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The religion Islam
has one of the most comprehensive eating and
dietary habits and one even wonders as to why
all the strict rulings. This is true because the
stomach is one of those bodily organs that is
largely unstable in electrical terms and when
there is over-eating or there is junk food
ingested, this over-stresses the stomach and the
organs concerned with digestion become
chemically and electrically at fault. The
resulting faults in the surrounding energy would
not only cause alimentary and digestive
disorders, but also mental disorders. Such a
person would have weak and low charge energy
surrounding him making him more vulnerable to
unsteady fields of energy. |
Islam
Prohibits Over-Eating and Prescribes Good
Dietary Habits
There is substantial evidence to link
over-eating to numerous diseases. Islam's
prescription comes to us from a tradition by
Ali (AS), who said:
Do not sit
for food unless you are hungry; and do not
leave the table but you still have an
appetite for it, and chew your food in your
mouth well. (Biharul-Anwar - Volume 24,
Page 245. al-Majlisi, 1627 (AR)
(Truly) Over-indulgence of food causes
various kinds of diseases.
(Ghurarul-Hikam - Page 359)
For instance,
the Prophet (S) only drank water half-hour
before and after his meals, and never during
meals. It is also reported in authentic
traditions that he never combined certain
foods and kept his intake to a minimum. He
did not eat fish and yogurt together, or
drink milk with fish, and he did not eat
anything sour with it or immediately after
it. He never mixed in the same meal two hot
foods or two cold foods.
Now, we may understand the introduction of
low charge energy to that person's force
fields after ingesting several foods (with
different chemistry, different base,
different taste, and different info-energy)
at once or drinking water during meals. All
this creates faults within the energy system
and diseases originate from here. Of course,
proponents of the human energy theory firmly
believe that before any chemical imbalances
can take place, and before symptoms occur,
the faults in the energy appear first, and
this can be felt. Mixing foods with
different chemistry and morphology would
contain within them different info-energy as
well.
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Eating with
Washed, Wet Hands
Washing hands before meals is yet another
concept in Islam and many other religions.
Further admonition is not to dry our hands and
proceed to eat with wet hands. This concept is
now clear because if we were to wash our hands
and then dry them with a tissue/towel, we are
likely to introduce low charge energy into the
energy fields of our hand. This towel is
normally used for many other purposes and by
different people, or even tissue/towel that is
clean but filled with faults from the
surrounding air, or the universal energy. The
unadulterated and pure info-energy of water
would also be contaminated or at least altered
with the infoenergy in the towel. Therefore, to
eat with those hands may be unhealthy.
The Prophet (S) was also observed to draw his
wet hands over his face whenever he washed his
hands after eating (al-Majlisi, 1627). To
maintain the higher kind of energy purity, one
needs to avoid contact with towels or tissues
after washing hands before eating. Physical
contact with the bacteria and viruses in towels
and tissues is also something to consider and
the reason why many organizations including many
religions advise the washing of hands before
eating, but Muslims have been further
recommended to refrain from drying their hands
until contact with food is made.
A case in point, Muslims have also been
recommended not to dry themselves after
performing ablution for prayer. The higher rate
of vibrations in the energy fields of the person
having performed ablution should remain until
the start of prayer. Water has the ability to do
just that.
In modern bathrooms, there are blow-driers
located (instead of tissue) and this is a much
better way to dry ones hands. |
From a
nutritional point of view:
Everything we do to our food changes its
subtle electrical reality, its electrical
matrix and how it interfaces with our body.
(Heistand and Coleman, 1999)
If we eat junk
food, food that has been sprayed and
preserved, food that has been flavored or
frozen, these foods will have confusing
energy that has been adulterated, and by
eating these foods we will be developing
faults in our network of energy. The results
of such insults to over-eating and eating
preserved foods are chronic fatigue,
intestinal disorders, stomach ulcers, and so
forth - all because of an electrically and
chemically unstable stomach brought about by
our improper ingestion of food or
over-eating. Islam, therefore, has advised
its followers to abstain from junk food
(though the religion has not made these
foods forbidden), sprayed and preserved
foods, etc. - foods that are un-natural.
