Killing of animals for food - is it a sin?

Which act is a sin? And which is not? Human beings or any group of human beings cannot decide for themselves as to what does, and does not, constitute a sin since they do not possess the ultimate knowledge of everything. Even if they decide what and what not are sins, their decisions will be influenced by emotions, selfishness, etc. Something good for someone might be bad for others. Something which appears just for someone may be unjust according to others. Whereas God Almighty to whom belongs the universe and all that it contains, is Omnipotent and Omniscient. He knows ultimately what is good and what is bad for His creations. He is the Designer, Planner, Sustainer and Master of the universe. He only knows the ultimate purpose and role of each and every creation in this vast Universe. His knowledge is the most perfect and ultimate. He is the highest Authority to say which is right and wrong or which is just and unjust. Further, He is going to judge our deeds on the Day of Judgment. We have to admit that Whatever He commands us to do are good deeds and whatever He prohibits us from are bad deeds.

1. The present short and temporary life which we are all undergoing is a test conducted by our Creator. Here we are tested amidst emotions, feelings, hunger, sorrow, happiness, justice, injustice, right, wrong… and so on. The test is whether we are following God’s commandments in all the circumstances we come across in our life time. If we follow Him we are rewarded with Paradise in the hereafter and if we do not follow Him we will be punished with Hell fire. So  it is wise to accept the standards set by Him as the criterion to decide between right and wrong.
2. God Almighty has revealed to us what is good and what is bad through His Messengers (Rishis) and the Holy books (Vedas) sent through them from time to time. All His Holy Books prohibit killing of life unjustly. The last and final version of His holy books is the Qur’an which say this: “Do not take life, which Allah has made holy except for just (and true) cause...” (Qur’an 17:33). But killing of animals for the sake of food is allowed in all His Holy Books.
3. Manusmriti, which is considered a holy book by Hindu brethren says: “The diner, if he is a meat consumer, the meat does not harm him, even if he consumes every day. Because it is God who has created some creatures for eating and some as food.” (Manusmriti 5:30)                                                                                                                  

“Consuming meat is also considered as sacrifice. This is known traditionally as Commandment of God.” (Manusmriti 5:31)

“God has created certain cattle for sacrifice. So slaughtering cattle for sacrificing will not be considered as killing of the cattle. (Manusmriti 5: 39, 4) 

Plenty of such references are found in other Hindu Holy scriptures. A few are given below.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Rig Veda: (VIII 42. 1), (X 91. 14.6), (1. 114.101), (5. 29-7), Adarva Veda (X.11. 1.48)

4. However big or small, visible or invisible the forms of life, all are to be treated alike. Elephant, cow cat, flies, birds, mosquito, bacteria, germs and so on... All of them carry life. To protect only the big and visible ones and to ignore the small and invisible ones is not an act of justice. We have to equally feel pain when we drink as each drop of water contains millions of bacteria. Lakhs of silk worms are killed for the silk industry. Can we stop all this?
5. Today, it has been scientifically proved that plants are living beings which see, hear and smell. They even have emotions. If we conclude that killing of life is sin, where can we go for food?
6. In nature, God has created, distributed and perfected every creation in the right proportion. The Qurán says:

“Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High, Who created and proportioned; And who destined and [then] guided.” (Qurán 87: 1–3)

Manu says, “The law of nature is that the stronger living beings eat the weaker ones. So it is natural to eat meat.”                                                                                                                

“God has created moving and unmoving creatures for the purpose of food. Unmoving living beings form the food for moving ones. Toothless creatures are food for the toothed ones. Armless beings are food for the armed ones. Innocent creatures are food for cruel ones.” (Manusmriti V.15)

