nonvegetarian

Authored by Dr. Zakir Abdul Karim Naik

EATING NON-VEGETARIAN FOOD

Question:
Killing an animal is a ruthless act. Why then do Muslims consume nonvegetarian 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 vege-tarian 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
their religion 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, O king, 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 remaingratified 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 inability 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 nonvegetarians
then the present non-vegetarians would be losers since the prices
of meat would rise.

7. ISLAMIC METHOD OF SLAUGHTERING
ANIMALS APPEARS RUTHLESS
Question:
Why do Muslims slaughter the animal in a ruthless manner by torturing it and
slowly and painfully killing it?
Answer:
The Islamic method of slaughtering animals, known as Zabiha has been the
object of much criticism from a large number of people.
One may consider the following points, which prove that the Zabiha method is
not only humane but also scientifically the best:
1. Islamic method of slaughtering animal
Zakkaytum is a verb derived from the root word Zakah (to purify). Its infinitive is
Tazkiyah which means purification. The Islamic mode of slaughtering an animal
requires the following conditions to be met:
a. Animal should be slaughtered with sharp object (knife)
The animal has to be slaughtered with a sharp object (knife) and in a fast
way so that the pain of slaughter is minimised.
b. Cut wind pipe, throat and vessels of neck
Zabiha is an Arabic word which means �slaughtered�. The �slaughtering� is
to be done by cutting the throat, windpipe and the blood vessels in the neck
causing the animal�s death without cutting the spinal cord.
c. Blood should be drained
The blood has to be drained completely before the head is removed. The
purpose is to drain out most of the blood which would serve as a good
culture medium for micro organisms. The spinal cord must not be cut
because the nerve fibres to the heart could be damaged during the process
causing cardiac arrest, stagnating the blood in the blood vessels.
2. Blood is a good medium for germs and bacteria
Blood is a good media of germs, bacteria, toxins, etc. Therefore the Muslim way
of slaughtering is more hygienic as most of the blood containing germs,
bacteria, toxins, etc. that are the cause of several diseases are eliminated.
3. Meat remains fresh for a longer time
Meat slaughtered by Islamic way remains fresh for a longer time due to
deficiency of blood in the meat as compared to other methods of slaughtering.
4. Animal does not feel pain
The swift cutting of vessels of the neck disconnects the flow of blood to the
nerve of the brain responsible for pain. Thus the animal does not feel pain.
While dying, the animal struggles, writhers, shakes and kicks, not due to pain,
but due to the contraction and relaxation of the muscles defecient in blood and
due to the flow of blood out of the body.

8. NON-VEGETARIAN FOOD MAKES MUSLIMS
VIOLENT
Question:
Science tell us that whatever one eats, it has an effect on one�s behaviour. Why
then, does Islam allow Muslims to eat non-vegetarian food, since eating of
animals could make a person violent and ferocious?
Answer:
1. Only eating of herbivorous animals allowed
I agree that, what a person eats has an effect on his behaviour. This is one of
the reasons why Islam prohibits the eating of carnivorous animals like lion, tiger,
leopard, etc. who are violent and ferocious. The consumption of the meat of
such animals would probably make a person violent and ferocious. Islam only
allows the eating of herbivorous animals like cow, goat, sheep, etc. that are
peaceful and docile. Muslims eat peaceful and docile animals because Muslims
are peace loving and non-violent people.
2. The Qur�an says Prophet prohibits what is bad
The Qur�an says:
�The Prophet commands them what is just and prohibits what is evil�.
�He allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them
what is bad (and impure),�
[Al-Qur�an 7: 157]
�So take what the Messenger assigns to you and deny yourselves that
which he withholds from you.�
[Al-Qur�an 59: 7]
For a Muslim, the Prophet�s statement is sufficient to convince him that Allah does
not wish humans to eat some kinds of meat while allowing some other kinds.
3. Hadith of Mohammad (pbuh) prohibi-ting eating of carnivorous
animals
According to various authentic Ahadith narrated in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih
Muslim including hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas in Sahih Muslim, Book of hunting
and slaughter, Hadith No. 4752 and Sunan Ibn-I-Majah chapter 13 Hadith no.
3232 to 3234, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) prohibited the eating of:
(i) Wild animals with canine teeth, i.e. meat eating carnivorous animals. These
are animals belonging to the cat families such as lion, tiger, cats, dogs,
wolfs, hyenas, etc.
(ii) Certain rodents like mice, rats, rabbits with claws, etc.
(iii) Certain reptiles like snakes, alligators, etc.
(iv) Birds of prey with talons or claws, like vultures, eagle, crows, owl, etc.
There is no scientific evidence that proves beyond doubt that eating nonvegetarian food makes one violent.