On the Prohibition of Pork

Someone enquired about the prohibition of pork, saying :
"True, it's meat is not entirely healthy since it has a high cholesterol content, but surely this cannot be the only reason since smoking, which is deadly for you too, is not "haram". As far as health reasons are concerned, there are a number of things that are not entirely good for you (such as fatty food, even beef in large quantities), but they have not been declared haram. Plus, the animal is no longer "dirty" since the pig breeding farms are kept extremely clean these days. So what is it about the pig that makes it so revolting, and has been specifically mentioned in the Quran as the forbidden animal?"

Firstly, it should be clarified that the existence of -definite- harm -is- a cause for prohibition in Islam, based on the generality of Qur'anic and hadith texts prohibiting contributing to one's own destruction, and harming oneself or others. Hence, the correct view is that smoking is indeed prohibited, due to its scientifically proven harmful effects. As for the harmful effects of beef, and the like, in large quantities, we may comment that :


i) Excessiveness -is- prohibited in Islam
ii) Assuming beef is eaten only within moderation, the ill-effects of cholesterol, etc, can be minimized and the risks reduced significantly by other factors, such as a balanced diet whose other elements offset some of the effects of red meat, and also by exercising, etc. Hence, there is not a direct link between beef and ill-health; rather it is a combination of numerous factors.

Now, as for pork's prohibition : The Qur'an clearly prohibits pork, and informs us of its uncleanness. As believers, we believe and affirm, with conviction and submission, that the pig is unclean. It is possible that this includes sanitary uncleanness (it is said that pigs eat their own excrement, for example), and the presence of microbes, etc in pork, but this does not rule a spiritual uncleanness, such that even if one hypothetically postulates a pork free of all microbes, that would not justify making it permissible. Allah's knowledge is greater and deeper than ours, and perfect and all-embracing, whereas science is incomplete and constantly changing -- new discoveries are made, old theories are abandoned. Hence, even if we cannot discover the wisdom behind a particular divine injunction, this does not exempt us from following it.

After writing the above paragraph, I came to learn that pigs contain viruses 'built into' their genes, and such viruses would not disappear merely through clean breeding conditions and the like. The following was stated in the Los Angeles Times of 06/15/97 :

"Genes from an animal virus could mingle with those of a human virus in an organ recipient, creating a hybrid virus with unpredictable behavior.

Keeping animals isolated from infection may not be enough. Some viruses scientists are concerned about aren't caught; they're inherited.

They're just part of being a pig, for example. That's because, eons ago, these viruses infected the ancestors of modern pigs and planted their DNA in sperm and egg cells. As a result, the virus genes mingled with the pig genes and are now passed on through the generations."

The Associated Press, on 10/15/97, and Reuters also carried articles about these 'porcine endogenous poxviruses,' in the context of xenotransplantation (using organs from one species for another). Reuter quoted Jonathan P. Stoye, a virologist at the National Institute for Medical Research in London, as saying,

"Although we do not yet know which proviruses are capable of yielding infectious virus, the number of poxviruses present suggest that the breeding of virus-free pigs, if at all feasible, will represent a complex task."

It has also been reported that pork has a high likelihood of containing trichinae worms, and that it can bear microbes which lead to meningitis.

It may be noted, that the Bible too, condemns swine-flesh.

"And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you." [Leviticus, 11:7,8]

"The pig is also unclean; although it has a split hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses." [Deuteronomy 14:8]

As for the practice of consuming pork, which is widespread among Christians today, it can be traced back to Paul's lifting of most of the obligations of the Jewish Law. Paul claims to 'know and be persuaded':

"that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for any one who thinks it unclean." [Romans 14:14]

I know of no explicit statement or practice of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) reported in the New Testament which supports this. The incident reported in Mark 7 and Matthew 15 is not entirely explicit in its evidentiary capacity, and one might do well to examine the 'original' Greek statements of those books, and then to reflect over how accurately those Greek writings might have recorded the actual, Hebrew/Aramaic statement of Prophet Jesus (assuming that the incident in question did in fact take place), especially given the statement attributed to Jesus (peace be upon him) in Matthew 5:17-20:

"Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.

For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

It is perhaps worth noting here that not all Christian sects condone the consumption of pork; the Seventh-Day Adventists, for example, prohibit it. In any case, even if, for the sake of argument, one were to postulate that Jesus (peace be upon him) had allowed pork (which, incidentally, is a shaky postulation, given the medical evidence of its harmfulness), it should be realized that the Law of Jesus, like the Law of Moses, is now abrogated. And, when Jesus, son of Mary, returns to this world, he will observe the Law of Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him), and will therefore affirm the prohibition of pork. Furthermore, he will slay pigs, among his other activities, as testified to by the authentic hadith literature.

And Allah knows best.