7.  Tempted by our emotions and shortsightedness if we tamper or disturb the ecological balance set by our omniscient Creator, the consequences will be extremely disastrous. Let’s see a few examples:
1. If the rapid growth of population of rats is not curtailed by snakes and reptiles which feed on them, it will lead to drastic scarcity of food grains and spread of epidemic diseases.
2. If deers in jungles were not hunted down by wild animals which feed on them, with the unchecked growth of their population, the plants and trees will be consumed rapidly by them. Thus, the jungles will vanish which leads, in turn, to loss of rain.
3. A minimum of 3, 84, 000 animals are slaughtered all over the world every day. If the slaughtering is suspended for one month the number of animals for which we have to feed will be 1, 15, 20, 000. The food requirement for them will be 34, 50, 00, 000 Kilograms per month. In the process of meeting this demand for food, the existing food-grains, plants and trees will vanish fast. This further stops the rain and the whole earth will become a desert within six months.
4. Farmers have to sell their aged / unyielding cows or bulls to continue earning their livelihood. When he brings it to market the only buyer for him is butcher. If you stop him from selling his animal, you are stopping his livelihood. The poor farmer has to bring beck the animal and has to feed it for nothing whereas he himself starves. If he lets it go free he will be blamed by the neighbors. If he ties it the poor cow will step by step starve to die. Is it not both violation of human right as well as animal right?
8. By stopping the killing of animals for food, can we afford to lose the following?
1. In beef export, India occupies eighth place in the world.
2. By export of leather, foreign exchange earned is Rs. 3, 160 crores and the number of people employed in this industry is 13.5 lakhs.
3. By export of fish and fish products, exchange earned is Rs. 6, 308 crores.
4. In silk production, India occupies third place. A lakh of people are employed in this industry. The benefits as well as job opportunities that arise out of such industries are too numerous to be ignored. Further, can we really forego by-products like belts, shoes, bags, purses, detergents, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, tar, heart valves, insulin, pepsin, surgical sutures, medical capsules, glue, fertilizers and so on?
9. The vitamins (particularly B12) proteins, minerals and other nutrients required for efficient function and stamina of human body are very meager in vegetarian food. Manual workers, farmers and others who exert physically cannot work long hours if they only take vegetarian food.
10. The human body is so designed by God that it can consume and digest meat. Like herbivorous animals, man is equipped with flat teeth, and like carnivorous animals he also has canine teeth. Our digestive system is also equipped to digest meat.

Those who find faults with the ecological order set by the ultimate wisdom of the Creator and tamper with it are warned by the Creator thus:                                                                    

“Do no mischief on earth, after it has been set in order…” (Qurán 7: 56)

“… and those who cause mischief in the land, upon them is curse and a evil home (i. e. Hell) is for them.” (Qurán 13: 25)                                                             

The Creator and Master of this universe also warns those who ban things which are made lawful by Him:                                                         

“And do not say about what your tongues assert of untruth, ‘This is lawful and this is unlawful,’ to invent falsehood about Allah. Indeed, those who invent falsehood about Allah will not succeed.  [It is but] a brief enjoyment, and they will have a painful punishment.” (Qurán 16: 116, 117)

Prophetic way to establish peace and justice in the world

To achieve peace in personal and societal life through obedience to the Creator is the principle proposed by Islam. Upholding moral values, ethics and maintaining discipline in personal life and thus in the society is very much essential in order to establish peace and justice in the world. While a group of people work towards this aim, it is quite natural that those rulers and intermediaries who live upon exploiting the people through injustice and immoral means will deadly oppose their movement. They will instigate the ignorant masses and turn them against those good souls by false propaganda. They will use all possible means to oppress the missionaries of peace to eliminate them to protect their selfish interests. How to overcome such hurdles and establish peace and justice in the world? The aim of this brief article is to  draw lessons from the methodology of the messengers of God in this regard.

Reformation and opposition:

The messengers of God were sent to different parts of the world at different periods of time. They found their respective nations living in turmoil amidst superstitions in the name of religions, idol worship, tribal wars, treachery, injustice, enmity, exploitation, immorality etc. under the influence of Satan.

The messengers reformed the people gradually by reminding them about the oneness of mankind and oneness of God and their answerability to Him. They guided their respective people to worship directly the Creator without intermediaries and formalities and thus freed them from superstitions and exploitations. Reminding about paradise and hell in the life hereafter, they enjoined people to do good and forbid evil in the world. As a result of this they started ignoring the intermediaries and ruling class who were exploiting them in the name of religion. Realizing the harm done to their selfish interests, the exploiters extensively oppressed the messengers and their followers to force them to stop their movement. They also instigated the ignorant masses against those good souls. They faced killings, social boycott, tortures and other oppressions.

