Epigraph:
Qur’an (62:2): “It is He who brought forth among the unlettered a
Messenger from among them, who recites to them His revelations and purifies
them and for this instructs them in the Law and in Wisdom. In reality,
these people were in manifest error before this”.
Qur’an (5:4): “They ask you what is lawful for them. Say:
All pure things are lawful to you”
The singular
criterion of success in the eyes of God (the case of edibles) is our level of purification that qualifies
us for salvation. I’d like to share some verses from the Bible and the Qur’an
on the prohibition of edibles (pork and alcohol). These prohibitions are based
on the aspect of purity or purification.
The prohibition of pork and alcohol is
expressed differently in the Bible and the Qur’an. The Qur’an, which I often
describe as a “Reminder,” frequently calls attention to established truths and
guides people towards their recognition in referring to the Bible for details
at times. Consequently, it sometimes conveys its directives in concise yet
profound terms, without elaborating on every detail. Its treatment of certain
prohibitions, including pork and intoxicants, can therefore be understood
within this broader character of the Qur’an as a Reminder.
[There are two notes below, I have
shared with the Qur’an verses. Do note that in both the main focus remains the
topic of purity in the eyes of God].
PORK CONSUMPTION PROHIBITION: Pigs are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals.
They can consume meat when it is available and may also scavenge for animal
remains.
Bible Deuteronomy (14:8): The pig is also unclean; although it has a divided
hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their
carcasses.
Leviticus 11:7-8 New International Version (NIV):
7 And the pig, though
it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. 8 You
must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.
Isaiah (pronounced I-zay-ah) 65:4 New
International Version (NIV):
4 who sit among the graves
and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,
and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
Qur’an (2:173): “He has for bidden you only carrion, blood, the flesh of
the swine, and that which has been offered to other than Allah. But should
someone be compelled, without being rebellious or aggressive, there shall be no
sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.”
Qur’an (5:3): “You are prohibited carrion, blood, the flesh of swine,
and what has been offered to other than Allah….”.
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION PROHIBITION:
Galatians
5:19–21:
"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: ... drunkenness, orgies, and
the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not
inherit the kingdom of God." Ephesians 5:18: "Do not get
drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.”
Numbers (6:3): he shall abstain from wine and strong
drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor
shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes.
Isaiah (pronounced I-zay-ah) (5:22): Woe to those who are heroes
in drinking wine And valiant men in mixing strong drink,
Isaiah (pronounced I-zay-ah) (5:11): Woe to those who rise early
in the morning that they may pursue strong drink, Who stay up late in the
evening that wine may inflame them!
Deuteronomy
(14:26):
"You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or
sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you
shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your
household.”
Galatians (5:21): envying, drunkenness,
carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have
forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the
kingdom of God.
Judges (13:4): "Now therefore, be
careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing.
Proverbs
(23:29-30):
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has
wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long over wine,
Those who go to taste mixed wine.
Proverbs (21:17): He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves
wine and oil will not become rich.
Quran (2:219): “They ask you about intoxicants and
games of chance. Say: In both of them there is a great sin and means of profit
for men, and their sin is greater than their profit. And they ask
you as to what they should spend. Say: What you can spare. Thus does Allah make
clear to you the communications that you may ponder.”
یَسۡـَٔلُوۡنَکَ
عَنِ الۡخَمۡرِ وَ الۡمَیۡسِرِؕ قُلۡ فِیۡہِمَاۤ اِثۡمٌ کَبِیۡرٌ وَّ مَنَافِعُ
لِلنَّاسِ ۫ وَ
اِثۡمُہُمَاۤ اَکۡبَرُ مِنۡ نَّفۡعِہِمَا ؕ وَ یَسۡـَٔلُوۡنَکَ مَا ذَا
یُنۡفِقُوۡنَ ۬ؕ قُلِ الۡعَفۡوَؕ کَذٰلِکَ یُبَیِّنُ اللّٰہُ لَکُمُ الۡاٰیٰتِ
لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَتَفَکَّرُوۡنَ ﴿۲۱۹﴾ۙ
(Note: Please note: The
actual words are: وَ اِثۡمُهُمَآ اَكْبَرُ
مِنۡ نَّفۡعِهِمَا. It is
evident from the answer given by the Qur’ān that the real reason for
prohibiting something is the moral harm it causes. The Qur’ān generally does
not discuss the ills and harms which are not moral in nature. That the moral
harm of drinking and gambling is what is implied here is evident from the fact
that the word نَفْع (benefit) is used in contrast with the word اِثۡم (sin). Had a
comparison between their worldly benefits and harms been intended, the word ضَرَر (damage) would
have been used instead اِثۡم.