In Elixir of Love, one of the Shaykh Rajab
Ali's devotees related about him that the
Shaykh was once holding a session in one of
his friends' house. Before starting his
talk, he felt somehow weak due to hunger and
asked for some bread. The householder
brought him half a loaf of bread for him to
eat, and then he started the meeting. The
following night he said:
Last night I
made salutations to the holy Imams (AS) but
I did not see them. I pleaded to find the
reason. I was told intuitively, You had
half of that food and the hunger alleviated.
Why then did you eat the other half!
Having some food enough for body's need is
all right, but extra to that would cause
veil and darkness.
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Remembrance of Allah (SWT) is Prescribed Before,
During, and After Eating
In the Invocation of Kumayl, Ali (AS) remarks:
O' He! Whose
name is a remedy.
Remembering Allah (SWT) and reciting several
small invocations before eating have been
greatly endorsed in Islam and other
religions, and Muslims are supposed to
perform this small act of worship before
meals. Scientists have only now proven the
benefits of deep breathing and relaxation (a
state produced when invoking Allah (SWT) in
prayer) before, during, and after meals.
This practice has been well researched to
increase nutrient absorption and allows the
body to introduce the correct and healthy
enzymes to break down the foods. True,
blessings, prayer or silent contemplation
before eating will improve digestion,
assimilation and well being on all levels.
The free flowing fields of energy and
favorable info-energy released during these
small episodes of prayer will undoubtedly
affect the rate of absorption and
elimination.
It is reported that besides washing hands,
Muqaddas Ardabeli (one of the great Islamic
Jurist) always performed ablution before
eating. The powerful and positive effects of
ablution on one's energy fields has been
noted, increasing the assimilation and
productivity of the food at the physical and
energy level.
Eating in the Same Table where
Alcohol is served is Forbidden
al-Kulayni has narrated through his chain
from Abu Ja'far (AS) that he said:
Allah never raised any prophet but it was in
Allah's knowledge that when He would perfect
his religion it would include prohibition of
intoxicants. Intoxicants were always
unlawful, even though they are carried away
from (one) trait to (another) trait. And if
it were imposed on them all together, it
would have cut them off short of religion.
As Allah (SWT),
Most Sublime, Most High commands us in
Qur'an: They ask you concerning
alcohol and gambling? Say! In them are great
sin and some profit for men, but the sin is
greater than their profit .
(al-Qur'an - Chapter 2, Verse 219)
O you who believe! Intoxicants and
games of chance, idols and divination by
arrows are only an abomination of Satan's
handiwork. So stay away from them so that
you may be successful.
The Shaytan only desires to cause
enmity and hatred in your midst through
intoxicants and gambling, and keep you away
from remembering Allah and from prayer. Will
you then abstain from them?
(al-Qur'an - Chapter 5, Verses 90-91)
al-Taba Tabai
(AR) quotes az-Zamakhashari that he has
written:
Three verses
were revealed on the subject of intoxicants:
They ask you about intoxicants and
games of chance. (al-Qur'an -
Chapter 2, Verse 219)
Some Muslims then left it and some continued
to drink, until a man drank it, began his
prayers, and talked nonsense. Then was
revealed:
O you who believe! Do not go near
prayer when you are intoxicated until you
know (well) what you say .
(al-Qur'an - Chapter 4, Verse 43)
Still some Muslims continued drinking it;
until Umar drank it; then he took a jawbone
of a camel and bashed with it the skull of
Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf, and then sat lamenting
those (unbelievers) who were killed in the
battle of Badr, reciting the poem of al-Aswad
ibn Yaghfur:
How many
spears (i.e. braves) and noble drinkers are
(thrown) In the well - the well of Badr? How
many nobles and feeders of humps are (here)
In the well - the well of Badr? Does Ibn Abi
Kabshah threaten us that we shall be made
alive again? And how can (happen) the life
of ghosts and skulls? Is he helpless in
averting death from me? And will raise me
(again) when my bones become rotten? Well,
who will convey my message to the Beneficent
(God) That I am abandoning the month of
fast. So tell Allah to stop my drink from
me, And tell Allah to stop my food from me.
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The
Polytheists of Quraish used this nickname
for the Prophet (S) in a sneering manner.
