There is no reason why Muslims should kill and eat animals today.
That statement may unsettle many readers causing a flurry of textual references from the Qu’ran and/or hadith to justify their position.
However, I did not say Islam doesn’t permit it under certain circumstances. I’m contending there is no valid reason to do it today and if you bear with me, I’ll furnish my thoughts on precisely why I believe it is substantially better and more in line with Islamic principles to stop consuming animals in our time.
I have highlighted in much detail here and here the catastrophic environmental and physical toll the meat, egg, and dairy industries exact on our world. These two posts also cover the issues of slaughtering animals on Eid (and Hajj) and the urgent need for factory farming to be declared impermissible globally.
Please take the time to familiarize yourself with them as this is the backdrop from which this discussion will proceed.
A Problematic Mindset
First off, there are a few important things that need to be clarified.
Many Muslims cite certain verses (Qu’ran 2:29, 22:65, etc.) to substantiate their claim that animals were put here for our use. In other words, they feel these verses give us free and open license to eat them as we see fit and to profit from them in the same manner.
This is precisely what we have done and look at the result. Absolute ruination of our world. So long as we believe animals are only here for us to use, our world will continue to suffer.
I strongly disagree with this viewpoint or any variant thereof.
They’ve been around a lot longer than we have.
My understanding is Islam is a faith of reason that seeks to better the world, not plunder and pillage it. It seeks to connect us with the world’s vastness and wonders; not keep us indifferent to its demise. It even urges us to explore space and the earth’s multiple layers:
Oh jinn and mankind, if you are able to pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass! You will not pass except by authority (from Allah). -Qu’ran 55:33
Animals have been in existence (around 550 million years) a whole lot longer than humans (200,000 years). They have their specific roles in their respective ecosystems. To set aside these established facts and claim they are just here for us is patently false and arrogant.
While the concept of mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationships are extremely common in nature where two or more animals benefit by cooperating with the other, humans generally have done nothing but subjugate, dominate and oppress.
I’d like to offer an alternative viewpoint to these verses.
Strangely enough, the very next verse after (2:29) states God has put us here as His caretakers (Qu’ran 2:30). A caretaker doesn’t trash his Lord’s house.
Perhaps the true benefits come from studying and observing life rather than taking it.
Here…
Did we not study birds, their flight, structure, and aerodynamics as inspiration to invent the plane…which coincidentally, looks exactly like a bird in its general make up with a body, wings, and tail?
Now isn’t that “use” far more beneficial than mass murdering them?
Wolves have been studied in-depth and farmers who have had no luck keeping them away from their flocks have had instant success by…doing exactly what wolves do. Instead of trying to poison or shoot them, they simply broadcast calls from another pack. Cruelty-free predator control.
Ants and termites have been studied for their architectural brilliance – burrowing a labyrinth of tunnels complete with built-in air conditioning systems to keep airflow circulating.
There are many other examples of nature captivating us and showing us new opportunities to advance.
So yes, God put everything here for us not to exploit as we have been, but to learn from and become better beings thereby benefiting all life around us.
I feel this view is within the true caretaker spirit of the Qu’ran rather than the unbridled attack we have unleashed on our world thus far.
Slaughtering Animals In Context
Currently, the mainstream belief is killing and eating certain animals is allowed. The irony is our world has drastically deteriorated and continues to do so as a direct result.
So we need to stop, reflect and ask ourselves where we went wrong and how we can correct our course.
It’s very important to not just look at our texts in black and white terms but to understand the relevant context to really get an appreciation of how life was at the time. As we shall see shortly, the historical context in which the Qu’ran permitted the consumption of animals reveals very real and very difficult circumstances.
Camels formed an integral part of 7th century life.
Now let’s evaluate the mention of domesticated animals in the Qu’ran; like camels and cattle.
Those are the types of animals that existed in the Arabian desert back then and they existed 9,0000 years before then as well.
Yes, the Qu’ran refers to them as sources of food, clothing, housing, and transport (Qu’ran 23:21-22) because that’s exactly how the people at the time utilized them. It did not introduce these practices, it dealt with them as they were.
The Arabs were a largely nomadic people who relied very heavily on their animals for survival:
The Bedouins, able to survive the harsh conditions of the desert with a miraculous animal like the camel, generally lived inside tents made of camel hair. -Arabia in the Pre-Islamic Period, Nihal Şahin Utku, PhD
The author goes on to cite detailed benefits of camels and why they are perfectly suited to the desert environment and why they were such a good fit for the people of Arabia.
Now, do you think if the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) lived in Scandinavia, the Qu’ran would talk about camels?
Of course not.
The only reason the Qu’ran mentions them in the context of food, clothing, transport, and housing is they were such an intricate part of Bedouin society. The Qu’ran was addressing its audience in terms they could relate to.
Food was scarce. They lived in a very harsh desert environment so they ate what was available (including lizards) and used whatever they could for their housing and clothing. They used animals for transport in the absence of any other mode.
Now let’s be real…
We don’t use animals for those purposes anymore because we have found better alternatives.
So why single out eating them?
When you factor in the world’s current state, that’s the very worst thing one can do so – why do it?
Just as there is no ethical reason today to kill animals for clothing, housing, or use them for transport in the developed world, there is no reason to kill them for food when you can do just fine without them.
So the Qu’ran gives us a snapshot of history when people were absolutely dependent on animals for basic necessities. This was the blueprint for survival in 7th century Arabia. It doesn’t mean you need to replicate your diet around 7th century Arabs!
Nor does it mean we ignore the mountain of scientific evidence telling us raising and killing billions of animals is destroying the planet.
So can we eat them from a strictly legal perspective in our day and age given the circumstances?
I would argue an emphatic no and invite Muslim scholars who are not hooked on fast food to have this conversation urgently.
As I understand, when something becomes undoubtedly harmful, even if it is a practice permitted in the Qu’ran, then removing that harm and preserving life comes first.
