Mu` meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah`s Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Why are we not allowed to eat Pork.... Kindly oblige 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His  forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 173:

He (Allah) hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of Allah; but if one is forced by necessity, without willful disobedience nor transgressing due limits, then is he guiltless. For Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 3:

Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah, that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not, but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you completed my favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any forced by hunger with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.

Allah Subhanah has explicitly forbidden the believers the flesh of swine as food; thus for the believers, who sincerely believe in Allah and the Last Day, this one reason should suffice.

But as with everything in Islam, we are allowed to look and search for the wisdom behind the commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws); for that will make our conviction firm and strong, in obeying their commands. If for the limitations of our confined knowledge and understanding, we are unable to grasp the wisdom behind any command of Allah and His Messenger (saws), it is still our duty to obey and follow each and every command of Allah and His Messenger (saws); for indeed, every command of our Lord and Creator is based on His Absolute and Perfect Knowledge.

The swine family in general is an extremely filthy, dirty, impure and unhygienic animal by nature. It is said that it eats its own excretion! It is a scientific fact that the flesh of swine has a particular worm, which if the swine is not reared in proper hygienic conditions, or not cooked to a certain temperature, is harmful and sometimes even fatal to the humans when consumed. Some people argue that in today’s modern times, the swines that are to be consumed by the humans are properly reared, and their flesh cooked at high temperature to mitigate the risks to human health. But Allah Subhanah, Who is the Creator of everything in existence, knows all the evils and impurity of the flesh of swine, which even today man may not be aware; and thus the All-Wise, All-Knowing has declared the flesh of swine ‘haraam’ for the believers to consume.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan