Islam: Ask your questions

[Breathe]

Here's another one!

I was talking to a Muslim friend of mine from Egypt (not on this site) once, and he told me that vegetarianism is forbidden in Islam, because you're making haram what Allah has made halal, and then said something about Eid and goats and stuff (it was a while ago, so I can't remember exactly what he said) - I was wondering, is this the general ruling behind this, or is this Muslim friend of mine mistaken?

 

[Sajdah]

Hi,
I hope this link would help:
Islamonline
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/...ish-HealthScience/HSELayout&cid=1157365892606

 

[Sahar]

Well we are supposed to follow the example of the Prophet who ate meat...as for haram or halal to be a vegetarian, I don't know.

Or this link Sajdah:
What Islam Says on Vegetarianism - IslamonLine.net - Ask The Scholar

First of all, it should be clear that one should not think that it is better to abstain from eating meat, that doing so will be rewarded, or that being a vegetarian is closer to Allah than not, and so on. It is not permitted to draw closer to Allah in this way. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who is the best of mankind and the closest to Allah, used to eat meat and honey, and drink milk. When one of his Companions wanted to give up meat, he told him that this was wrong. Anas Ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that there was a group of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); one of whom said, "I will never marry women"; another said, "I will not eat meat"; a third said, "I will not sleep on a bed"; and a fourth said, "I will fast and never break my fast." When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was informed about this, he praised and thanked Allah, then said: "What is wrong with the people who say such and such? I pray and I sleep; I fast and I break my fast; and I marry women. Whoever deviates from my Sunnah (way) does not belong to me." (Reported by An-Nasa'i)


There is a great difference between not eating a certain kind of food because of not liking it, or one has been put off it – for example by seeing an animal slaughtered when one was a child, which may leaving the person with a distaste for meat – and other similar reasons, and thinking that meat is haram (unlawful) by abstaining from it is an act of worship, as the Brahmins, monks and others do. (Based on a Fatwa given by Sheikh M. S. Al-Munajjid)


Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America, states:

“Allah has created some animals for our food as Allah says in the Qur'an in surat an-Nahl, 'And cattle He has created for you. From them you drive wont and numerous benefits and of their meat, you eat.' (An-Nahl: 5-8)


Muslims do recognize animal rights. Animal rights means that we should not abuse them, torture them and when we have to use them for meat, we should slaughter them with a sharp knife, mentioning the name of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'Allah has prescribed goodness in everything. When you sacrifice, sacrifice well. Let you sharpen your knife and make it easy for the animal to be slaughtered.'


So, Muslims are not vegetarianists. However, if someone prefers to eat vegetables, then he is allowed to do so. Allah has given us permission to eat meat of slaughtered animals, but He has not made it obligatory upon us.”


I read it and I couldn't know if it's haram or halal!!

 

[fullyveiled muslimah]

That's a good question. Certainly we don't have to eat meat if we really don't want to. I asked a local scholar, and his answer to that question was that if you intend to declare that eating meat is inherently harmful to you or others, then that would be haram. The reason for that is because Allah would not make permissible the eating of meat if there was more harm then benefit, or if it were totally harmful. At that point, one is making something permissible not permissible which is haram. If let's say you don't like chicken or beef or whatever, you would not be doing anything wrong not to eat it.

There's a difference between saying I don't want to eat any meat, and eating meat is bad for you so we shouldn't eat it. Did that clarify things?

 

[England my lionheart]

Whats your favourite Hadith,my personal favourite is the one where somebody has mortgaged their Camel but are still feeding it and the Prophet says something along the lines of "you put the fuel in it so you can drink of its Milk and it can carry you" sorry if i haven'nt got this exactly right

 

[Breathe]

So vegetarianism so long as you do not try to impose your will upon others or take the view that meat eating is haram, is permissible?

 

[Cordoba]

So vegetarianism so long as you do not try to impose your will upon others or take the view that meat eating is haram, is permissible?

Yes, no problem with being a veggie

 

[Zhakir]

Question:
How come you kill converts? No respect for the humans' personal willing? Will you be happy if Christians -who believe that Christ is the way, truth and life- kill converts to Islam?

 

[Zhakir]

Whats your favourite Hadith,my personal favourite is the one where somebody has mortgaged their Camel but are still feeding it and the Prophet says something along the lines of "you put the fuel in it so you can drink of its Milk and it can carry you" sorry if i haven'nt got this exactly right

Mine is the Hadith of Al-adab almufrad book of albukhari : "Do not revile the Flea, For it awakened a prophet to Salatu alfjr. :bow:

 

[*Anne*]

Muslims do recognize animal rights.