This (news)
reached the Messenger of Allah (S) and he
came out enraged, dragging his cloak along;
he raised something that was in his hand to
strike him (Umar). So he (Umar) said, I
seek refuge in Allah from the wrath of Allah
and the wrath of His Messenger. Then
Allah, the Glorified, the Sublime, sent down
(the verse), The Satan only desires
to cause enmity and hatred ... Will
you then desist? So Umar said, We desist.
(Rabiu-Abrar)
The
adulterated info-energy and the negative
effects on the human energy and the
universal energy field from intoxicants can
be further explained by narrating the
following tradition from al-Ridha (AS) who
has said:
Allah (SWT)
forbade the drinking of wine, since it
causes corruption, disturbance and
intoxication of the mind . and becomes the
cause of all the sins including murdering,
and accusing falsely chaste woman of
adultery and committing adultery, lessening
abstinence, and refraining from forbidden
deeds . (Wasail-Shia - Volume 17, Page
22)
Drug experts
describe alcohol as the most dangerous drug
on earth. Water loss, vitamin deficiency and
electrolyte depletion are few of the health
hazards of alcohol, besides liver damage,
pancreas disorders, and major psychiatric
illnesses. Because of the adverse side
effects of this drug and a few others, Islam
has prohibited its use even in small
quantities, as the drug is also addictive.
The faults within the fields of energy
created from ingesting such a drug is
disturbing and the reason why we have a list
of illnesses that are alcohol-related:
Nausea,
vomiting, flushing, mental excitement or
depression, drowsiness, impaired perception,
stupor, coma, even death may occur.
(Gosselin, R. E. et. al., 1984)
Muhammad ibn
Abdillah narrates from one of his companions
that he said - I said to Abu Abdillah (AS) -
May I be made your ransom! Why did Allah
forbid the dead animal, blood and flesh of
swine? He said: As for intoxicants, Allah
has made it unlawful because of its effect
and disorder. Verily! The one addicted
to liquor is like the idol worshipper. It
creates in him tremor and takes away his
radiance. It destroys his sense of honor,
and incites him to indulge in unlawful
activities like bloodshed and fornication.
When he is intoxicated, there is no
guarantee that he would not assault sexually
the women who are within the prohibited
degree (like mother, daughter or sister)
without being aware of it. The liquor does
not lead the drinker except to every type of
evil. (Man La Yahdhuruhul-Faqih)
Apparently,
Muslims have also been recommended to avoid
eating where people eat and drink forbidden
drinks, behave shamelessly and perform
forbidden acts. The reason for this advice
is clear, and is because that person would
be sharing his or her info-energy with
alcoholics who have disharmonious energy
patterns and contaminated info-energy from
the alcohol, which will contain memories of
abuse and intoxication. This sharing of
energy (with alcohol or alcoholics) would
not only adulterate one's energy system,
according to Dye (2000) but also make him
weak and prone to evil, lustful desires. The
mind works less convincing if its energy
fields are low charged and blocked.
The same applies to all other addictive
elements such as cocaine, marijuana, etc. No
wonder alcohol, like music leads to other
major sinful acts. Drinking alcohol is
considered the mother of all vices. Using
similar explanations, we shall explain how
music also leads to adultery, a saying of
the Prophet (S), and how truthful he was.
This is another reason why the Aimmah have
linked alcohol to other sinful acts.
The negative effects of alcohol at the
physical and energy level in the surrounding
universal energy have been well explained by
Ali when he said:
If a drop of
liquor falls into a well and a minaret is
built on its nearby land I will not recite
Adhan (proclamation to prayer) from it; and
if it falls into a river and in its dry bed
grows grass, I will not let my horse graze
on it.
It is reported
that in one instance the enemy of al-Naqi
(AS), the Shiite Tenth Infallible (AS) was
unable to pick up a glass that contained
alcohol in it and wanted to give it to the
Imam (AS). In other words, alcohol itself
refused to be picked up and go near one of
the cleanest individuals on this earth. We
all have had similar experiences wherein we
relate to the object in question - like a
glass of water spilling on us just because
it is dirty and the water does not want the
person drinking it, a trip that was suddenly
changed or cancelled, and so forth.
