Why are muslims forbidden from eating pork or bacon? Is there an historical reason? Sensible answers please?

Question

Thank you all your answers are really helpful and really appreciate the response. However if the pig is considered dirty and eats its own dung as some have mentioned, how is a cow or sheep any cleaner? Also someone mentioned that Islam forbids anything harmful to be consumed, if someone continues to eat chocolate everyday they would eventually put on weight and risk getting heart disease and diabetes, not to mention your teeth falling out - why wouldn't this be forbidden too? There are many food substances which are Halal that could cause lots of damage and yet they are allowed? Do you think the true meaning of the pig being forbidden is somehow forgotten and lost, and that when people say 'its dirty', its just an ad hoc answer. Please help me on this one.

Another question, why is smoking permitted and eating pork is not? This is not just towards Islam but Judaism and Christianity too.

I appreciate all the response and respect all of your opinions. However I doubt for an instance that pork would speed up death! Yet you say cows and sheep eat grass, which is true but thats grass isn't clean now is it. Are you telling me that its disinfected somehow? Also if pigs are kept well and de-wormed which they normally would be, and preserved properly then cooked properly (much like chicken) then would it not matter whether you eat pork or not? You wouldn't eat a pig in its dirty state.

Answer 1

Pigs are unclean...
They eat human waste...
They live in dirt.
They are very unhygenic.
The pigs make up with their mother pigs...


& as God didnt wanted Muslims to let eat pig, he just didnt make neck in the pigs....
As Muslims have to slit throught to make the animal halal, the pig cant be slitted as it has no neck, it cant see in sky...

Answer 2

Pork - In the Qur'an (and in the Old Testament of the Bible) there is a story that God cast (threw) the devil into a pig. Therefore, pork and any pork products (some types of gelatin, and lard) and even leather goods from the pig are forbidden to Muslims. This is also true of Jewish traditions. [NOTE: The disease of trichinosis is caused by worms that live in pigs and can be passed on to humans who eat unclean pork. This restriction was very important to people's health.]

Answer 3

Because God asked us not to. Period.

EDIT: Your concerns noted sister. The answers which claim that the pig is an 'unclean' animal or is 'scientifically proven' not good for health are good in their intention but these types of answers please those who are weak in the faith.

Once again, even if pork was the most nutritious food on earth that would double your life expectancy or cure cancer and or stop nuclear war, it is still forbidden because God forbade it. That's all there is to it.

As Muslims, we hear and we obey.

As for smoking, a majority of scholars are of the opinion that it is also 'haraam' or forbidden while a minority who do not keep themselves updates with medical knowledge proclaim it to be 'makrooh' or undesirable. Either way, it is not encouraged.

Hope this helps sister.

Answer 4

Jewish people also avoid pig meat. I think the reason for this is quite a sensible one - in the middle east, where these religions originate, it's quite hot and meat can spoil easily (pork particularly can contain tapeworms if not stored and cooked properly). It's a sensible custom which has developed from a practical problem. It's the same reason that muslims bury their dead the next day - otherwise they would start to decompose very quickly,

Answer 5

I don't know about historical reason but i know that pigs are very dirty and impure animals that eat their dung and they have the highest ratio of worms and germs inside their body.
Islam always forbids things that cause harm to our health like pork and alcohol.

who said that cows eat their dung?
and anything that cause harm sould be forbidden..eating chocolate all the time without excersing or cleaning your teeth is wrong but the and chocolate was not there when Quran came to this world besides scientists found some benefits from eating chocolate moderately .
there is a general rule in islam not to over consuem anything....i think that goes with science am i right?
and some scholars forbids smoking cos it causes only harm with no use like pig meat.

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why are muslims forbidden from eating pork or bacon? Is there an historical reason? Sensible answers please?

Answer 7

The main reason that pig are unclean is the are not part of the natural food chain as they eat meat. Even a lion will avoid a pig because pigs institively know they are not for eating and can even beat a lion in a fight. Cows and sheep are different they are a natual part of the chain, and they know it.

Hope this helps.

Answer 8

I'm not a MuslI'm but i would say it is because a pig is very unclean. after reading the bible and other books i did a research on pigs.
1. they will eat any thing even a animal or another pig
2. the meat spoils faster
3. they carry viruses that can jump species the bird flu is a good example. because a pig can catch and give viruses from humans and animals they can cause a virus that normally wouldn't cross species to mutate and spread to humans and other animals. i my self love bacon and ham but im really thinking about giving it up after i read that article in a magazine at my doctors office

Answer 9

It's unclean, and every civilization knows that. It's the worse animal there is. Even pork eating Christians say "You pig!" as an insult. Africans, Chinese, Arabs, Russians, Native Americans, and Filipinos all know that pigs are disgusting. The difference is that Muslims and observant Jews do something about it.

Answer 10

pigs are considered unclean (also to the jews)

in the old testement it is said that certain animals should not be eaten but this is likely to be to do with health reasons after all you could not preserve pork and the such

i know this may sound klike i am saying change rules you dont like to suite your self or just claim that some are out dated
but
if you want to follow the old testement to the letter you would take your bodily waste products and bury them in the ground 7 miles outside of town

this was also a rule for hygine reasons (no plumbed sanitation systems)


i would like to add to what tina said that in the new testement we are told to consider nothing unclean that God has made

Answer 11

I've been told by a Muslim friend that pork goes off very quickly in the heat. it therefor seems quite reasonable that such foods should be avoided in hot climates, but if what i was told is true do you really need to be "forbidden"? it also leads to me to ask why Muslims can't eat pork today, when it can be stored in the great modern invention: "the fridge".