3 cheers!

Yes, no problem with being a veggie

Woo! *does a little dance*

 

[Zhakir]

Oh! that you mentioned the animal rights, i've got another question (Didn't know the answer when i was a sunni)

Why do you think the prophet ordering the killing of dogs.? (False claim to me)(Sahih Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 54, Number 540; Sahih Muslim: Book 010, Number 3809; Book 010, Number 3810; Book 010, Number 3811)
And many other animals?

 

[Badran]

Question:
How come you kill converts? No respect for the humans' personal willing? Will you be happy if Christians -who believe that Christ is the way, truth and life- kill converts to Islam?

Let me say first that i believe that the Hadiths are a main part of my religion. It is the only way to follow our prophet's teachings. However i don't think that any of the books of Hadiths are 100% true. This perception of course is based on my believe that they contradict the Quran at certain points.To me obviously Bukhari and Muslim are the one's with the highest percantges, but still not bulletproof. There are a few Hadiths in them that i don't agree with especially the ones that talk about converts and the ones that talk about stoning.

There are more than one Hadith that Muslim scholars base on that converts should be killed, i believe that some of those hadiths are talking about converts who turn on their community not just converts, and i believe the others to be wrongly accustomed to the prophet(pbuh).

That belief is based on the fact that there are lots of Quranic verses that talk about converts and none of them once mentions that there is any kind of punishment in life but it says that they will be punished in the afterlife. And i think when that much Quranic verses talk about converts without mentioning any kind of punishment in life while in truth their punishment is death is hard to believe.

It also contradicts the general spirit of Islam of freedom of choosing faith or not and the freedom of choosing your religion which are freedoms stated obviously in the quran. Put in mind that when Islamic scholars explain why should converts be killed, most of them always talk in terms of Hypocrites, how about those who were born muslims, they didn't have any personal agendas coming into Islam, they were born that way. So to me there are a lot of facts in Islam that completely discard that rule which is supposedly accustomed to the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

 

[sahra-t]

Is Islam based on an absolute morality?

 

[Sahar]

Is Islam based on an absolute morality?

Well, basically even if the intention of the wrong doer is good, it doesn't make the wrong acceptable. But there is also a rule that is concerned with the necessities, it says necessity removes restrictions/necessities permit the forbidden like taking/drinking alcohol is haram (forbidden) but if alcohol is necessary for a medical purpose with no other options available then it becomes allowed. Lying is extremely warned against but if lying was for the purpose of repairing a relationship between two friends, between a wife and a husband or generally for the settlement of conciliation among people, it become allowed, maybe even encouraged.
I believe there are absolute moral values that must not be violated no matter what the situation or context is and there are other areas where necessity dictates exceptions.

 

[Zhakir]

Have i been ignored? maybe my question has no answer, It's not very enviromentally friendly to order the killing of all dogs, ravens, mice, snakes and pigs. No reason for that, if you know one, then please tell.

 

[Badran]

Have i been ignored? maybe my question has no answer, It's not very enviromentally friendly to order the killing of all dogs, ravens, mice, snakes and pigs. No reason for that, if you know one, then please tell.

It is not an order to kill those animals, but it is a special occasion exception. Meaning that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said that it is only forgivable in one case, if you were "Mohrem" as in the pilgrimage, i don't know what is the word in english but anyway that is the only situation where if you killed those animals it would be forgiven. So i guess it must had something to do with a certain danger that these animals made for the pilgrims.

However if the explanation for this Hadith is like i expect(because i am not sure), then it won't be applicable today because these kind of dangers or problem doesn't happen today.

 

[Zhakir]

Let remind you that the Hadiths that speak about killing animals in Hajj, promot the killing of them all times even in Hajj (where it's sinful to hunt animals as a whole for Food).

Narrated Hafsa: Allah's Apostle said, "It is not sinful (of a Muhrim) to kill five kinds of animals, namely: the crow, the kite, the mouse, the scorpion and the rabid dog." Sahih Bukhari 3:29:54

Now apart from hajj..
Maimuna reported that one morning Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was silent with grief. Maimuna said: Allah's Messenger, I find a change in your mood today. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Gabriel had promised me that he would meet me tonight, but he did not meet me. By Allah, he never broke his promises, and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) spent the day in this sad (mood). Then it occurred to him that there had been a puppy under their cot. He commanded and it was turned out. He then took some water in his hand and sprinkled it at that place. When it was evening Gabriel met him and he said to him: you promised me that you would meet me the previous night. He said: Yes, but we do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture. Then on that very morning he commanded the killing of the dogs until he announced that the dog kept for the orchards should also be killed, but he spared the dog meant for the protection of extensive fields (or big gardens).