Why Not Eating Animals Today Is The Right Thing To Do
1. Animal Abuse
The overwhelming majority of animals bred for human consumption are factory farmed and are treated appallingly. I have highlighted this via numerous articles and videos on this site. I urge you to conduct your very own research.
As discussed earlier, the Islamic texts are replete with unequivocal instructions clearly forbidding animal abuse. Textual evidence aside, where has our humanity gone? We should not need a textbook or scholar to teach us compassion.
One who makes their stomach a graveyard for tortured animals churned out by the meat, egg, and dairy industries are neither consuming “halal” nor “tayyib”.
I feel Muslims should not be in any way, shape, or form be associated with industries like this – in fact; they should be actively fighting against them.
Common decency calls for it.
2. Exploitation
Animals are not here for us to exploit, enslave and treat in such abhorrent ways.
The Qu’ran makes it clear it is absolute misguidance and Satanic-like to maim, disfigure and treat animals badly. We see Shaytan openly admitting what he does to inspire evil:
“And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah.” And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allah has certainly sustained a clear loss.” Qu’ran 4:119
Interestingly enough, changing the creation of Allah is not limited to tattooing on the face as has been cited in various tafasir (commentaries).
In our world, hurting animals by way of cutting their body parts like horns and beaks, grinding them up alive for being the wrong gender, branding them, particularly on their faces and sensitive areas, and injecting them with hormones to get them to grow bigger and produce more are all manifestations of evil inspiration.
These are standard industry practices in the meat, egg, and dairy industries and are done to serve the bottom line of a global, profit-driven industry.
How Is This Acceptable?
3. Unsustainable
The very nature of today’s world mandates that factory-farmed animals are treated in an absolutely unacceptable manner.
You cannot sustainably “farm” billions upon billions of animals without violating the environment and Islamic Law.
Such operations are based on speed – the more animals they mass kill (aka “processing” as the industry sugarcoats it), the more money they make. Applying stringent Islamic guidelines that mandate animals be treated in a diametrically opposed manner isn’t viable for these industries.
Livestock currently occupies 26% of the habitable land on our planet and there is more livestock than humans and wild animals combined. Ask yourself if this is responsible governance towards the planet we were entrusted with.
4. Causes Far More Harm Than Good
It is beyond question animal agriculture causes far more harm than good as has been highlighted throughout this site.
Aside from tainted profits on the backs of billions of sentient creatures who did not deserve to die, one would be hard-pressed to think of any good it provides.
Avoiding harm and bringing benefit is actually an axiom in Islamic law (out of many) that’s used as a moral compass when determining whether a practice is allowed or not (discussed below). I guess the pertinent question here is “If eating animals today causes so much destruction, why are we too afraid to consider forsaking it?”
Allah (swt) is not a heedless god who doesn’t know the current state of the world.
Thanks to us, we have our feet firmly planted on the accelerator, fast heading towards Mount Decay. He does not demand we continue going in the wrong direction.
5. Alternatives
We have many cruelty-free alternatives to meat that are far more sustainable, environmentally friendly, extremely tasty, and much healthier.
There also has been a recent debate about cultured (lab grown) meat which I will explore another time but the point here is we have so many existing and emerging options, there’s no need to put billions of sentient creatures through any more harm.
Now some may argue the presence of vegan alternatives does not negate the permissibility of animal-based options. If we did not face the enormous challenges we do today then I would be compelled to agree with this sentiment.
However, let me put this question out there: Is it tenable that Islam would sanction behaviour that would accelerate destruction? Surely, it would incline towards innovative solutions to alleviate suffering.
When you juxtapose the above reasons with any limited benefits of killing animals, even the staunchest critic will acknowledge that on principle alone, not doing so today is far more beneficial.
Islamic Law Demands Excellence
So what do we do, when due to our greed and negligence, we have a normally permissible action in Islam that’s directly responsible for so much harm? It is beyond question the raising and mass killing of over 70 billion land animals every year is destroying both our own health a well as the planet’s.
With this in mind, there are 5 established axioms in Islamic Law:
- Matters shall be judged by their objectives
- Certainty is not removed by doubt
- Hardship shall bring alleviation
- Harm shall be removed
- Cultural usage shall have the weight of law
To help answer the question above, I’d like to focus on items 3 & 4:
Hardship shall bring alleviation
“This principle embodies the fact that Islamic Law is built upon achieving ease and not upon imposing hardships. Whenever difficulties present themselves, the Law makes provisions to facilitate matters. The condition for such measures to be taken is that the difficulties are real and not imagined.” – Sh. Abdel-Rahmân b. Ahmad al-Jar`î , General Principles of Islamic Law and Their Practical Application for Islamic Work
Harm shall be removed
“Islamic Law completely forbids that which causes harm. That which is harmful must be completely avoided whenever possible. When it is not possible, then the lesser of two evils should be perpetrated to avoid the greater. That which brings harm on a smaller scale is to be preferred to that which visits general harm to society. Likewise, the avoidance of harm takes priority over the attainment of some benefit.” – Sh. Abdel-Rahmân b. Ahmad al-Jar`î , General Principles of Islamic Law and Their Practical Application for Islamic Work
If we look at the current state of affairs through these lenses, it becomes abundantly clear ceasing the mass killing of so many animals is the most effective and beneficial way forward. Removing hardship and harm particularly when it is at such biblical proportions becomes mandatory.
In fact, researchers from Oxford University recently did an analysis of a very interesting scenario: What would happen if the entire world went vegan?
Here are their key findings:
1. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with the food system in 2050 would fall by more than half compared to 2005/2007 levels.
2. The emission savings alone would be worth $570 billion.
3. Health care cost savings: $1 trillion
This of course does not factor in how much healthier our oceans, soil, air, and forests would be as well as countless other factors.
Islamic law demands excellence from us – to continually seek improvement and bring about positive change to those around us.
Now I ask scholarship and laity alike:
Based on this alone, would this not align us much closer to our principles?
