Door of vegetarian eating establishment in Malaysia
Hello Butter Kittens!
This is your favorite balding, Muslim hipster, Urbndervish. I was asked to do a write up on Islam and vegetarianism. As you may know (or if you read our “About Me” page), Eternitysojourner and I are on a plant based diet and have been for a long time. Of course, this elicits many responses from our well-meaning Muslim community. “What do you mean you don’t eat no meat?! The Prophet Muhammad ate meat!” “Why do you make haraam (prohibited) what Allah has made halaal (permissible)?!” “Not eating meat is haraam!” etc.
Before we address this, we would like to address some cursory issues related to the topic at hand. First, it must be understood that our decision to refrain from meat and subsequently, animal products, is not based upon a moral principle that doing such is wrong in and of itself. The difference between us and some vegetarians/vegans who hold to that is that our actions are governed by what we believe to be Divine Revelation as taught in Islam. This presupposes that our moral system and structure is well-defined through the lens of our way of life, as revealed by God to the heart of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, over 1400 years ago. That withstanding, the issue (at least, to us) is not one of “absolute” morality. By “absolute” we mean an ethic that transcends time and space. Consequently, we can say with absolute certainty that the modern industries related to meat, dairy, etc. are immoral! One only needs to peruse modern factory farms and slaughterhouses to see how unethical and atrocious one creature’s treatment of another could be! However, to apply that to a simply pastoral existence in 7th century Arabia would be unjust and unfair. Similarly, it would be unintelligent to do the converse; that is, to assume that the cuisine of someone in the 7th century Arabian desert justifies the industry of packaged meats in a 20th century urban context.
Second, it must also be kept in mind that the aversion to vegetarianism amongst Muslims can more than likely be based upon cultural context. In many eastern societies, Muslims have historically been at variance with Eastern religions/philosophies that eschew meat consumption. For example, in India, the Muslims were at odds with their Hindu/Jain neighbors and one of the principle points of conflict was meat. The Hindus and Jains promoted (semi)vegetarianism and any leaning towards vegetarianism amongst Muslims was seen as a type of solidarity with the enemy. Therefore, the most voracious opponents of vegetarianism (in our experience) are typically Muslims from the Subcontinent of India, Pakistan, etc.
It is also worth noting that amongst Muslims, vegetarianism has historically been a sign of heterodoxy. Many “Sufi” groups and proto-Muslim sects have advocated vegetarianism amongst their followers. One example is the heretical Qarmatian sect of the early centuries who were known to be vegetarians. All of that withstanding, the thought of vegetarianism in the traditional Muslim world typically leaves a bad taste in the mouth (pardon the pun)!
We thought that addressing the common concerns and questions that we encounter will help to clarify our position to those who are interested in clarity. Instead of addressing the common questions posed to non-Muslim vegetarians by non-vegetarians, we chose to deal with those questions and comments from a religious perspective. We apologize for the seeming exclusivity of this post! We typically try to make our posts inclusive. We will endeavor to explain the religious terminology and concepts to our non-Muslim readers who may not be familiar with such.
1. “The Prophet Muhammad ate meat. He said that anyone who doesn’t like his way is not of him!”
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It is narrated in the books of recorded traditions and history that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, ate meat. However, to justify the daily eating of meat by stating that it is the “Sunnah” (or the Prophet’s consistent practice) would be incorrect. It is well-known that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, did not eat meat consistently, nor did he eat it on a daily basis. There are other foods that he ate more consistently and regularly, such as barley bread, dates, pumpkin, and other vegetarian foods. Interestingly enough, no one invokes the “Sunnah” when it comes to these foods!
He is recorded as loving to eat the shoulder of lamb. He is also narrated to have eaten chicken and a type of bustard. We know not of any narration in which he was said to eat beef, camel, fish, or any other meat. If the Sunnah denotes a consistent practice of the Prophet, it would be incorrect for one to say that eating meat is the Sunnah. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, did not eat it normally, nor did he generally eat all types of meats.
Regarding the narrated statement of the Prophet: “Whoever dislikes my way (Sunnah) is not of me”, the context must be understood. The aforementioned reference is a part of a larger narration in which a group of the Prophet’s Companions came to him and some said: “We will not marry!” Another group said: “We will not eat meat!” Another group said: “We will not sleep on pillows/cushions!” Yet another group said: “We will fast and never break our fast!” When the news reached God’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, he said: “What are with these people that they say such?! I pray, I sleep, I fast, I eat, and I marry women. Whoever dislikes my way is not of me!”
According to the context of the narrated tradition of the Prophet, he was countering the mistaken concepts of his Companions that spirituality can be achieved by refraining from marriage, meat, etc. However, he assured them that he engaged in all of the things that they said that they would refrain from, yet no one was closer to God than he. It is noteworthy that the Prophet Muhammad didn’t say: “I eat meat” in response to the Companions. Consequently, he didn’t state that eating meat was his way (sunnah).
2. “Why do you make prohibited what Allah has made permissible?!”
