Can Muslims be Vegetarians?

by WordsAplenty | More from this Blogger

24 May 2006 10:45 AM

When I first told my husband that I had decided to become a vegetarian, his reaction was a strong one. "No!" he said. "Allah gave us animals to eat, so we must eat them." When I discussed it with other Muslims, I heard similar answers:

"Haram!"

"We cannot make haram (forbidden) what Allah has made halal (lawful)."

"We cannot imitate non-Muslims."

Being a stubborn sort, I researched the issue myself. I find many surahs and hadiths related to food. All of the rulings were focused on what we cannot eat: food that was not slaughtered in a halal way, alcohol, pork, and lard. Many mentioned foods that are good for us. Honey, for example, is cited to have medicinal qualities. Not a single food, though, was listed as being mandatory for Muslims. Contrary to popular belief, you can be Muslim and never eat a single bite of lamb!

What I found is that it all comes down to your intentions. Like so many other things in life, Allah looks at the why of your vegetarianism. If you are refraining from meat in an effort to be more religious, thinking this will gain favor from Allah-- don't. Allah did give us certain animals to eat and enjoy and seek nourishment. Eating them is not a sin. Likewise, avoiding them will garner no reward.

If we are avoiding meat products in an effort to be healthier, that is fine. Many people with heart conditions or high blood pressure do need to limit or restrict high-fat red meat. There is no sin in that.

Others simply do not like the taste of meat. Again, that is a personal choice. Still others have witnessed a particularly cruel slaughtering and were turned off by the idea of eating meat.

For me, I started off doing the Rice Diet, a diet in which you eat many fruits, vegetables, and whole grain. After several days, I began to feel energetic and clear-headed. My skin improved. My moods leveled out. After researching, I came to believe that I am sensitive to the hormones in meat. I cannot afford organic, so veggies it is!

I do not believe I will be rewarded for my all-vegetable diet, but I don't think I'll be punished either. When it comes to an Islamic diet, as long as you are abstaining from pork and alcohol, and buying halal when possible, you are probably well within your legal limits.

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Aimee Amodio (11995) 25 May 2006 05:53 AM

This was very interesting to read, Misty, thank you! I have a friend who is allergic to the hormones in beef, and gets a massive migraine any time she eats beef that isn't organic! (And in another coincidence, I was just reading up on the Rice Diet and pondering giving it a try myself!)

WordsAplenty (4029) 25 May 2006 09:16 AM

Hi, Aimee! Thank you! The Rice Diet probably isn't for everyone, and the first day is a real killer. But, if you like veggies and grains and can live without alot of meat, you can definitely lose weight with this diet! As with most diets, you lose alot of water at the beginning (especially since you are restricting sodium), but that's fine with me, too-- I don't want to pack on tons of water weight!

Halast7 (32) 29 Jan 2008 01:43 PM

Thanks Misty for this entry. I agree with you in that abstaining from eating meat is not forbidden (Haram). While the Quran explicitly speficies foods and drinks that are forbidden because of their harmful effects on our health and minds, there is no command that specifically instruct us to eat meat.

The concept of halal/mubah actually refers to ‘‘That which is permissible/lawful in Shariah and that a person won't be punished on leaving it out.’’ The following verse states that we should eat FROM the allowed foods/drinks and not eat ALL, so there is room for personal choice in this matter.

[2:172] O you who believe, eat from the good things we provided for you, and be thankful to GOD, if you do worship Him alone

Having said that, in this day and age with man disrupting animals' natural diets by pumping them with all sorts of substances, if meat consumption is deemed harmful to one's health, then accordging to Shariah's concept that "benefits should always outweigh risks", people must abstain from eating meat.

Look forward to reading more of your entries.