Think About This…
There are provisions in the Qu’ran by God Himself that suspend specific actions if there is a risk of greater harm or even inconvenience:
“Fasting is only for a certain number of days. One who is sick or on a journey, can make up the same number of days at another time. Those who can afford a redemption should feed a poor person. Good deeds performed on one’s own initiative will be rewarded. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew.” -Qu’ran 2:184
Here we learn, that even when it comes to a fundamental pillar of Islam like fasting Ramadan, we are to suspend it if it is not in our best physical interests. This ruling by the way also extends to menstruating and pregnant women as well as the elderly (who are unable to fast); in order to facilitate ease.
So if we are allowed to stop doing a major pillar of Islam due to extenuating circumstances, why wouldn’t we look into stopping something that’s not a pillar of Islam that’s causing so much harm?
The second thing to consider is the Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) society was a warrior, tribal society that was heavily into conflict, raids, and violence. They regularly raided other caravans, looted villages, and fought tribes; killing and capturing its people for ransom.
Killing humans was not seen as a major affront if they felt it was warranted. So killing and eating animals was just part of everyday life. Abusing them was not seen as a societal taboo. In fact, it was wholly sanctioned by a culture that was steeped in mythology and legend.
The hadith traditions give us some insight into some of the abhorrent practices that took place pre-Islam: cutting off parts of live animals like a camel’s hump or part of a sheep’s buttock, beating cattle across the face, starving and branding them, and even cutting off their feet while still alive were all common practices among pre-Islamic Arabs.
It was a very dreadful place to be if you were an animal at the time.
Even during the Prophet’s time, old habits lingered and people would tie animals up and use them for target practice, overload them, make animals fight for entertainment, and even use them as chairs by sitting on them for no good reason.
It was in direct response to such inhumanity and injustice that the Prophet Muhammad outrightly forbade each and every one of these practices. So aside from food, anything that harmed animals was categorically forbidden.
Did you catch it?
Right in the midst of mass animal abuse was the precise time the Prophet took a stand and said no, you cannot do this to God’s creatures. He was a champion and visionary for animals almost 1,000 years before the Western world even started discussing whether animals felt pain!
Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650) maintained that animals cannot reason and do not feel pain; animals are living organic creatures, but they are automata, like mechanical robots. Descartes held that only humans are conscious, have minds and souls, can learn and have language and therefore only humans are deserving of compassion.
Do you see how far ahead of the curve Prophet Muhammad was? Peace and blessings of God be upon him.
So Islam not only pioneered animal rights at a time when it was unfathomable, but it also set a trajectory over the ages for its followers to reflect the best ethics of their time.
We have the same duty – to oppose an existing culture that’s reminiscent of 7th-century practices.
A Forgotten Legacy & The Fallout
Not only have we not adapted to the onslaught against our planet but our collective scholarship has regrettably taken a back seat to ignorance and consequently, apathy.
The once forward-thinking tradition of Muslim scholarship has by and large devolved into a heedless, reactionary segment that has simply failed on these issues. This is a reflection of a wider culture of indifference that’s taken hold and we are paying a dear price for it.
I’ve written previously about the urgent need for new fiqh (jurisprudence) for food today and judging by how fast the world is changing, Muslims will be compelled to adapt.
After all, the existing global trend is shifting away from animal products. If today’s scholarship doesn’t wake from their decades-old slumber and provide real solutions, history will bear witness to its complicity in the crimes against our world.
Scholars of the past on the other hand had the vision to issue rulings that were way ahead of their time.
Here are two quick examples:
“Mothers with young are not milked except what is in excess of their children’s sustenance. They are not milked while the offspring are left to die of emaciation.” – Imam Al Shāfi’, Al-Umm (Beirut: Dār al-Ma ”rifah, 1990), 5:510-11
This great scholar saw the importance of the mother-child bond in 760 AD! His view was the offspring of the animal eats first then if there’s any leftover, one could take some.
Compare this to today’s standard industry practices where calves are separated from their mothers immediately after birth so they can hook their mothers up to milking machines for the rest of their short, miserable lives.
So not only is their sustenance stolen, they are sent off to slaughter never having suckled. This cycle of depravity ends with the mother, after enduring multiple rapes and abuse over 5-7 years, is sent to have her own throat cut.
The second example is just as impressive:
“It is permissible to steal food and thread [to stitch a wound] if it (the animal) is on the verge of dying – according to the evident opinion of the school. A traveler puts the need of animals for water above his ablution (for prayer) and, thus, makes dry ablution (tayammum). If the land becomes barren, he must provide food for animals that graze. It is not obligatory for him to maintain his house, irrigation canals, and immovable property – even if those are on the verge of destruction, since inviolability is for that which possesses life. If he refuses to provide food (to an animal), the judge can force him to sell it, or sell it on his behalf.” Imam Al-Ghazālī, Al-Wasīṭ (Cairo: Dār al-Salām, 1996), 6:248–9.
The level of care and priority are given to animal welfare was truly remarkable even by today’s standards. Only this was written around 1100 AD.
What’s important to understand here is these were not random opinions that were formulated spontaneously in the midst of unrelated issues. These were carefully thought out solutions for the people of the time. The rulings were then documented and categorized in designated chapters on animal maintenance.
The need for courageous, well-versed scholars in both the Islamic texts and today’s major environmental, health, and ethical issues is absolutely immense. This will better equip them to reclaim a legacy that once championed animal rights for so long.
Before this occurs, however, the gravity of the problem must be acknowledged (please see the “Muslim Scholars Should Declare Factory Farming Haram” post here).
We can no longer rely on outdated, centuries-old mindsets governed strictly by religion and devoid of any objective scientific literacy.
To insist eating meat today is fine “because Allah made it halal” or “because the Prophet ate it” in the face of scientific findings showing consuming animals is bad for both humans and the planet is highly irresponsible.
It would be like refusing to abstain from drinking water in your town even though you have been told by experts it holds numerous types of lethal viruses. Just because theoretically it is permissible, does not mean it should be done. In fact, this is a clear-cut case where it most definitely should not.