Sahih Muslim 24:5248
Abu Dharr reported: The Messenger of 'Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When any one of you stands for prayer and there is a thing before him equal to the back of the saddle that covers him and in case there is not before him (a thing) equal to the back of the saddle, his prayer would be cut off by (passing of an) ***, woman, and black Dog. I said: O Abu Dharr, what feature is there in a black dog which distinguish it from the red dog and the yellow dog? He said: O, son of my brother, I asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as you are asking me, and he said: The black dog is a devil.

Sahih Muslim 4:1032​

 

[sahra-t]

Is all scripture taken literally in Islam? Are there things which are prescribed in the Quran which are not actually practiced, such as in Christianity where some of the things in Leviticus are not actually practiced (e.g. Lev 19:19 about wearing mixed fibres)?

 

[Fatihah]

Is all scripture taken literally in Islam? Are there things which are prescribed in the Quran which are not actually practiced, such as in Christianity where some of the things in Leviticus are not actually practiced (e.g. Lev 19:19 about wearing mixed fibres)?

Response: In islam, the qur'an is to be taken literally and practiced, unless the qur'an itself says otherwise. For there are verses in the qur'an which are parables, and not to be taken literally. But when this occurs, the qur'an itself says that it is in fact a parable, thus should not be taken literally. The hadiths are the same way.

 

[Badran]

Let remind you that the Hadiths that speak about killing animals in Hajj, promot the killing of them all times even in Hajj (where it's sinful to hunt animals as a whole for Food).

Narrated Hafsa: Allah's Apostle said, "It is not sinful (of a Muhrim) to kill five kinds of animals, namely: the crow, the kite, the mouse, the scorpion and the rabid dog." Sahih Bukhari 3:29:54

Now apart from hajj..
Maimuna reported that one morning Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was silent with grief. Maimuna said: Allah's Messenger, I find a change in your mood today. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Gabriel had promised me that he would meet me tonight, but he did not meet me. By Allah, he never broke his promises, and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) spent the day in this sad (mood). Then it occurred to him that there had been a puppy under their cot. He commanded and it was turned out. He then took some water in his hand and sprinkled it at that place. When it was evening Gabriel met him and he said to him: you promised me that you would meet me the previous night. He said: Yes, but we do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture. Then on that very morning he commanded the killing of the dogs until he announced that the dog kept for the orchards should also be killed, but he spared the dog meant for the protection of extensive fields (or big gardens).

Sahih Muslim 24:5248
Abu Dharr reported: The Messenger of 'Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When any one of you stands for prayer and there is a thing before him equal to the back of the saddle that covers him and in case there is not before him (a thing) equal to the back of the saddle, his prayer would be cut off by (passing of an) ***, woman, and black Dog. I said: O Abu Dharr, what feature is there in a black dog which distinguish it from the red dog and the yellow dog? He said: O, son of my brother, I asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as you are asking me, and he said: The black dog is a devil.

Sahih Muslim 4:1032​

As you may already know, some Hadith say things opposite to each other, in that case scholars call it "Naskh". In the case of the Hadith here about the black Dog being a devil, the conclusion that scholars come to from other Hadiths that talk about what will stop the prayer, is that a passing of a woman or a dog doesn't stop your prayer, but what is meant is that it might occupy your brain from the prayer. As for calling the black dog a devil, well this also happens in other Hadiths, but with more specifics.
(so the conclusion about this one for me, is that it doesn't mean anything about dogs, specially that in Arabic, the Hadith mentions also donkeys).

For the first Hadith, also there are other versions that doesn't contain the last sentence. Meaning that they all just clarify that dogs and pictures in any house would stop Angels from coming in, and that's it. So, some say that actually yes we should kill black dogs, and others say that no we shouldn't.
(For me of course we shouldn't kill any dog).

You see, I don't need a lot of thinking, to realize that it is impossible that the prophet (pbuh) would order the killing of one of God's creatures in general like this. So wether the Hadith means something else, or the Last sentence is wrongly accustomed to him(as there are many versions), the point is of course that we shouldn't kill dogs and of course in my opinion the prophet would never order such action.