Context: Gambling and drinking in pre-Islamic times were a means through
which the rich showed their generosity and helped the poor and needy. In
winters, when cold winds blew in and caused conditions akin to drought, the
courageous would gather at various places, drink liquor and, in their state of
inebriation, slaughter any camels they could get hold of. They would pay the
owner of the camels whatever price he demanded. They would then gamble on the
meat of the slaughtered camels. Whatever parts of meat a person won in this
gambling, would be generously distributed by him among the poor who would
gather around on such occasions. In pre-Islamic Arabia, this was a matter of
great honour and people who took part in this activity were considered very
philanthropic and generous. The poets would narrate the accounts of their
benevolence in their odes. On the other hand, people who stayed away from this
activity would be called barm (stingy). It was this very benefit of
drinking and gambling which prompted people to make an inquiry when they were
regarded as prohibited items.)
Surah Maida (5:90-91): “O you who believe! intoxicants and games of chance
and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (dividing by) arrows are only an uncleanness, the Shaitan's work;
shun it therefore that you may be successful. The Shaitan only desires to cause
enmity and hatred to spring in your midst by means of intoxicants and games of
chance, and to keep you off from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. Will
you then desist?”
Surah Nisa (4:43): “Believers! [Prayer is
the greatest manifestation of the directive of worshipping God given earlier;
so,] do not approach the place of the prayer when you are drunk until you are able to know what you
are saying and similarly also
when you are ceremonially unclean until you have bathed yourselves
except if the intention is just to pass through. And if you are sick or on a
journey or when anyone of you has relieved yourself or you have had intercourse
with women, then you find no water, find some clean surface and wipe your faces
and your hands with it. [God has given you this concession] because God is
Gracious and Forgiving.”
(Note: Impurity in Its Physical, Intellectual and
Spiritual Dimensions: In Surah al-Nisāʾ (4:43), the Qur’an mentions drunkenness alongside
states of physical and ritual impurity. While these conditions are not
necessarily identical in their legal or technical meaning, they share a
significant underlying characteristic: impurity that prevents a person from
approaching prayer in the proper state.
Drunkenness impairs the clarity of the mind. A person under
its influence may lose the ability to understand what he is saying, exercise
sound judgment or maintain the consciousness required for meaningful prayer. In
this sense, intoxication
represents a form of intellectual and mental impurity—a condition that clouds
the faculty through which human beings understand, reflect and connect with
God.
Physical uncleanliness, by contrast, concerns the condition
of the body and the requirements of physical and ritual cleanliness. The Qur’an
therefore directs believers to purify themselves before prayer in circumstances that require
purification. The common thread is that both a clouded mind and an
unclean physical state can compromise the condition considered appropriate for
approaching prayer.
This broader understanding of impurity can also be extended
to the Qur’an’s description of shirk (associating partners with God). In Surah
al-Ḥajj (22:30), the Qur’an commands believers to avoid the impurity of idols (rijs min al-awthān).
Similarly, in Surah al-Tawbah (9:28), polytheists are described as najas in a particular
religious context. These references introduce another dimension of
impurity: the impurity of
faith and belief. Whereas monotheism (tawḥīd) represents the purity of
recognising God’s absolute oneness, shirk compromises that recognition by
attributing divine status or authority to others.
Thus, impurity
may be understood at several interconnected levels:
- Physical impurity:
A condition affecting the cleanliness of the body.
- Mental impurity:
The impairment of clear thinking and conscious awareness, as in
drunkenness.
- Spiritual impurity:
The corruption of faith through shirk and the rejection of God’s oneness.
The point is not that the Qur’an declares drunkenness,
physical uncleanliness and shirk to be identical in their legal status. Rather,
it invites us to recognise a wider conceptual relationship: purity is not
limited to the body; it also encompasses the clarity of the mind and the
soundness of faith. Just as physical cleanliness prepares the body for prayer
and sobriety enables conscious communication with God, tawḥīd purifies the
human being’s relationship with the Divine by directing worship exclusively towards
Allah.)
Qur’an (20:75-76):
وَ مَنۡ یَّاۡتِہٖ
مُؤۡمِنًا قَدۡ عَمِلَ الصّٰلِحٰتِ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ لَہُمُ الدَّرَجٰتُ الۡعُلٰی ﴿ۙ۷۵﴾ جَنّٰتُ عَدۡنٍ
تَجۡرِیۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِہَا الۡاَنۡہٰرُ خٰلِدِیۡنَ فِیۡہَا ؕ وَ ذٰلِکَ جَزٰٓؤُا مَنۡ تَزَکّٰی ﴿۷۶﴾
“Contrary to this, those
who come before Him as believers, who have done righteous deeds, then it
is such people for whom there are high ranks, orchards of
eternal residence beneath which streams flow. They shall live in them
forever. And this is the
reward of those who adopt purity.”
Aamir Yazdani
MPhil
(Islamic Thought & Civilization), Pakistan
MSc (Irrigation Engineering), UK
No comments:
Post a Comment