Make no mistake…
We live in a materially and substantially different time than when the Qu’ran was revealed. Becoming dogmatic is as dangerous as it is narrow-minded. We need some scholarly direction for modern-day realities previous generations never faced like:
- Factory farming
- GMOs
- Additives and preservatives
- Plastic
- Processed food particularly cancer causing meat, sodas, and artificial sweeteners like aspartame
- Unprecedented damage to our planet
Our unwillingness to critically reevaluate our modern-day practices may be attributed to numerous archaic beliefs and traditions many in the Muslim world still uphold.
Beliefs such as “It’s mandatory to eat meat!” or “black dogs are devils, it’s ok to kill them”. Quite frankly, these ideas are absurd and do little to advance positive change.
When you couple these attitudes with today’s meat, egg, and dairy industries’ relentless bombardment of patently false and misleading claims, the problems become more compounded.
Counter Argument
Some may well argue “well look, wouldn’t it be better to correct the current conditions in order to bring about “more humane” animal products?”
No, because:
- It still views killing animals as necessary when it’s not.
- It’s not sustainable and will only migrate existing problems.
The first point is the source of this current mess.
Why are we so insistent on killing in our day and age?
We won’t starve or become nutritionally deficient if we stop slaughtering animals but we may very well reverse the damage to ourselves and our world.
There is enough plant food on the planet to feed the world several times over but instead of feeding the 795,000,000 starving humans, we take this food and feed it to billions of cattle instead and let the people starve. Then we claim to sacrifice animals at our religious festivals and ceremonies to feed the poor!
It’s utter madness.
In order to “correct the current conditions”, you have to stop doing what created those conditions in the first place.
Secondly, replacing billions of abused animals with billions of well-cared-for animals changes nothing. The existing environmental disasters we face will actually get much worse. See, there is not enough space on this planet to “humanely” raise billions of animals in open pastures without razing swaths of even more forests, killing off even more wild species and creating even more ocean dead zones.
There is no ethical argument against not killing other sentient beings.
What You Can Do
The animal agriculture industry relies on mass ignorance to survive.
They push the very worst products onto you and your families so they can load you up on artery-clogging saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal hormones. Then we wonder why our children start showing signs of heart disease by the age of 10.
As a Muslim and as a free human being, you can make a huge difference by voting with your wallet.
The most powerful thing you can do to bring these industries down is to boycott them. Each and every animal product you consume is giving a green light of approval to these industries to continue their destruction of our world. Every dollar is a direct encouragement to inflict cruelty and horror on billions every year.
Refuse.
Enough killing. Let’s rebuild and prosper without hurting other beings.
Start now and do the very best you can. Even if it means replacing just one meal a day with plant foods; do it. Anything you do to help helps!
Our communities are riddled with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other top killers and they are all directly tied to what and how we are eating.
There is nothing “halal” or “tayyib” about that.
Final Thoughts
Islam is a religion of reason, intelligence, and commonsense.
It is a religion that doesn’t back down from proven scientific facts and realities.
Delicious, cruelty-free options are everywhere.
Never!
It is a faith that embraces them and urges its followers to excel and show others a better way.
15,000 scientists from 184 different countries recently signed a warning to humanity citing the very things I’ve written extensively about throughout this site. Our planet is in peril and it’s largely due to our global addiction to raising and eating animals.
We cannot respond to seismic warnings like this from the scientific community with emotion, tradition, decontextualized rulings and texts, myths, and legends. It makes us appear detached from reality and highly ignorant. Islam demands we spearhead efforts to clean up our world.
Despite so many Muslims eating meat in ridiculous quantities, there are no less than 60 references in the Qu’ran to fruit, vegetables, and plants. When you consider the Qu’ran was revealed initially to a people who relied heavily on animals to survive, it becomes even more telling the Qu’ran strongly emphasizes plants and espouses their goodness.
Even though the Prophet Muhammad lived in a society that was animal-dependent, he very rarely ate meat. His staple was dates and barley. Sometimes he would go on dates and water for months at a time. He would fast twice a week; Mondays and Thursdays. He would walk in the scorching heat among sand dunes and mountains. He would eat little.
We, on the other hand, have fallen very short of his example.
Slaughterhouses are not humane, they are grotesque.
Think about the concept for a moment: Places specifically built to forcibly decapitate and mass kill sentient beings who did absolutely nothing to anyone. Saws, grinders, stun guns, blades, gas chambers, kill floors, hooks, prods – let’s call a “slaughterhouse” what it really is: a house of horrors.
Consider that it is forbidden in Islam to not only show the knife to an animal but to kill it in front of others.
If you’ve never seen slaughterhouse footage, then go ahead and watch some or visit one of these places. Then try to convince yourself what you have just witnessed is in line with the faith we proclaim to be full of compassion, and mercy and be for all humanity, for all times.
I refuse to accept Islam sanctions such actions.
Killing billions of animals caused this problem.
Now saving them may very well be the solution.
Feel free to leave your comments, questions, thoughts, criticisms and whatever else you have below.
Shut your kafir mouth. Bloody agents think they can just say whatever they want to change religion. The muslims are not cattle to be hurded and our tradition doesnt change for your white trash ideologies.
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Thank you for your well-thought-out and insightful comment. You do your cause and faith much good.
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Are you devoid of reason, just ignorant or racist. Hard to tell which?
Is this how Muslims communicate these days. May Allah SWT protect us all.
Try stop eating meat, maybe you’ll find that your brain kicks into gear!
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Thank you for your thoughts.
I have few questions/ clarifications,
1. Does your article lack addressing the magnitude of the problem by focusing as if only Muslims are solely responsible for this issue? While in contrary, the source data from fao.org, it is noted that the average per capita meat consumption of majority of the Muslim populated countries is far below the developed and rich non-Muslim countries. I have a personal experience as I witnessed number of Muslim societies, where income levels low and cannot afford a non-vegetarian meal for one or two days a week.
If you could compare the meat consumption data around the world, you will be surprised to see the facts in disproportionate consumption of meat in rich and poor countries.