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Islam Recommends
Salt Before and After Each Meal
Salt is one of the best foods you can take
before and after meals, and the recommendation
by the Prophet (S) is very current and
important. It is reported that the Prophet (S)
always used to have salt before and after meals,
and he said that a person who does this act is
protected from 70 types of diseases (curses),
among which leprosy is the minor one. Islam made
this calling because of the benefits of salt
(sodium chloride) to the physiology and the
human energy system, in particular when taken
before and after meals, when it has the most
merit during the digestion process.
Without salt we cannot live. Salt ensures the
transmission of electrical nerve impulses to and
from the brain and the contractions of the heart
and other muscles. Salt is necessary to the flow
of nutrients around the body and is vital to the
digestion of food. This help in digestion is
what we need during meals. Salt stimulates the
sensory nerve endings on the tongue to prepare
your system for digestion, and increases the
rate of absorption.
Sodium is also a principal component of a
person's internal environment, the
extra-cellular fluid. Nutrients reach your
body's cells through these fluids. Sodium
facilitates many bodily functions including
fluid volume and acid base balance. Sodium
enables the transmission of nerve impulses
around the body. It is an electrolyte, and like
potassium, calcium and magnesium it regulates
electrical charges moving in and out of cells in
the body.
Chloride, too, is essential to good health and
is a fundamental element in the digestion
process. It preserves acid-base balance in the
body. It aids potassium absorption. It supplies
the essence of hydrochloric acid used in the
stomach to help us to breakdown and digest the
food we eat and controls the level of bacteria
present in the stomach.
A case in point, the main reason why we have
medical doctors and health-care professionals
restraining the general community from consuming
salt is that it may cause or exacerbate high
blood pressure. Unfortunately, the problem is
not in the Prophet's advice, but with the
advancement in food processing and preserving
technology, and we have too much salt content
already in our processed and highly adulterated
foods. Therefore, consuming extra salt would be
harmful.
Second, the table salt lacks potassium and the
companies concerned extract the important
mineral and sell it as a supplement, so when
people take too much table salt, it has the
disadvantage to cause high blood pressure
problems in a vulnerable person. The advice is
to ingest pure sea salt that is balanced in
sodium, potassium and other minerals, and to
consume less preserved foods.
No matter what, the advice of the Prophet (S)
remains an important matter to all of humankind
to maintain that electrical and chemical balance
during and after meals. Because salt has so many
electrical properties within the body, its role
in balancing the ambient energy fields cannot be
ignored. Improper food digestion will affect the
energy of the person concerned.
Scientists and observers have reported
that a bowl of sea salt placed in space has the
ability to purify the surrounding universal
energy from all the shortages and blockages. The
salt would attract any negativity to it (Poole,
1999). It is highly probable that ingested salt
also has the same ability. |
Islam
Recommends One-Third of your Stomach to be
Reserved for Water
This tradition comes to us from the Prophet
(S) that:
One-third of
your stomach should be filled with food,
one-third with air, and one-third with
water.
Islam
therefore, recommends its followers and the
whole of humankind to drink lots of water
throughout the day and this has several
electrical and chemical merits as well.
According to Heistand and Coleman (1999):
The entire
electrical function of every cellular
process in our body depends on the
electrical conductivity contained within
every molecule. This conductivity increases
and decreases depending on the hydration
levels of our cellular structure.
Drinking water will greatly increase the
hydration of every cell within minutes of
taking the drink. And, this rapid interface
can only be achieved with water (because of
its highly balanced electrical matrix) and
no other fluids.
Apparently,
drinking lots of clean water is one Islamic
way to cleanse oneself from toxins inside
the body and introduce highly charged energy
to the energy fields surrounding the stomach
and intestines. Truly, water (mercy from
Allah) has been termed the elixir of life.
Brennan (1987) suggests (to healers,
especially) to always drink a full glass of
spring water between healing sessions.
Drinking water before any kind of
performance that involves mental effort has
been well researched to have endless
advantages.
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Fasting
al-Qur'an remarks:
O
Believers! Fasting is decreed for you, as it
was decreed for those before you, that you
might attain salvation.
(al-Qur'an - Chapter 2, Verse 183)
The levy of the body is fasting. (Ali
(AS)
al-Taba Tabai
(1991) relates that the late Ali Agha Qazi
once related a wonderful story about
starvation. In short, he said:
Once during
the days of the former Prophets three
persons were traveling together. At
nightfall, they set out in three different
directions with a view to get food, but
agreed to assemble next morning at a
particular place at an appointed time. Some
person already invited one of them.
