A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on Islam and Vaishnavism 22. Animal slaughter Srila Prabhupada: Just like in Islam also, they have got some principles for animal slaughtering. You know, those who have read the Quran, the Muslim religion allows animal slaughter once in a year. It is called qurban. And they can slaughter animals near the mosque. Similarly, in the Vedic religion also, the animals are allowed to be slaughtered in some sacrifice. But no religion, either Islam or Hinduism, allows animal slaughter in the slaughterhouses. There are some particular rules and regulations.(Lecture on Bhagavad-gita, 20/07/66) Srila Prabhupada: In Buddhism there is no animal killing. Although they are now killing animals, but originally the Buddhist religion means non-violence. Christ also said, Thou shalt not kill. And Krishna says, ahitnsa (non-violence). So in no religion is the unnecessary killing of animals allowed. Even in Islam, they also have qurban. Qurban means they can kill animals once in a year near the mosque. So everywhere animal killing is restricted. (Room conversation. Germany, 19/06/74) Tamala Krishna: Srila Prabhupada, one time you were explaining that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, when He was speaking with the Kazi, He convinced him that the Quran does not actually advocate meat-eating. Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Thats a fact. Because the Muslims, they also cannot eat meat unless it is sacrificed near the mosque. There is no recommendation that you purchase (meat) from the market or the animals be slaughtered in the slaughterhouses. (Morning walk. Mayapur, 22/01/76) Srila Prabhupada: So Chand Kazi also replied that Cow killing is also not generally recommended in the Quran. Actually, beef-eating or flesh-eating is not of the higher stage. But those who are inclined to take flesh, for them it is recommended that instead of killing many small animals, one big animal should be killed. So actually in Mecca, Medina, they kill camels. That is also done near the mosque. So the substance of his speech was that flesh-eating ultimately is not recommended. (Conversation. San-Francisco, 5/04/67) Here Srila Prabhupada explains that in Islam there are some principles for animal slaughtering. The Muslim reli gion allows animal slaughter only as qurban, or sacrifice. Such a sacrifice must be performed near the mosque. But Islam does not allow animal slaughter in slaughterhouses. There are particular rules and regulations which must be followed by those who hanker for meat. In the Holy Quran, very clear instructions are given about what is intended as human food: And We (Allah) said: O Adam! Dwell, you and your wife in the garden, and eat freely of the fruits thereof where you will. (2.35) And give glad tidings (O Muhammad) unto those who believe and do good works, that theirs are gardens underneath which rivers flow; as often as they are regaled with food of the fruit thereof. (2.25) Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth, and caused the water to descend from the sky, thereby producing fruits as food for you. (14.32) From these three ayats of the Quran, it is obvious that when Allah created Adam and Eve, He gave them the fruits for food. And when the pious go to paradise, they will have fruits as their food. Then, when Allah created the earth He produced fruits as food for mankind. Also, from the very life of the Prophet of Islam, we can see that His daily food was bread, milk and palm-dates. Hazrat Muhammad often mentioned that Islam means to treat every living entity as equal to oneself. One of the first statements Hazrat Muhammad made on regaining Mecca was: No one shall mistreat another. No one shall kill any animal; not even the cutting of a tree shall be allowed in Mecca. For those who are really attached to eating meat, Allah allowed the sacrifice of animals such as sheep, goats and camels. Such less important animals could be sacrificed at the proper place, by proper persons and in the proper way. Then the body of the animal should be divided into seven parts, and six parts distributed to the poor people and remainder could be eaten for oneself. Only then can it be classed as halal, or lawful meat; otherwise, it is haram, or unlawful. So less important animals can be sacrificed and eaten in the authorised way. The result of following this procedure is that lusty desires for flesh eating will diminish and a person will then start eating only pure foodstuff like fruits, grains and vegetables which are actually intended for human beings by God. Allah allowed sacrificial meat but not the opening of slaughterhouses where thousands of innocent animals are killed just to satisfy the tongue. It is very sinful and brings a degradation to the whole human society. For the general masses of people who are still unable to control then-senses (tongue) provision