2. Most of the Plant based foods are not also “Tayyib” foods, considering the pesticides used as well the genetic modification done to increase production rate. Do you think that all the human food needs can be met if all plant-based foods are produced organically? Will the world able to afford organic based plant foods?
3. Have you not considered seafood, mainly Fish as an alternate source to eliminate or reduce meat consumption? Unlike meat, Fish industry, generally, is not “Factory produced” and can be consumed without harming the ecological balance of the planet. If so, kindly shed some thoughts.
Changing the way, Muslims and Non-Muslims have been consuming meat products, would not be an easy task as one would imagine. It has to be initiated with awareness and gradually limiting the consumption over several decades, provided that the alternatives are genuinely “Tayyib”.
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The article and website are aimed at the Muslim community who should be bettering themselves and treating animals and the environment far better. In fact, we should hold ourselves to much higher standards and not try to find justification based on what others do.
Just 1 acre of land can grow 60,000 lbs of organic plant food! So yes, it’s beyond question if we harvest lands correctly, we can feed masses with exceptional, organic food free from big corporate influence.
Our oceans are in peril because of overfishing, mass pollution and the plastic scourge. If we can feed everyone with plants, I don’t see why we need to kill all those creatures when their proliferation is essential. Moreso, due to te pollution, sea creatures have record levels of mercury and other heavy metals which are NOT good to consume.
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Assalamu alaikum brother
I do love parts of your article especially regarding the compassion to animals as I agree with this and veganism, although I have to disagree with bits of it, sorry, where you talk about Islam or Allah.
I hope this is useful advice to you and our other brothers and sisters. I no way mean for it to cause conflict. Allah knows best
I am very interested in consuming vegan foods/lifestyle; although I am a pescatarian at present. The reason I stopped by your article due to my interest in this myself and compassion towards animals and all of Allah’s creations in accordance to the teachings of Allah.
However, I believe it should be done merely for the sake of Allah (not for the animal but rather we are compassionate to the animal because Allah wants us to be and because we are accountable for everything we say and do). Obviously only Allah and yourself know your intention for this article, and I am in no way applying otherwise.
However, because we do a thing merely for the sake of Allah, for those it is adjourned upon; (even vegans/vegetarians) Qurbani should still be performed (because it’s for the sake of Allah and we must not go against His commands/the sharia to do something we chose to do when either way is permitted anyway) otherwise by missing out the Qurbani that could be a sin.
Where we’re not sure of a thing (anything in general); we should ask the sheikhs regarding that thing. Not just follow after it or preach it to people- otherwise we could be pleasing the shaitaan and gain the wrath of Allah if we say He says something He hasn’t said (ie. we cannot really say to another individual that it IS evil/brutal etc to eat the meat of animals where it’s done in an halal manner; no Muslim can state it as a “fact” or make believe Allah says it. That’s very dangerous then because either way it’s halal [permissible] but rather it’s okay for someone to give their “personal opinion” on it being brutal etc and make that clear to their audience – that it is just a “personal view”).
According to Islam; it’s okay for a Muslim to consume meat so long as it’s done in an halal manner [my personal view would be that ALL slaughter of an animal causes them suffering – the haraam methods more so as the halal means wouldn’t involve the cruelty that takes place in the conventional/government slaughterhouses you mention but also wouldn’t involve the animal being electrocuted if it’s done 100% halal -(HFA in the UK are not halal as they say it’s permitted to stun, on the other hand HMC are against it in accordance to the sharia, so yes some will still use it when they shouldn’t and then the meat is haraam, but even so that doesn’t change what we can say to people)- otherwise it would be deemed as haraam to consume it. For it to be halaal the animal being slaughtered [and the others waiting] have to be treated with utmost compassion and it has to be done in a manner that reduces their suffering to the most minimal by doing it in accordance to the sharia (obviously avoiding certain animals/circumstances of death [ie disease etc]) but it’s also just as permissible to be a vegan or vegetarian, so really it’s down to peoples’ personal choices.
So, in summary, it’s ok to encourage compassion towards animals but we must be careful in saying Allah said something He didn’t say; or something is forbidden when it’s permissible and we must still follow the sharia (ie Qurbani) regardless and either way; a vegan, vegetarian, carnivore, pescatarian are all permissible so long as they are done in accordance to the sharia with no cruelty towards animals any time including at the time of their slaughter, so it has to be made clear it’s a personal choice rather than “Allah said”.
Anyway, thank you for your article
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Walaykum Assalam,
Which part of the article do you disagree with and why?
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In terms of your comment:
You didn’t specify where and why.
Did you read the articles on this website addressing this very issue of why qurbani SHOULD NOT be performed in our day and age? If not, please familiarize yourself with them so you understand where I am coming from.
Do you run a higher risk of incurring a sin by sparing an animal’s life or killing it?
When I am not sure of something, I research it and ask myself what would Allah be most pleased with, not just follow a sheikh. Sheikhs are human beings and prone to errors in judgment and crazy opinions like anyone else. So when it comes to the life of one of God’s creations, I do not need to ask a sheik their view because I am convinced showing compassion to animals by not killing them is better than massacring them in an annual bloodbath.
Kindly show me where I said something is permissible that’s not or vice versa. Or where I said Allah said something he didn’t say.
The sharia is not a group of rules one must follow without question or regard to time, place and circumstances. EVEN If you beleive the qurbani should be done, why does Allah give us express permission in the Qu’ran to NOT FAST if the situation calls for it? Fasting is a pillar of Islam, qurbani is not.
So surely if He gave us a lisense to suspend a pillar of Islam; we can do the same for a very questionable practice in our time.
Are you aware MORE people go hungry because of mass animal slaughter eaach year? But isn’t the objective of qurbani to feed the poor? Sop why would one continue doing something if the very act contradicts the original objective?
I have discussed this in detail ion the article ‘Don’t Kill An Animal This Eid”.
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Wonderful article, I support your efforts…
Keep it up!
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Thank you.