The second man also by chance became the
guest of someone. The third man had no place
to go. He said to himself that he should go
to the mosque to be the guest of Allah.
He passed the night in the mosque, but could
get no food. Next morning they assembled at
the appointed place and each one of them
related his story. At that time, the Prophet
of the time received a revelation to the
following effect, Tell Our guest that We
were his host last night and wanted to
provide him with sumptuous food, but found
that there was no food better than hunger.
Fasting is one
of the most effective ways to correct
blockages in the energy (Lindgren and Dlitt,
2000), and this prescription has been given
to Muslims one whole month every year. The
difference between therapeutic fasting
(where vegetable juices and raw fruits are
allowed) and fasting in Islam is that the
fasting for Muslims is not only therapeutic,
but also spiritual and a revolution of one's
soul, balancing each and every blockage in
the fields of energy regardless of its
origin - mental, physical, spiritual or even
emotional origin.
When researchers and scientists, the like of
Brennan (1987), a previous research
scientist at NASA and a practicing energy
psychotherapist, want to employ a program of
energetic cleansing to severely disabled
people and those suffering from drug
addiction and other degenerative disease,
they prescribe fasting as the primary
component in the program. This helps to
cleanse the energy, and therefore allow free
flowing of energy and increase balance.
Islam has further associated fasting with
good living, and Muslims are required to
abstain from certain actions (sinful and
abominable) in order to make a successful
fasting. During fasting, Islam discourages
backbiting and slandering, watching illicit
movies, listening to music, and so forth.
Most certainly, all these actions bring
about an energy revolution of the body and
soul that is of great benefit to that
person, living in a world filled with faults
that are easily accessible. More on this, at
the end of this part.
Dr. Allan Cott in his book, Fasting, The
Ultimate Diet, explains some of the reasons
why people do fast. The following is a
partial list of the aims of fasting as seen
by the author of that book, the majority of
which have been proven scientifically and in
folk medicine:
To feel better
physically and mentally; to clean out the
body; to give the whole system a rest; to
lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels;
to cut down on smoking and drinking; to get
more out of sex; to let the body heal
itself; to relieve tension; to end
dependence on drugs; to sleep better; to
digest food better; to regulate bowels; to
feel euphoric; to sharpen the senses; to
quicken mental processes; to boost
self-esteem; to learn better eating habits;
to share with the hungry; to gain control of
oneself; to seek spiritual revelations; to
observe religious rites; to call attention
to social issues; to slow the aging process.
All the above
health and spiritual benefits can only be
achieved if fasting really had all the
chemical and energy balancing properties.
The human energy system is strengthened with
fasting, as one furthers into spiritual and
physical bliss. Moreover, he will attract
only free flowing energy from nearby sources
making his energy fields pure and
impregnable. This alteration in the
info-energy is also of great benefit to the
individuals fasting in the prescribed manner
by Muslims, and doing this act together. The
following narration explains further, what a
Muslim has to go through while fasting:
One who
while fasting does not guard his tongue from
telling lies and does not refrain from bad
deeds, is not respecting his fast. Allah
does not approve of mere abstention from
food. (Holy Prophet (S)
When you are fasting, you should not speak
ill of anybody, nor should you be rough and
noisy. If anybody speaks ill of you or tries
to pick a quarrel with you, reply him not,
but say to him that you are fasting. (Holy
Prophet (S)
The day of your fast should not be like any
ordinary day. When you fast, all your senses
- eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet must
fast with you. (al-Sadiq (AS)
O Jabir! Whoever during the month of
Ramadhan, fasts in its days, stands up for
prayers in parts of the night, controls his
desires and emotions, puts a rein on his
tongue, keeps his eyes down, and does not
injure the feelings of others, will become
as free of sins as the day he was born.
(al-Baqir (AS)
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The following
adapted from an article by the Late Ahmed
Sheriff Dewji, published in the Light
Magazine:
The most
important consideration in undertaking a
fast, as in any act of devotion, is to seek
nearness to God, and seek His pleasure and
Forgiveness. This itself generates a spirit
of piety in man.
