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All the creatures on earth, and all the birds that fly with wings, are communities like you…
(Holy Qur’an 6:38)
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saws) was asked by his blessed companions if kindness to animals was rewarded in the life hereafter. He answered:
‘Yes there is a meritorious reward for kindness to every living creature’
(Bukhari)
The Holy Prophet (saws) said;
‘It is a great sin for man to imprison the animals which are in his power’
(Muslim)
Many modern Muslims are avid meat eaters, consumers of masses of factory produced meat products of extremely dubious Islamic permissibility. They are addicted to meat eating. Generally they exist in a state completely unaware of the fact that by eating meat in such quantities they are harming their own health, causing the suffering of many animals (due to modern inhumane ways of farming) and also damaging the environment, thus neglecting the duty that Allah gave human beings when He made human beings care-takers of the Earth.
In the Muwatta of Imam Malik (raa) Hadhrat Umar (raa) warns us ‘Beware of meat, because it has an addiction like the addiction of wine.’ …and indeed the Holy Prophet (saws) said that if there would have been any Prophet after himself, it would have been Hadhrat Umar (raa), so this warning should not be taken lightly.
Sheikh Hamza Yusuf in his talk (the Science of Shariah) has pointed out that eating meat is not a necessity in Islam and that in the old days Muslims used to eat very little meat at all. The wealthier Muslims ate it perhaps once a week and the poor, perhaps, only on the Eids.
Indeed he describes the traditional Muslims as semi-vegetarians. This was also something he observed during his time as a student of the Islamic sciences in the deserts of Mauritania. In fact Sheikh Hamza Yusuf views the Holy Prophet (saws) as having been a semi-vegetarian.
Hadhrat Umar (raa) had long ago warned the Muslims that by eating meat every day one deprives others of their food and this is more true today than it ever has been before. The modern meat industry is distorting world food production, using much of the landmass to produce animal feed for the meat animals that are being produced for the greedy meat addicted rich of the world.
The incredibly huge areas of the world’s arable landmass that have been taken up to grow the grain that feeds the meat animals for the rich, could be better used to feed the hungry masses of the planet. What a situation it is when part of the world’s population is unhealthy due to its fat bellies and the rest is unhealthy due to starvation or malnourishment.
It is said that the Prophet (saws) warned against Beef eating as making the heart hard, interesting as this is something that has now been demonstrated to be physically, spiritually and even economically true.
God in His wisdom has not prohibited the consumption of meat, indeed when He shaped certain animals it was with the human beings in mind and without the support of an omnivorous diet it is unlikely that the human beings would still be spread across the face of the earth like they are.
Muslims can never say that God has prohibited meat eating, because He has not, but he has certainly ordained kindness to animals along with fairness and charity. These things have all been harmed and distorted by the modern meat industry.
Muslims should remember that Allah’s Last Messenger (saws) time and time against stressed kindness and mercy to the creatures and that he also warnined against the rich hoarding the wealth of the world whilst the poor suffer. Both of these issues should discourage the modern Muslim from a carnivorous diet and encourage them, if they must eat meat, to eat only that which has been treated and slaughtered humanely and that only ocassionaly (and indeed this was the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (saws).
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Mufti Ebrahim Desai Fatwa on Vegetarianism
A Muslim may be a vegetarian. However, he should not regard eating meat as prohibited.
And Allah Taãla knows best.
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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Sheikh Ahmad Kutty Fatwa on Vegetarianism
Question: If you are a vegetarian and an animal right activist are you still required to follow the animal sacrifice ritual of Eid-al-Adha? If you do not does that make you a bad Muslim in any way? Plus are there alternative methods of showing your gratitude to God?
Answer: There is a difference between adopting vegetarianism as a kind of religion, and choosing to be a vegetarian for the sake of highlighting the sound Islamic teaching of compassion to animals and preventing cruelty animals as well as for health reasons. While the former is not approved in Islam, the latter is. Since Allah has allowed us to eat of the animal meat, therefore, to prohibit the consumption of meat is contradicting His laws. However, he did not say that eating meat is one of the essential tenets or requisites of sound faith. Therefore, a person may choose to eat it or not to eat them.
Furthermore, sacrificing an animal is only a sunnah and not an obligatory thing in Islam. We learn that from sources that even the caliphs like Abu Bakr and Umar did not always offer animal sacrifices. Therefore, there is nothing wrong if you did not offer an animal sacrifice. You may do other forms of sacrifice. Allah says, “[But bear in mind:] never does their flesh reach God, and neither their blood: it is only your God-consciousness that reaches Him. It is to this end that We have made them subservient to your needs, so that you might glorify God for all the guidance with which He has graced you. And give thou this glad tiding unto the doers of good:” (Holy Qur’an: 22: 37).
Therefore, you are allowed to focus on other forms of sacrifice including the worthy cause of calling for compassionate treatment of animals and stopping cruelty.”
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Nowadays it is possible to make and buy delicious, healthy vegetarian or vegan food and there are even many very realistic and very tasty meat substitute products. Without making the the halal haram, maybe its time for many more Muslims to consider taking the healthier, more humane, more environmentally sound and socially beneficial option of drastically reducing their meat consumption or of becoming a vegetarian.
If Muslims must eat meat then they should limit the amount that they eat and follow the habits of their Prophet (saws) and wise figures such as Hadhrat Umar (raa). Furthermore it may be better for them to eat (humanely reared and cared for) sheep and goats which are animals of the marginal lands, the consumption of which are traditionally linked to humility, but they should always remember Hadhrat Umar’s warning against the addiction of meat eating.
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