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Hello Sammer, I am very much interested in your work and appreciate it. I am wondering about any new work that you do now? If you can share a platform or anything where I can follow you and your work it would be amazing. Thank you.
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Hi Fawziya,
Thank you for your support – I publish research articles here as I complete them and I’m also on Instagram @veganmusims.
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Let us do an EXPERIMENT—We should Stop Animal Sacrifice for 1 year,Govt should Prohibit the killing of every Animals..
Now, everyone would see the Negative Effects of Stoping Animal eating….
All the Buffalo who became Old, who Stop giving Milk, would be on Road..
We would see,now who will use his own Money from Pocket to feed Cows and keep them in own homes and Clean their Toilets……..
Suppose a Goat has 10 Children-4 Female and 6 males….
4 Female Goats have use as they would give MILK..
But 6 Male Goats would have NO USE….
Why Would anyone use their MONEY for the Food, Shelter and Cleaning of Toilets of 6 Male Goats????When they would Not Return any Benefit from them…
NO ONE WOULD FEED MALE GOATS…
Now, The Male Goats will roam Foodless and eventually Die….
Then,we would have to make “GRAVEYARD” for Dead Bodies of Male Goats and other Animals who were earlier killed for Eating purpose……….
THE ANIMALS ,USED FOR EATING, WOULD BE ROAMING HERE N THERE, WE HAVE TO PROVIDE ACCOMODATION FOR THEM AND FOOD FOR THEM……
LET US SEE WHO WILL CLEAN THE TOILETS CAUSED BY THESE ANIMALS AND WHO WILL FEED THEM FOOD FROM THEIR OWN MONEY…..
If u see this issue in broader prospective, when we Eat Non-Veg we are doing Ecological Balance..
If u dont understand this, then Tell me who will Feed these Animals when the Return from them is NILL????
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Where do you think these billions of animals that are artificially bred into existence come from? HUMANS. Not God. They are bred by masturbating the males and then using their semen to forcibly impregnate the females by shoving their arms inside their vaginas. Do you think this is “sunnah” or how Allah (swt) intended for these animals to reproduce naturally?
This is the mess we cause with our own hands. We need to stop breeding these animals for food because they are literally killing us and our environment.
Secondly, MOST of the world’s grain crops are used to feed animals, not the starving humans. Another reason to get rid of animal agriculture.
Thank you for your input.
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Assalamu alaikum, Brother Sammer!
Glad to come across this page. My name is Hakeem and I am a Vegan entrepreneur based in Lagos, Nigeria. It would be great to talk directly to you.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Warm regards, Hakeem
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Walaykum Assalam Br. Hakeem! contact@veganmuslims.com
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Assalamu alaikum, Brother Sammer! Thank you for a FANTASTIC article! I am a muslim vegan activist fighting for justice and mercy for animals, and a world-wide plant-based food system! This article is a powerful tool for me to have in my arsenal. I was really glad to find it!
Cathleen Hothersall
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Walaykum Assalam Cathleen, you’re welcome and very happy you found it helfpul! Feel free to use what material you like and may God bless you for fighting for our animal friends.
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Thank you, Sammer! I would like to see more muslims getting involved in this jihad as time goes by. Right now, they’re underrepresented at animal rights conferences.
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I would say they are barely represented at all! But thank you again for your efforts, may Allah (swt) reward you immensely.
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Brother Sammer, I live in the United States. I’m an animal welfare activist. I am involved in the movement in a lot of ways. If you would like to get involved in it, I have all kinds of wonderful resources that I could send you. Please let me know if I can be of service to you. Eid Mubarak!
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Thank you very much Cathleen – please send them to the email on the contact page. Would love to help anyway I can.
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Assalamu alaikum, Brother Sammer. I looked for an e-mail address on your contact page, but all that I could find were instructions to post in the Comment section of your articles. If I send you info as a comment in response to this article, would that suffice? And if not, can you give me an e-mail to where I should send it?
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contact@veganmuslims.com
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https://www.energylivenews.com/2019/12/10/plants-scream-when-being-cut/
Plants too scream when being cut, modern science reveals. Plants too feel like animals do coz they are also living beings like us. You have to stop eating now. Islam is universally applicable and doesn’t need to be changed with time, the rules are already set. Eat from the things that Allah has made halaal.
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Rules are NOT already set, they evolve and this is part and parcel of Islam. As for plants feeling pain:
1. Plants do not have a central nervous system, vertebrates do.
2. If you cut a piece off a plant like its fruit, leaf or stem, the plant doesn’t die; it grows back.
3. Interesting to know you would rather kill a puppy on the road with your car than swerve on the grass to avoid it because you truly believe your statement.
Ridiculous.
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Loved your articles whichever i went through till now ! It makes sense .Your research is well supported from Quran and sunnah of prophet saw .How can I connect to your endeavour and contribute in making this planet eco friendly ?
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Thank you Fouzia, glad you found the site helpful. Have you joined our FB Vegan Muslim Community group? It has well over 5,000 members now so you’re more than welcome! /veganmuslims on FB.
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Today science has developed and they have discovered that plants too feel the pain when being cut. Do some research.
https://www.energylivenews.com/2019/12/10/plants-scream-when-being-cut/
God knows and you do not. Let’s say 100 of your supporters are gonna have salad and 100 people who also eat non-veg are gonna have a hotdog each for breakfast. You’ve killed many plants, but 1 cow would have been enough to serve us all. Who is the big killer? Are you gonna stop eating? Quran and Hadees are far beyond our knowledge.
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1. Plants do not have a central nervous system, vertebrates do.
2. If you cut a piece off a plant like its fruit, leaf or stem, the plant doesn’t die; it grows back.
3. Interesting to know you would rather kill a puppy on the road with your car than swerve on the grass to avoid it because you truly believe your statement.
Ridiculous.
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May Allah SWT guide you to the correct path!