Fasting gives man an unfailing training in
endurance, a spirit of acceptance. This
could well prepare him to put up with the
unchangeable situations in life in the same
spirit of resignation as cultivated during
the fasts.
Fasting develops courage, fortitude, and
a fighting spirit in man to surmount the
heavy odds in life with a cool and tranquil
mind. It sharpens his power of concentration
to overcome obstacles through a vigorous
exercise all throughout the month, leading
to a steeling of his will power and resolve,
which could help him in challenging
situations in life. It is seen than many an
undesirable habit, which is difficult to
give up, is more easily given up during the
days of fasting.
Fasting teaches man reliance on God, and
confidence in Him. Just as the vigorous
state of fasting for a whole month is
undertaken with His assistance, bitter
situations in life could also be surmounted
with His help.
Fasting develops a spirit of patience in
man, with the realization that the days of
fasting, though seemingly unending, do have
a successful and happy end. Thus is life.
All bitter situations pass, and ended.
Fasting is meant to conquer anger and
develop self-control in man. The vigorous
effort required putting up with hunger and
thirst can well be extended to conquer other
infirmities of human character that lead man
into error and sin.
Fasting inculcates a spirit of tolerance in
man to face unpleasant conditions and
situations without making his fellow beings
the victim of his wrath. Many people, when
facing discomfort and deprivation, become
irritable and annoyed. This anger is then
vented on those around them. Fasting helps a
man become more tolerant despite his own
discomfort.
Fasting mellows a man and enhances his
character, giving a jolt to the human
instincts of pride, haughtiness, jealousy
and ambition. Fasting softens his character,
and clears his heart and mind of many
negative emotions.
Fasting demands a rigid sense of discipline,
mental, spiritual and physical. This forms
characteristics, which are an essential
ingredient to success in life.
Fasting creates spiritual reformation in
man, infusing him with a spirit of
enthusiasm and zest to change and become a
better human being in the eyes of God. This
is an excellent opportunity, given to
believers each year, to change themselves
and consequently their destinies.
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On the
physical side, fasting cleanses the human
system of the accumulated impurities of
uninterrupted eating throughout the year. It
prepares the body to face diseases or
conditions of scarcity. The rigid abstinence
of a fast regulates man's health, sharpens
his intellect and enhances the qualities of
his heart.
In
Hayatul-Qulub, by al-Majlisi, he writes that
Sayyid Ibn Tawus has narrated in the book
Sadhus-Saud that I have seen in the
scriptures of Idris (AS) that:
Keep your soul
away from impure things whilst fasting. In
addition, fast with a pure and sincere
intention only for Allah.
Clean your
intention from filth, because Allah will
segregate people with pure hearts and pure
intentions.
For fasting
and abstaining your mouth from food it is
necessary that you be away from sins because
Allah is not pleased if one just abstains
from food but it is expected that you
abstain from all evil when you worship.
Then his heart
and his thoughts should be directed towards
prayers and to establishing a link with
Allah and supplicate and ask your hearts'
desire which will be your gain and should be
expedient with humility and helplessness.
And, when you
prostrate be away from worldly tensions,
evil thoughts and bad or unexpected actions.
Islam's Stand on Vegetarians O
you who believe! Fulfill the obligations.
The cattle quadrupeds are allowed to you,
except that which is recited to you, not
violating the prohibition against game when
you are entering upon the performance of the
pilgrimage. Surely, Allah orders what He
desires. (al-Qur'an - Chapter 5, Verse
1)
In Qur'an
Allah clearly states that He created the
cattle for human benefit and consumption:
What!
Do they not see that We have created the
cattle for them, of what our hands have
wrought, and of them, they are the masters?
And, We subjected unto the cattle, and some
of them they ride upon, and some of them
they eat. And for them, in them are benefits
and drinks. What! Will they not be grateful?
(al-Qur'an - Chapter 36, Verses 71-73)
The Infallible
(AS) have said: Of all the foods in the
heaven and the earth, which can be taken
with bread, meat is the best. Eating meat
increases the growth of flesh and increases
energy significantly.
In the Bible:
For one believes he may eat all things,
but he who is weak eats only vegetables.
(Romans, 14:2)
Muhammad ibn
Abdillah narrates from one of his companions
that he said - I said to Abu Abdillah (AS) -
May I be made your ransom! Why did Allah
forbid the dead animal, blood and flesh of
swine?
