Islam is a religion that defining rules for every aspects of the life of it’s believer. From the way Muslims live, the deeds that are prohibited and obliged, as well as manner in everyday life. The holistic law and order in Islam is including eating manner. A good Muslim should follow every rules that Allah has set, including the food that prohibited to be eaten. One of the prohibited food is pork or swine. Swine and all his products are strictly forbidden in Islam.
As swine is popularly eaten around the world, many Muslims questions as to why swine is prohibited. The prohibition comes from Allah SWT, which He mentioned in the Holy Quran,
“He has made unlawful for you that which dies of itself and blood and the flesh of swine and that on which the name of any other than Allah has been invoked. But he who is driven by necessity, being neither disobedient nor exceeding the limit, then surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.” - (Al Baqara: 173)
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The fact has stated that swine contains disease and many harmful parasites to human. But those scary fact is not the main reasons of the prohibition of swine in Islam. Regarding the flesh of pork, Allah SWT said in the Quran (6:145) that it is “for that surely is impure”. A good Muslim will never once questioned the prohibition and obligation the he must follow. Allah knows, and we do not.
“‘We hear and we obey.’ And such are the successful (who will live forever in Paradise).” (An Nuur: 51)
- It was again stressed in another Surah of the Quran
“When God and His Messenger have decreed a matter, they (the believers) should not have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys God and His Messenger; he has indeed strayed into a plain error.” (Al Ahzab: 36)
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- Another prohibition in the Quran is also stated that the flesh of swine is indeed haraam.
“Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah , and [those animals] killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a head-long fall or by the goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what you [are able to] slaughter [before its death], and those which are sacrificed on stone altars, and [prohibited is] that you seek decision through divining arrows. That is grave disobedience.” (Al Maida: 3)
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- Swine flesh is considered impure due to its dirty lifestyle.
Say, “I do not find within that which was revealed to me [anything] forbidden to one who would eat it unless it be a dead animal or blood spilled out or the flesh of swine - for indeed, it is impure - or it be [that slaughtered in] disobedience, dedicated to other than Allah.” (Al An’am: 145)
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- Once again the Holy Quran stated how prohibited swine flesh is,
“He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah.” (An Nahl: 115)
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Reasons of Prohibition of Swine in Islam
Here are more things to know about swine that makes us relieved that it is prohibited in Islam:
- Swine eating habit is gross. It eats literally everything including excrement, dirt, urine, decaying animal flesh and vegetables, and maggots. Moreover, it eats the cancerous growth from other pigs.
- The swine meats absorb toxic as fast as sponge absorbs water. Swine meats are 30 times more toxic than beefs.
- It only takes 4 hours for our body to digest the swine meats, which makes the higher levels of toxins are unable to be filtered by the liver.
- Swines do not sweat or perspire, unlike other animals. Those two processes are useful to remove all the toxins off the body. While swines do not do both, all the toxins stay inside their body.
- Swines and pigs are poisonous that they are hard to be killed with other poisons. [AdSense-C]
- Worms and insects take the butchered swine flesh within minutes. In a few days after being slaughtered, the swine flesh will be full of worms.
- There are many parasites living inside the flesh of a swine: flukes, tapeworms, trichinae, and worms. No safe temperature where all the parasites and their eggs could be killed.
- The fat in the swine flesh is two times bigger than in beef. It surely not good for health.
- Dead or live, a swine brings over 30 diseases that could be easily passed on to human. A good reason why swine is strictly prohibited.
- Unlike cows, swine’s stomach digest faster which makes its body unable to filter the whole toxic and turn it into flesh instead.
- Trichinae that lives inside a swine is very small and once it enters our body, it can infected almost all parts including muscles, intestines, brain, and the spinal cords. The trichinosis disease is caused by this.
- Swine is a poisonous animal that a snake venom couldn’t harm it even though it got bitten.
- The poisonous swine has a hole on each of its leg, contain a lot of pus. This pus cannot easily pass outside its body, and in the end the pus become part of its flesh.
- Other than Islam, many religion also prohibited their believers from eating the swine flesh.
- A swine flesh can cause over seventy types of latent diseases.
After understanding the prohibition of swine in Islam, now we know that the law is actually benefited us Muslims. Swine flesh is popular for its delicious taste, but behind it there is a greater risk for our health. Allah knows what’s best for us, an never did He prohibited us of something if it’s good for us.