I don’t want to quote from Quran and hadees to prove your wrong ideology. One small fact is more than enough. You know about the 4 types of teeth Allah SWT created in animals, right? Canines, incisors, molars and pre-molars. Mostly Canines in meat-eating animals and incisors in plant-eating animals. Allah SWT has created 4 canines in your mouth too because he has allowed you to eat from the animals he has made halaal. Obviously the prophet and most of the sahaba were very poor and they couldn’t have afforded Qurbani every year and this doesn’t make it not wajib for the Muslims who have enough means. Yes I agree with your statement when it comes to the way Ulhiyyah is done these days, it’s brutual. It has to change. But you cannot go against the shareeah.
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The biggest canines in the animal kingdom belong to the hippo – plant eater. Camels – plant eaters. Gorillas – plant eaters. Presence and size of canines are not what makes an animal plant or meat eating – it is the overall structure of their mouths.
And if you look at true carnivores, their mouth is built to tear and swallow, not chew.
Your point here is invalid.
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Here are the replies.
1. Yes, vertebrates do have a central nervous system and feel pain, but the plants are a different creation who also feel the pain without necessarily having a nervous system. Many researchers have proved it.
Here is one such reference from hundreds of references.
Institute for Applied Physics at the University of Bonn in Germany.
https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/plants-feel-pain.htm
2. You mean when you cut a part of a plant it doesn’t matter? removing a slice from your thigh just because you won’t die doesn’t cause you pain right?
3. God has allowed us to eat from both animals and plants. He knows about the characteristics and feelings of his creations better than you, me and all scientists. If you really care about animals you’ve got to be bothered about plants as well. What I mean is that if you call the non-vegans as wrongdoers, vegans are also to be considered the same.
Finally I repeat my earlier reply. What do you say about the formation of our teeth? Study the digestive systems of plant eaters, meat eaters and omnivores. They have been created in a way either to digest plant, animal and both respectively. if you study the digestive system of human beings, you find that god has created us as omnivores. You can be a vegan but cannot tell others to live veg or see them as sinners.
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You are trying to compare slicing an animals throat open that is fully conscious with eating a fruit.
Pathetic.
Secondly, our entire anatomy is designed for plants not animal flesh. I’ve already addressed the teeth argument below. Here it is again:
The biggest canines in the animal kingdom belong to the hippo – plant eater. Camels – plant eaters. Gorillas – plant eaters. Presence and size of canines are not what makes an animal plant or meat eating – it is the overall structure of their mouths.
And if you look at true carnivores, their mouth is built to tear and swallow, not chew.
Your point here is invalid.
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I was going to give you a proper response until I started noticing your horrendous manners. Suffice it to say that eating animals is permitted in the Qur’an, which is evidence enough for its consumption being halal. I prefer Allah’s statements over yours.
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No idea what “horrendous manners” you’re talking about other than to think of the “horrendous manners” it takes to mass murder sentient beings and demand it’s your right to do so.
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• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8052213/
• “Science is always evolving and advancing (that’s part of what makes it so great!), so it may be the case that in years to come we find out that plants are sentient in their own way, and if that day comes we may have to think about how we treat them. However, in terms of our current scientific understanding, there are clear differences between plants and animals as mentioned above.
Even if, in an unlikely future scenario, plants are found to have “feelings” similar to animals, using it as a counterargument against a eating animals is a moot point because livestock raised for meat, dairy, eggs, etc, are fed plants.
It is estimated that “for every 1 kg of high-quality animal protein produced, livestock are fed about 6 kg of plant protein,” according to the study “Sustainability of meat-based and plant-based diets and the environment.”
If this is the case then many more plants are killed to feed an animal up to slaughter weight, and then kill and eat the animal, than to just kill and eat the plants ourselves. When it comes to soybeans – a staple ingredient used to make tofu, tempeh, and more modern plant-based meat – 98 percent of the crop grown in the US is actually used to feed livestock.”
https://www.livekindly.com/do-plants-really-feel-pain-what-does-science-say/#:~:text=Science%20is%20always,to%20feed%20livestock.
• https://vegnews.com/vegan-news/plant-emit-distress-sounds-feel-pain
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Very good article you have posted. I wish lot of people read it & understand it. God bless you. Keep up doing the noble work.
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I’m happy you found it useful. Thank you.
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I am a new muslim vegan here, Is it possible that I can contact you via email for help and guidance?
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Sure.
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I have also recently adapted to a vegan lifestyle. I find there aren’t many Muslim vegans in the UK.
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Great Human Being.
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🙂
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God bless you, sir. You r a great human being. I hope more and more people follow the vegan diet. Lots of respect from my family and country(India).
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Thank you Ashutosh, hope you are well and keep doing what your heart tells you is right.
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Excellent article. I’m based in South Africa and just recently emailed our halal certifying bodies to look at most of what you mentioned, Muslims here just rely on a stamp that certifies Halaal – however Taibah is not considered. Your point on all the GMO’s etc was one of my points highlighted If you interested I can email you my letter to them. I was promised they would get back to me, it’s a month now and I’m still awaiting their response with constant follow ups
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Well done Fathima to insist on what is right. Factory farming is a stain on the globe and the kore people stop supporting them, the better for all.
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Great article. Disturbing to read all the neg. Comments . Unfortunately too many Muslims a re against reason and logic, that’s why they fight and kill each other so much while thinking they are in the right.
I am a practicing veg muslim. I sometimes get the same criticism so I try to keep a low profile
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We need more voices out there like yours – be more visible!
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Interesting links
http://andalusonline.org/2016/05/16/the-halal-bubble-and-the-sunnah-imperative-to-go-vegan/
http://andalusonline.org/2016/07/26/would-the-prophet-muhammad-ﷺ-be-vegan-today/
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Raf,
These are terrific resources and great articles by Dr. Ghilan.