He said: Verily when Allah, the Blessed,
the High, prohibited these to His servants
and made the other things lawful to them, it
was not because Allah liked these prohibited
things for Himself; Blessed and High is He,
nor did He dislike other things and so,
allowed His servants to use it.
The fact is that He created the creatures
and knew what would sustain their bodies and
keep them in good health. Therefore, he made
it lawful for them as a favor from Himself
for their own well-being. Moreover, He knew
what would be harmful to them, so He forbade
it to them and made it unlawful. Yet He
allowed it for those facing emergencies, and
made it lawful to him when his body could
not be sustained otherwise. Therefore, He
ordered him partake from it to that amount
which would avert the emergency, but not any
more.
Unless they
choose a proper balance of foods, strict
vegetarians are at risk for several
deficiencies, especially vitamin B12. The
other nutrients at risk are riboflavin,
calcium, iron, and the essential amino acids
lysine and methionine. Vegetarian children
not exposed to sunlight are at risk for
vitamin D deficiency. Zinc deficiency can
occur in vegans because the phytic acid in
whole grains binds zinc, and there is little
zinc in fruits and vegetables. Since B12 is
present only in animal foods and a limited
number of specially fortified foods, vegans
should probably take B12 supplements
prescribed by a physician. Further, the
symptoms of vegetarianism may include
protein deficiency, amino acid and mineral
depletion coupled with chronic low levels of
energy.
Islam's inclination to ingesting meat is an
important dietary advice to Muslims and a
prescription to healthy life. Animal
products have been researched to have
powerful vibratory frequencies, healthy and
nutritious.
A major argument put forth by vegetarians is
that an animal has to be slaughtered and
this fear within the animal will adulterate
it's flesh and lower the charge in the
energy of the meat, thereby causing harm to
whosoever eats the meat (as documented
earlier). However, we have shown in the
previous sections that the Islamic method of
slaughtering creates honor and reverence in
the slaughter, and this act carries no
traumatic frequencies that could unbalance
the electrical matrix of the meat.
Surprisingly, Heistand and Coleman (1999)
quote an experiment in which the frequency
of energy contained within the carrot had a
bigger change when pulled from the ground
than a cattle beast's energy change when
slaughtered. This means that the carrot
actually screamed louder than the cow.
In Islam:
Animals have
been created mostly for the benefit of
humankind; men are the masters of them.
God has created
cattle for men, in which there is a sign of God.
Cattle have been
made for man to ride on and to serve as food and
for various other advantages.
Man can make use
of the flesh, skin, feathers, and bones of
animals.
Qur'an approves
dogs to be used for hunting.
It points out that
man, through the application of his skill and
intelligence, has been able to make multiple
uses of the skin and hair of animals for his
comforts and conveniences.
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Mir Ahmed Ali
(AR) writes:
The criticism
of the slaughter of animals by the opponents
of Islam is unreasonable. Animals have been
created by the creator to provide food for
the human beings. There is life in
everything man or animal eats or drinks.
Therefore, saving or sparing life is not
possible. This is the law of nature. The
very existence of life depends upon the
proper consuming of life. Life in the lower
stages of creation has been purposely
created to be sacrificed to serve the
survival of the species in the higher realm.
Similarly, man has been created to sacrifice
his self, which is dearest to him, to reach
the higher realms of divinity or spiritual
bliss. It is true that purposeless slaughter
of animals is a waste of Allah's bounty when
it is carried out in contravention to the
laws of the author of nature. Even for those
who hold animals sacred, the surest way to
show their concern is to slaughter them at
the proper time, because one day they will
be eliminated by death. Therefore, if an
animal is to die anyway, it is better to use
it for sustenance of human life, rather than
letting it go waste. The merciful creator,
therefore, has allowed slaughter of animals
for the sustenance of human life.