Lessons to be drawn:

While we study the Prophets in general and Prophet Muhammad in particular (peace be upon them all) we can observe that God almighty guides them to success with the following means: Patience, amnesty, perseverance and application of proper wisdom. During the 13 years of preaching at Mecca, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) or his followers patiently underwent the oppressive measures inflicted by the enemies. Those who could not withstand the oppressions were advised by Prophet to immigrate to safer places. The oppressed were never allowed to revenge their oppressors as this will adversely affect the process of reformation of people. After prophet’s immigration to Medina, when the enemies waged a war on to stop the growth of Islam, only then the prophet and their followers fought a defensive war to save the movement.

In the incidents of war, treatment of prisoners of war, his rule at Medina, conquest of Mecca etc. we can observe that the Prophet was giving utmost respect to each and every human soul which he encountered and he gave every chance reform. His intention was not elimination of any human being but its reformation. Even after gaining supreme leadership of state as well as religion he did not avenge any one for the wrongs done to his self. But he never failed to avenge when interests of Islam or public were violated.  Besides sticking on to the methodology of the Prophet, seeking closeness to God through prayers and remembrance of Him and maintaining clear and unselfish intention the workers of the mission to establish peace should never ignore the following facts:

§  Islam means adopting a life of obedience to the Creator and any human being is having the right to adopt it at any point of time. Hence those who have adopted it already either by choice or by hereditary should never alienate themselves as a separate sect and treat others as their enemies.

§  All human beings irrespective of their color, creed, country, religion, language etc, belong to our family and thus they are our brothers and sisters. Hence we cannot treat any of them as our enemies. The real enemy is Satan who is misguiding them. Our prime duty is to release them from the clutches of Satan by reminding them about our Creator and our answerability to Him.

§  This is the highest humanitarian service on earth by we which are liberating the mankind from the clutches of miseries enshrouding them today and the misery of life to come hereafter. We are taking them to Paradise instead of Hell.

§  Our ultimate aim is to please our Creator who will reward us for each and every minutest effort of us. Hence the failures, oppositions and oppressions should not deter us from our aim.

Nothing is useless in this cosmos

The Arabic word for Science (ilm) in English corresponds to "Knowledge" or "Learning". From the Islamic point of view knowledge means to uncover the truth and strengthen the faith of a believer. Islam is the only religion which has made education obligatory and mandatory for its adherents. Even the first revelation was sent to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by Almighty Allah also indicates towards knowledge.

The holy Qur'an says: "Read in the name of thy Lord Who created- Created man form a clot of blood. Read: Your Lord is the most bountiful. He who taught the use of the pen, taught man that which he knew not" (S.96, A-1-5) 