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What a wonderfully argued case; thank you for a new perspective. I found this article shared by the Quakers, and recently a similar call was made by some leading Rabbis, so it feels like all the major faiths are questioning the old ‘we’ve always done things this way’ mentality. I’m a Pagan, and have long thought that our one rule – which boils down to ‘do no harm’ – ought not just refer to our fellow humans, but to everyone we share this planet with. It depresses me that anyone can claim to honour the godhead in nature (as Pagans do) and then shovel a bit of dead livestock into their mouth, and not make the connection. How is it honouring nature, to add to the suffering of animalkind, never mind all the health, climate and financial reasons for stopping our dependence on animal agriculture? The vegan movement is growing in all sections of society, but we still have a lot of work to do. Your finely argued article deserves a wider audience than I can give it but I’ll still share it in my groups with your permission. Peace & Light. Louxsie
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Thanks Louise, I agree with you here and hope and pray all faiths can unite and end practices that have such a detrimental effect on us all and animal friends. Thank you again for your support!
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You are doing an awesome work of education with this website.
All my gratitude and respect.
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Thank you Mary.
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I just had the most delicious halal steak of my life. This article makes me peckish whenever i read it and therefore allows me do get my daily protein from a lovely serving of high quality halal meat, thanks
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Thanks for your valuable feedback and insightful comments.
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Hello, I’m French, a non believer with a Catholic upbringing, a feminist and a vegan. So as you can imagine, religion in general is neither my forte nor my cup of tea. However, I find myself defending Islam and Muslims against racist attacks from people I thought were educated and who are calling themselves liberal thinkers. To have arguments, I’m listening to my Muslim friends (some of them radical feminists, wearing the head scarf…or not) but none of them being vegan, I was dry on the subject apart from my instinctive distaste for generalization and stereotypes. I found your voice through a random Internet search (Muslim and vegan) and I wish to thank you for providing me with enlightened arguments !
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Thank you very much for your compassion, support and humanity Geraldine.
Am glad you benefited from the content.
Merci beaucoup!
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It is not only ignorant but arrogant to say not eating meat is haram. Vegan lifestyle and Islam are not mutually exclusive, as you point out perfectly. I am very thankful for your great work!
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Thank you Saide for your support!
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Salaam..
A thought provoking article. Would you be kind enough to perhaps shed some light on the issue of Eid al Adha sacrifice?
Also, I find amongst the muslims, there tends to be more emphasis on slaughter of animals in the correct method, ie slaughter from the neck. There is however virtually no emphasis on the way the animal is treated throughout their lives prior to slaughter. I’d describe this as although we adhere to the letter of the law, we don’t necessarily afford much importance to the spirit of the law.
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I’ve written an entire article on this here:
https://veganmuslims.com/dont-kill-an-animal-this-eid
Hope you find it helpful.
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Your body will trstify against you on the day of judgdement. Ignirance isnt an excuse because veganism is now mainstream. But it gors much deeper. You owe it to yourself as a truth seeking practicing muslim to look into flat earth and the Quran. The keys are veganism and flat earth and the quran mentions the sun and moon orbiting the earth, not the shaytan nasa lie that the earth orbits the sun. Understand the flat earth model 100% before you come to a conclusion because the globe model and the flat earth model use completely different physics. But if the quran says those planets orbit the earth then it must be true, and when you look at scientific explanations of flat earth and seeing objects that are supposed to be miles below the “curve” (8 inches per mile supposedly) and out of sight, yet its seen plain as day. It all falls into place when you understand and its easy to see why 999 of every thousand of us will be led astray by shaytan.. See what you think, the Quran has the strongest flat earh evidence out of all the abrahmic holy books
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I have no idea how this relates to the article but you are delusional.
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Hi there,
I am not Muslim but am a defender of the rights of the voiceless of all species. I am considering organising a peaceful demo near a Mosque during Ramadan using posters with thought provoking captions and nice pictures of animals, a virtual reality headset with slaughterhouse footage and leaflets.
Please can you help me find thought provoking captions/questions which will get the attention of passers by please. I would like to print in Arabic/English and maybe Somali.
I and friends have organised similar for other special religious celebrations ie; Vaisakhih (Sikhi), Diwali (Hindu), Christmas (Christian) with much success especially with posters in different languages.
For the Hindu/Sikh ones we used “Honour the cow? Don’t drink her milk” which drew people to us to ask why.
I would like Muslims and any other passer by to come and ask ‘why’ too.
Also, if possible, could you forward the text in whichever language you can please? Arabic I think all Muslims can read, English and Somali maybe?
Do let me know what you think and if you have any tips, that would be great, especially with the’ God put the animals here for us to use’ or ‘Mohammed ate meat too’ or ‘The lambs are born with the knowledge that they will be sacrificed for God, so they don’t mind.’ Just some of the comments I have had from Muslims, the last one I was in disbelief.
Thank you
Amrit
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Amrit, if you are in the UK, the vast majority read and understand English so it will be a lot easier for you to stick with one language.
If you need them to read it in another language, then I’m not sure how effective you will be trying to communicate with them in English.
This blog has answered just about every objection there is from the Muslim community so feel free to peruse the articles and use what’s helpful.
You are doing excellent work – keep it up!
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Good job on this article this is awesome 🙂
I’ll add it to my references when it comes to religion “arguments”.
The main problem I’ve noticed is exactly what you mentioned … people are just disconnected from reality & a religious person was actually “debating” me over calling killing animals “murder” in his day’s context while I was telling me to avoid playing calling names game & focus on what our actions are doing … kept going back to “but God says it’s Halal” & never said you can eat meat ONLY if necessary, would have said it. I asked that person to use their brain & logic, eventually they got to the point of doing things more “humanely” … it’s unfortunate how people shut their brains down when mentioning religion while they should be pragmatic while doing so & always consider CONTEXT!
THANK YOU again for this article <3
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You’re welcome Tamim and thank you for sharing your experience.
The disconnect and cognitive dissonance is real!
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Well done presentation of Vegan debate for Muslims – anyone actually; and also an excellent presentation of Islam, especially for those who know Islam primarily from the media. Good job, Sammer – awesome website too!
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Thank you m.g for your support and kind words. God bless.
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Totally agree with you. Great article.
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Glad you found it helpful.
Thank you.
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