for eating meat has been granted but it is not recommended. So rules and regulations exist to slowly help one give up such bad habit. But for those who desire the highest perfection of life, love of God, meat eating is forbidden. For example, we can find the following ayats in the Holy Quran (5.3): Forbidden to you (for food) are meat of dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which has been invoked the name of other than Allah; and the dead through beating; that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. Thus we can understand from this verse of the Holy Quran that not any kind of meat is permitted for eating. Only the meat of an animal which has been explicitly killed for food with the Takbir, or the solemn mode of slaughter (zabh) in the name of Allah duly pronounced on it. This means that killing animals for food is a personal affair. It does not suggest opening slaughterhouses and killing hundreds of thousands of animals in an organized way, everyday. Those who want to eat meat, should do it the proper way which means killing only for ones own self, because everyone needs to take responsibility for his own actions. On the Day of Judgment, all dead creatures will come to life and will take vengeance on those who had either teased them or killed them. This concession is given by Allah to those who cannot restrain from meat eating. By eating halal, lawful meat they will gradually subdue their passion and give up meat-eating. This will help to develop fine spiritual sentiments, namely love for Allah. Besides this, it is mentioned in sura Al-Ma ida that within the limits of Mecca, most holy place, slaughtering of animals is prohibited: Animals of the chase are forbidden while you are in the Sacred Precincts or in the state of pilgrimage. (The Quran 5.1) This means that hunting of game is forbidden while you are hurumun i.e., while you are (1) in the Sacred Preciacts, Mecca or (2) in the special pilgrimage garb (ihram). It is also explained in the sura AI-Ma ida that: O you who believe! Kill not game while in the Sacred Precincts or in the state of pilgrimage. If any of you does so intentionally, the compensation is an offering, brought to the Kaba, of a domestic animal equivalent to the one he killed. As adjudged by two just men among you; or by way of atonement, the feeding of the poor persons; or its equivalent in fasts: that he may taste of the penalty of his deed. Allah forgives what has past; but for repetition Allah will punish him for Allah is Exalted, and Lord of Retribution. (Tlie Quran 5.95) This means that if someone kills an animal inadvertently within the limits of Mecca, one should then leave one of his pet animals there. In case one has no pet animals, one should give in charity food equivalent in value to the price of the killed animal. Otherwise the offender must fast as many days as the number of the poor who would have been fed under the second alternative. Thus killing animals is a sin and therefore, it is prohibited in a holy plrce like Mecca. In sura As-Saffat of the Holy Quran (37.99-109) there is the following narration: He (Ibrahim) said: I will go to my Lord! He will surely guide me! O my Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)! So We gave him the good news of forbearing son. Then, when (his son) was old enough to work with him, (Ibrahim) said: O my dear son, I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you. Now see what is your view! (The son) said: O my father! Do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah so wills one of the steadfast. So when they both submitted (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice), We called out to him, O Ibrahim! You have already fulfilled the dream! Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For this was a clear test. Then we ransomed him with a tremendous victim. And We left for him among generations (to come) in later times: Peace and salutation to Ibrahim! Thus Ibrahim (Abraham) was bom in Ur of the Chaldees, a place on the lower reaches of the Euphrates, not a hundred miles from the Persian Gulf. Where the worship of the sun, moon and stars was the prevailing form of religion. Ibrahim revolted against this quite early in life. They also had deities in their temples, which probably represented heavenly bodies and celestial winged creatures. He was still a youth when he broke the false deities. After this, he was marked down as a rebel and persecuted. He was thrown into the fire. But the fire became cool by the order of Allah and Ibrahim was saved. Then he left his ancestral lands, and avoiding the Syrian desert, came to the fertile lands of Aram or Syria. This was the Hijrat (Flight) of Ibrahim. He left his people and his land, because the Truth was dearer to him
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 07:32:49 +0000
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