If we think why God commenced the first revelation with reading, we find that the age in which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was sent, the age of ignorance and illiteracy. It is obvious that without education ignorance and stagnation cannot be dispelled. 
One of the distinctive features of Islam is that it forged a close and pious link between religion and knowledge. The holy Qur'an carries a number of verses on different branches of knowledge-Cosmology, Astronomy, Astrology, Physics, Mathematics, Geology, Botany, Zoology, Biology, Agriculture, Economics, Anthropology, History and the likes. 
An eminent writer Ahmad Fariruddin writes: "in the Quran matters relating to science have been referred to at 750 places whereas matters relating to law have been mentioned at 250 places". 
Needless to add that the word Earth is mentioned in the Qur'an more than 460 times and it is mentioned in three different contexts. When the Qur'an talks about the earth in comparison with heavens, with the moon or the sun or the stars, it means the whole planet earth. When the Qur'an talks without reference of these planetary bodies it may mean the crust on which we live, the continental masses or what covers that crust of soil. In so doing the Qur'an describes the earth its shape, motions and origin, describes mountains, the origin of the atmosphere and the hydrosphere, the darkness at the bottom of the ocean, the darkness in outer space and many of the phenomena. (Scientific Signs in the Holy Book, p,11) 
Islam says that nothing is useless in this cosmos. The holy Quran says: "Our Lord! Not for naught have thou created all this. Glory to Thee; give us salvation from agony of fire". (S.3, A 191) 
Islam stands for its followers to acquire knowledge and study whatever lies in the heavens and on the earth as stated in the Qur'an: "Say: behold all that is in the heavens and on earth. (S 10, A 101) The holy Qur'an further says: "Behold in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alteration of night and day, There are indeed sings for men of understanding". 
It should be kept in mind that at the very out set due attention was paid to science by Muslims. No doubt, contributions and achievements which Muslims made in the field of science have no parallel in the history of the world. Even caliphs had also shown their keen interest in developing science. Accordingly caliph Al-Mansoor, caliph Haroon Rashid and his able son Al-Mamoon and later other caliphs also played a constructive role in promoting science in various ways. Caliph Al-Mamoon had established a great research centre in the name of Baitul-Hikmah (The house of wisdom). A number of books had been rendered into various languages and brought out from that centre. 
It should be noted that Islam has never been a barrier in progress and development. History can not cite any instance from other religions of the world that has played a leading role in the field of science and technology as Islam did. In the words of noted Islamic Scholar late Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi: "There is not a single sector of European revival which is not indebted to Islamic thought. Islam imparted a new glow of life to Europe"
In his book, Islam at the Crossroads Muhammad Asad has rightly said: "History proves beyond any possibility of doubt that no religion has ever given a stimulus to scientific progress similar to that of Islam. The encouragement which learning and scientific research received from Islamic theology resulted in the splendid cultural achievements in the days of the Umayyads and Abbassides and the Arab rule in Spain. Europe should known this well, for its own culture owes to Islam nothing less than the Renaissance ("re-birth") after centuries of darkness. I do not mention this in order that we might pride our selves in those glorious memories at a time when the Islamic world has forsaken its own tradition and reverted into blindness and intellectual poverty. We have no right, in our present misery, to boast of past glories. But we must realize that it was the negligence of Muslim and not any deficiency in the Islamic teaching which caused our present decay. 
Similar thoughts have been expressed by Maulana S.M. Rabey Hasani Nadwi, Rector Nadwatul-Ulama, Lucknow and President All India Muslim Personal Law Baord:

 "When Europe was passing through darkness and ignorance of the Middle Ages, Muslim world was producing scholars, thinkers, educationists and eminent masters of physical and social sciences. European writers have quite often acknowledged that for six hundred years Europe learnt and benefited from the researches of Muslims before commencing their march to progress." 

In the words of Marquis of Duffering: "It is the Musalman science, Musalman art, and the Musalman literature that Europe has been in large measure indebted for its extrication from the darkness of Middle ages". 

Dr. Robert Briffault has rightly stated that science arose in Europe as a result of new spirit of enquiry, of new methods of investigation, of the method of experiment, observation, measurement, of the development of mathematics in a form unknown to the Greeks, and that spirit and those methods were introduced into the European world by the Arabs (Muslims). 
It goes without saying that the Muslim scientists not only made original contribution to science but also to technology. In other words, they made practical use of their scientific discoveries. They observed the stars, and prepared star maps for navigational purposes. Ibn Yunus made use of pendulum for the measurement of time. Ibn Sina used air temperature. Paper, compass, gun, gunpowder, inorganic examples of scientific and technological developments of Muslim scientists, which brought about an unprecedented revolution in the human civilization. (Islam and Evolution of Science, P,15) 
Strangely despite this genuine fact when we hear the word science our attention is surely be drawn to the west. There are two reasons behind it. One is that biased historians ignored most names of Muslim scientists. Even if they mentioned some of them, that too in distorted form. Take for instance, Abu Ali Sina is known as Avecina , Zakariyyah Al-Razi (Razes), Jabir Ibn Hayyan (Geber) and so on, what to speak of non- Muslims even educated Muslims do not know that Avesina, Razes and Jaber were from Muslim community. 
It is time we must bring contributions and achievements of Muslim scientists in focus so that our new generation may learn of their achievements and derive benefit out of the works of these doyens of science. 
It is unfortunate that today scant attention is being paid to education by Muslims. While other people are being benefited by our ancestors scientific achievements and contributions. The need of the hour is that we must impart our children good education and adorn them with good qualities and sublime norms only then our past glory may again come back. Besides we may act on the first revelation which Allah sent to His last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for creating a new civilization.

 Written by : Obaidur Rahman Nadwi