all beings in the heavens and on earth
do celebrate, and the birds (of the air) with wings outspread?
Each one knows its own (mode of) prayer and praise, and Allah
knows well all that they do.” (Sura 24:41)
Animals form communities at
the same time offering their services to humankind. In no way
does The Holy Koran suggest that we should become their executioners:
“…We have made
animals subject to you, that ye may be grateful. (Sura 22:36)
He it is that has made you
vice-regent (inheritors) in the earth.” (Sura 35:39)
The Holy Koran emphasizes that
animals and humans have equal shares of Earth’s resources
(see Sura 25:48-49, 32:27, 79:31-33), also saying that in God’s
eyes they are equal to humans, and Hes communicates with them
exactly as Hes does with humans:
“And your Lord revealed
to the bee, saying: ‘Make hives in the mountains and in
the trees, and in (human) habitations’” (Sura 16:68)
The Holy Koran uses the same
Arabic word, “Wahi,” for God’s revelations
to all Hiers Prophets, including the Holy Prophet Mohammed (pbuh4).
This form of address is also used in the case of the bee, indicating
that animals have a sufficient degree of psychic endowment to
understand and follow God’s messages.
Furthermore, there are numerous
verses in the Holy Koran where God emphasizes the use of fruits
and vegetables to sustain both humans and animals alike (Sura
6:141, 6:151, 16:67, Sura 23:19) as well as to promote better
health and living environments for Muslims.
Hadith – Life Teachings of the Muslim Prophet
and Saints
Hadith (meaning “traditions”)
in Islam refers to the recorded teachings of the Prophet Mohammed.
The Hadith is commonly taught in Islamic culture as a part of
Islamic theology.
Many Hadith scriptures from
the life of Prophet Mohammed as well as other Muslim Saints
convey a depth of compassion and kindness towards animals and
suggest that the primary duty of all Muslims is to care for
the well-being of animals. The Prophet also emphasized the importance
and effects of a vegetable-based diet, even forbidding the use
of animal skins:
“Do not allow your stomachs
to become graveyards!”
“A good deed done to
an animal is as meritorious as a good deed done to a human being,
while an act of cruelty to an animal is as bad as an act of
cruelty to a human being.”
“All creatures are like
a family (Ayal) of God: and He loves the most those who are
the most beneficent to His family.”
“He who takes pity {even}
on a sparrow and spares its life, Allah will be merciful on
him on the Day of Judgment.”
“Allah will not give
mercy to anyone, except those who give mercy to other creatures.
Where there is an abundance
of vegetables, a host of angels will descend on that place.”
Many Sufis (esoteric Muslim
practitioners) maintain that vegetarianism is in complete accord
with Islamic doctrines and principles. The Sufi Qadiri shaikh
Abdul Karim Jili, commenting on Ibn Arabi’s advice to
avoid animal fat during retreats, stated that “animal
fat strengthens animality, and its principles will dominate
the spiritual principles.”
Similarly, the Chishti Sufi
Inayat Khan, who introduced Sufi principles to Europe and America
in the early 1900s, observed that vegetarianism promotes compassion
and harmlessness to living creatures, and that a vegetarian
diet aids in the purification of the body and refinement of
spiritual faculties.
The recent century’s
Sri Lankan Sufi Qadiri teacher Bawa Muhaiyaddeen also encouraged
vegetarianism, stating that arrogance and anger may decrease
if one eliminates meat from the diet. He taught that consumption
of meat promotes the development of animalistic qualities, whereas
consumption of plant and dairy products promotes peaceful qualities;
and he noted that Islamic rules pertaining to animal slaughter
have the effect, if properly observed, of reducing the number
of animals killed for food. On this and on the concept of Qurbani
(sacrifice of animals) in Islam, Bawa said:
“At one time the Rasul
of Allah said to his cousin ‘Ali, ‘O ‘Ali,
you should not eat meat. If you eat meat for 40 days, those
qualities will come within you. Because of that, your human
qualities will change, your compassionate qualities will change,
and the essence of your body will change.”
“During that time, the
Arabs used to have cattle, camels, goats, ghee, dates, wheat
flour, and all those things. They had no vegetables or curries.
Those times were times of eating flesh. Then Mohammed the Rasul
came. He could not stop them from eating flesh completely, because
this was their only food. He could not tell them not to eat
flesh, because they would have killed him. Therefore, he had
to tell them slowly and explain it to them little by little.”
“The qurban, or the
commandment of saying the Third Kalimah when ritually slaughtering
animals, was also sent down to stop this murdering. And like
this, the difference between Haraam (not permissible) and Halaal
(permissible) was sent down. All the Prophets came in order
to gradually correct the people, to gradually reduce the number
of murders, to reduce the actions against God’s commandments,
and to gradually reduce arrogance. Gradually, little by little,
these were lessened.”