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No doubt that this objection is a direct reference to the verse of the Holy Qur’an in which Almighty God addressed the Prophet: {O Prophet, why do you make prohibited what Allah has made lawful for you?!} (Holy Qur’an 66:1). Anti-vegetarian Muslims use the import of this verse as a proof that Muslim vegetarians shouldn’t refrain from meat because it is religiously permissible.
The Holy Qur’an itself does not give us the details of what the Prophet prohibited himself from. For that, we consult the books of Qur’anic exegesis known as tafseer. In one of these texts, an incident is mentioned where some of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad were jealous of another and they sought to conspire against her. One of his wives was known to make a honey drink that he enjoyed. Two of the wives knew that and to prevent him from that honey drink, they agreed to tell him that his breath stunk after drinking it. When he came to each of the two wives, they did just that. After which, he said: “I swear by Allah that I will never drink of this honey again!” It is then that the verse was revealed to him {O Prophet, why do you make prohibited what Allah has made lawful for you?! Do you seek the pleasure of your wives?!}. According to this narrated tradition, the Prophet was censured for vowing by Allah to never drink honey again.
This, in no way, can be compared to a conscientious decision to refrain from meat or other animal products! One is not making an oath or the like by Allah when one decides to not eat meat! This is not the import of the holy verse! This is further emphasized by the fact that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, refrained from eating certain foods that were otherwise permitted for him. For example, he never ate lizard or onions; yet he was not censured for doing so! This shows us that refraining from a certain food is not the same as prohibiting it.
3. “There is a narrated statement from the Prophet Muhammad in which he is recorded to have said: ‘The master of foods among the people of this world and the people of Paradise is meat.’”
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Muslims who argue against vegetarianism cite this tradition in support of their thesis. However, those familiar with the sciences of narrated traditions from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, should refer to those scholars whose specialty is scrutinizing the narrated traditions. One would readily see that the traditionalists include this narration amongst the list of concocted reports falsely attributed to Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. For example, a well-known traditionalist named Ibn al-Jawzi included this tradition as well as others with similar wording in his book entitled: Al Mawdu’at (Tr. “Fabricated Traditions”).
4. “Muslims are commanded to eat meat during the Hajj pilgrimage. Allah says: {…so that they may witness the benefits for them and mention the Name of Allah on known days for what He has provided for them of cattle. So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor} (Holy Qur’an 22:28).”
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The Muslim opponents argue from this verse that Muslims are commanded to eat meat during the Pilgrimage season with the words {eat of them}. Therefore, a Muslim cannot be a vegetarian.
We reply by saying that according to the classical and medieval exegetes of the Holy Qur’an, the statement {eat of them} is not a command, rather it is a permission. A well-known traditionalist and Qur’an commentator named Ibn Katheer stated in his exegesis of this verse:
“There are those that use this verse as a proof that eating the sacrificial meat is religiously obligatory. However, this is a strange statement! The vast majority says that it [i.e. eating the sacrificial meat] is either permissible or a recommendation.”
Some of the early exegetes such as Mujahid, ‘Ata, and Ibrahim said:
“It is permission. If one wants to eat it, they can. If one doesn’t want to eat of it, they don’t have to.”
Therefore, this is not a proof that a Muslim cannot refrain from eating meat.
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All-in-all, from an Islamic perspective, one is free to eat or refrain from eating those foods deemed permissible. There’s no disagreement amongst our scholars concerning that. However, the most pressing question and concern would be “Which foods are most beneficial for us in this present age?”
According to the Muslim cosmology, we hold the past as an ideal but yet are not stagnated to the point that we are oblivious to technological or scientific advances. This is the reason why our past civilizations led the world in scientific/technological development but yet held the words of our ancestors and sages to be of highest benefit. We are not Luddites who confine our appreciation of the earliest generations to simply mimicking them superficially. We hold their simplicity and values to be our ideals as we move towards the future.
All of that withstanding, we are to research into the most efficient and resourceful ways to live our lives. We are not held captive by parochialism at the expense of the planet. Rather, our way of life encourages us to be just stewards of the earth and seek to preserve it. Is our desire for meat and other animal byproducts contributing to the destruction of our ecosystem? Much research and studies suggest that it is. If this is the case, then it is our religious duty to rectify this situation by eliminating or greatly reducing our animal intake.
Even if one were to look at the personal benefits of a plant-based diet, it should be reason enough to consider it. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, is recorded to have said: “The strong believer is better than the weak believer” or something to that effect. The personal health benefits of a plant-based diet are many. Consistent animal consumption has been linked to everything from aggravating diabetes to osteoporosis to cancers. Do yourself a favor and watch the documentary “Forks over Knives.”
From a personal perspective, I can testify to the benefits of a plant-based diet. I feel better and look better! I no longer wake up almost choking on mucus due to dairy consumption. I have more energy! I feel lighter! My palate has become more attuned to international fare and flavors. I won’t have to worry about high blood pressure or high cholesterol. I feel like a “strong believer.” All praises due to Allah!
We are blessed to be in such a beautiful country and hoping to soak it up for as long as we’re here.