In the days of ignorance, man sacrificed man
to please his man-made gods. Islam stopped
this practice. Instead, to keep alive the
spirit of the intended sacrifice of Ismail
by Ibrahim, to show his obedience to his
Lord, sacrifice of animals has been
prescribed. On the other hand, Islam
prohibits purposeless killing of animals. As
long as a haji is in ihram, he cannot kill
even a mosquito. Hunting is not only
forbidden during the hajj but also as a
sport in ordinary life. Imam Ali, on his
deathbed, asked his children to take care of
the birds he had domesticated, or else to
set them free. Once, a disciple of Imam
Ja'far al- Sadiq killed some pigeons in
exasperation. The Imam asked him to give one
dinar in charity for every pigeon he had
killed as expiation.
Once, the
companions of Imam al-Hasan tried to make a dog
run when the unclean animal came near them while
they were having meals with the Imam. The Imam
prevented them, began to eat one morsel himself,
and gave another to the dog. He said:
I should feel
ashamed if a creature of Allah looks at my
food and I turn it away.
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Allamah
Taba Tabai (AR) writes:
Clearly, the
system of creation, which has overall
control on all the creatures, has ordained
that man should get nourishment from meats,
etc. Then it has guided the previous parts
of existence towards it. It is the system,
which has created in human beings the
ability to get sustenance from both animals
and vegetables. He has, in the front of his
alimentary system, the teeth some of which
are made to cut, the others to break, some
to tear and others to grind. They are called
canines, molars, premolars and incisors. Man
is not like goat or cow, which cannot cut or
tear apart, nor is he like the beasts of
prey, which cannot grind or incise.
The faculty of taste with which his mouth is
equipped finds the taste of meats pleasant.
Then other organs of his digestive system
likewise find the meats delicious and long
for it. All this is a part of creative
guidance, which proves that the Creator has
given him permission to use and eat various
meats. How can we separate this creative
guidance from lawfulness of the work, which
this guidance leads.
Islam is a natural religion. Its only aim is
to revive the tracks of nature, which the
human ignorance has obliterated. It is bound
to declare lawful what the creation guides
to and the nature decrees. Islamic
Legislation revives this natural
commandment. And in the same way, it
restores other arrangements, which the
Creator has ingrained in our nature. We have
already mentioned that it confirms the
decree of reason that one should abstain
from such meats, which are harmful
physically or spiritually. And, it
strengthens the inner feelings by
prohibiting what the normal human nature
dislikes or feels aversion. These two
principles ultimately are based on the
Divine management of the creation. Islam has
given credence to them. It has prohibited
that which harms the growth of the body and
has forbidden that which is injurious to the
well-being of human society. For example,
that which has been slaughtered in the name
of other than Allah or that which has been
obtained through gambling and dividing with
arrows and so on, and it has prohibited
those repulsive things which the nature
abhors.
There is no doubt that mercy is a fine gift
of Allah, which has been ingrained in the
human nature and in many animals as well, as
we have sometimes observed. However, the
Creator has not given it the status that it
should enjoy absolute power over all
affairs, or should command unqualified
obedience. The creation itself has not given
the mercy free rein; otherwise, there would
not have been in this world any trace of
grief, disease, suffering and various types
of tortures and oppressions.
Moreover, human mercy in itself is not like
justice, inasmuch as it is not an absolute
noble characteristic, which admits no
restriction. Had it been so, then it would
not have been proper to punish an oppressor
for his oppression or to penalize a criminal
for his crime; nor would we have been
allowed to confront a transgression with
similar action. If mercy means this, then
the earth and all that is on it would
perish. However, Islam has not neglected the
demands of mercy altogether, because it is
among the creation's gifts. It has ordered
us to deal with the animals with mercy. It
has forbidden us to torture the animal at
the time of slaughter. It does not allow
dissecting the limbs of the slaughtered
animal before it has died, nor is it allowed
to skin it while it is alive.
And,
As for the
talk of divine Mercy and His being the most
Merciful of all, do they think that Allah is
tenderhearted being? Alternatively, that his
senses are influenced and He feels pity on
some things? Obviously, these are material
and physical characteristics and Allah is
far above such things. The Divine Mercy
means that Allah bestows good on someone who
deserves it as much as he deserves it. That
is why sometimes what we think is punishment
turns out to be the Mercy from Him, and vice
versa. Consequently, according to the
reason, it is not good to neglect or discard
a beneficial action by listening to what is
suggested by our false mercy. Nor is it
allowed to be negligent in legislating the
Islamic Laws, keeping in view the realities
of the creation.
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