The 15th Century Sufi poet
Kabir Sahib unequivocally condemned meat eating. Characterizing
it as the ultimate failure of compassion, he stated that even
the companionship of meat-eaters was harmful to the soul. He
emphasized that instead of killing animals we should “slaughter”
the five passions of lust, greed, attachment, anger and pride:
O
Muslims, I see you fasting during the day,
But then to break your fast you slaughter cows at night.
At one end is devotion, at the other murder –
How can the Lord be pleased?
My friend, pray cut the throat of anger,
And slaughter the ravages of blind fury,
For he who slaughters the five passions,
Lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride,
Will surely see the Supreme Lord face to face.
(from “On Eating Meat,” excerpt from Kabir, the
Great Mystic)
Epilogue
From the teachings from the
Holy Koran and as well as the Prophet Mohammed and other Muslim
saints, it’s clear that Islam regards compassion towards
animals as a responsibility of human beings. Recent research
has even shown that the practice of animal sacrifice (qurbani)
for certain Islamic festivals is no longer recommended, out
of consideration for the animals’ suffering as well as
human health concerns. The Holy Koran is very clear that the
act of sacrifice is a symbolic gesture of human generosity and
giving alms; and that killing animals and offering their flesh
in no way offers any salvation for humanity:
“Their flesh and their
blood reach not Allah, but the devotion from you reacheth Him.
Thus have We made them subject unto you that ye may magnify
Allah that He hath guided you. And give good tidings (O Mohammed)
to the good.” (Sura 22:37)
In the wake of higher awareness
regarding these issues, some Muslim scholars have suggested
that a day will come when Muslims will substitute other means
of giving alms instead of the rite of animal sacrifice.
This short article shows that
despite common beliefs and practices by many Muslims, Islamic
faith and teachings strongly recognize the sanctity of animal
life. Islam never intended that humans would kill animals in
order to consume their flesh. The Holy Koran and many Muslim
Saints emphasize the benefits of a meatless, vegetable-based
diet and their impacts on human life as well as the ecology
of the planet Earth. Interested readers are encouraged to follow
the references quoted below for a deeper analysis of Islamic
views on animals.
Footnotes:
[1] This Arabic phrase,
meaning “In the Name of God, Compassionate and Merciful,”
begins all suras in the Holy Koran. Many Moslems recite this
phrase before commencing any speech or action.
2 http://www.ivu.org/news/1-96/muslim.html
3 The Holy Koran consists
of 114 chapters known as suras, each containing
many verses. The notation “x:y” refers to Sura
x:Verse y.
4 Peace Be Upon Him
5 The Prophet
6 The Third “Word”
7 Sheikh Farid Wagdi,
on Sacrifice, in “Animals in Islam” by Al-Hafiz
B.A. Masri (p. 117)
References:
You may find for your
own reference, many books and Islamic websites which will
help you in your search of the truth, some of which are listed
below:
- Bawa Muhaiyaddeen,
http://www.bmf.org/
& http://members.aol.com/yahyam/bawaveg.html
- Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
“Islam and World Peace – Explanations of a Sufi”
http://www.bmf.org/iswp/speak-peace.html
- Sufism and Vegetarianism
- http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook/essay_vegetarianism.html
- Kathleen Seidel,
“Serving the Guest – A Sufi Cookbook and Art Gallery”,
http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook/.
- http://www.islamicconcern.com/fatwas.asp
on vegetarianism (plus video of Imam Masri)
“Islamic Concern
for Animals” by Al-Hafiz Basheer Ahmad Masri. 1987.
Athene Trust.
- Masri, Al-Hafiz Basheer
Ahmad, Animals in Islam”, Petersfield, England: Athene
Trust, 1989. A detailed analysis of the Qur’an and Islam
as it relates to animals. Excerpts are available from the
internet : http://www.chaionline.org/en/compassion/islam/heritage_islam_i.htm
- Ahmed, Rafeeque.
Islam and Vegetarianism. Awaiting full bibliographic details.
- Attar : Memorial
of the saints ( available on internet http://www.omphaloskepsis.com/collection/descriptions/mussm.html
)
- Communiqué
Agence France-Presse du 16 avril 1997, Soheib Bencheikh, Grand
Mufti de la mosquée de Marseille (in French) (published
on internet) – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soheib_Bencheikh
and http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3230,36-246040,0.html.
- http://membres.lycos.fr/islamica/exces.htm
(French)
- http://www.themodernreligion.com/misc/an/an1.htm
- http://www.themodernreligion.com/misc/an/an2.htm
- http://www.vegblog.org/archive/2003/10/01/
islam_and_vegetarianism.php
- http://www.vegsource.com/biospirituality/islam.html
- http://www.thevegetarianchannel.com/directory/
Lifestyle/Religion_,038_Spirituality/Muslim/
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