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September 10, 2004

An article written for “O Taste and See: a Day of Intention on Food and Religious Values,” a conference held September 10, 2004 co-sponsored by Faith in Place and the Center for Justice Ministries and the Office of Biblical Studies of North Park Seminary.

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Muslims are taught to utter the phrase, bismillah, “in the name of God,” when beginning a new activity, whether mundane or profound.  Stepping out of the house to begin a day of work a woman utters, bismillah.  A surgeon begins an operation with the words bismillah.  A student opens a notebook and writes at the top of the page bismillah.   But most importantly, because it is explicitly ordained in the Qur’an, the name of God is uttered before partaking of a meal.

To perform any activity “in the name of God” means to perform it with an awareness the God is the ultimate source of all means and capacities, and that activities are blessed only if the are undertaken with a grateful recognition of this reality.    Muslims who seek to act in the name of God must also be aware of any divine guidelines established for their activities.  Most Muslims are well informed about the kinds of food that are unlawful for them to consume and that animals are to be slaughtered in a particular manner for their flesh to be lawful for consumption.  Many Muslims try to consume only halal (“lawful”) or zabihah (“slaughtered (in the correct manner)”) meat.   Many others, following a reasonable interpretation of the Qur’an, consider all animals slaughtered by “People of the Book” (Christians and Jews) to be lawful.  Beyond these basic rules, there is an increasing awareness among Muslims that the Qur’anic command to consume “wholesome” (tayyib) foods might require that more attention be paid to the conditions in which animals are raised and what they are fed.

At the same time, an increased awareness of these issues has not necessarily been matched by a widespread change in consumption.  This is not surprising.  Busy families find it difficult enough getting dinner on the table on time, much less ensuring that organic halal meat is at hand whenever they need to put a meal together.  Given the fact that many Muslims still are not even restricting their consumption of meat to properly slaughtered animals, it may seem impractical to propose that more factors should be considered by Muslims to determine whether they are really eating “in the name of God.”   It is possible, however, that presented with a more holistic ethical approach this issue, Muslims might have more motivation to reassess their consumption patterns.

Place of Humans in Creation

To begin, it may be helpful to reconsider the Islamic theological justification for the human consumption of animal products and the limits placed on that consumption.  Perhaps one of the most compelling articulations of the proper relationship between humans and animals was made in the form of a fable circulated in early Muslim society. This is the story of a group of men who were shipwrecked on an island, previously inhabited only by animals.  In short time, the men create a society dependent upon the exploitation of the animals–exploitation they undertake in brutal fashion.  Seeking redress for their oppression, the animals bring their case to the “King of the Jinn,”[1] who agrees to adjudicate their case.  After moving and eloquent testimony from the a hoopee, a bee, a donkey and other creatures, as well as the men, the King of the Jinn rules:

[Man is] superior to all other animals because it is he alone who has been promised by the Maker a life after death.  This life after death in this world may be in the gardens of Paradise or in the fires of Hell; it is for him to choose how he lives his present life on this earth.  The animals, on the other hand, have only this one life on earth and have been granted no future life after death.  How greatly, therefore, has the Almighty favored man over animals by promising him everlasting life!  For this reason man must be regarded as superior to all animals and is therefore their master. . .  But let man not imagine…that just because he is superior to animals that they are his slaves.  Rather it is that we are all slaves of the Almighty and must obey His commands.  Man must know that, while he has rights over animals, he also has responsibilities towards them.  He must know that he is master of them only because the Creator has appointed man as His representative on earth.  Let man not forget that he is accountable for his behavior towards his fellow human beings.  Man bears a heavy responsibility, for we know that the Almighty will, on the Day of Judgment, hold him accountable for all his actions.  And let us remember that in the life of our beloved Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, there are numerous stories that tell of his kindness to animals.  Let us also remember that many of the Prophet’s sayings remind man of his duties towards animals: to help them in their lives and not to harm them, to give them food when they are hungry and water when they are thirsty and to be considerate to them in every way.  So return home, all of you, in peace under the protection of Almighty God.”[2]

In his judgment, the King of the Jinn confirms the Qur’anic description of humans as ordained by God to be His vicegerents (khulafa’) on earth.  Having seen what humankind has often done with this trust, we, like the animals, might find it difficult to discern God’s wisdom for this order of creation.  Indeed, the Qur’an states that even the angels, the perfect obedient servants of God, asked Him why He would appoint as His vicegerent one who would so often shed blood and be destructive on the earth.[3]

Perhaps some people would consider the Islamic doctrine of the vicegerency of humans to be a convenient apology for human domination.  If we leave theology aside, the reality is that humans are uniquely equipped among all creatures to control and alter their environment, as well as to exert great power over other creatures.  Whether it is because of our vertical posture, our opposable thumbs, the shape of our tongue and jaw, or for other reasons, humans can and do rule the earth.  Mercifully, Islam and other sacred traditions insist that the way we use this position of dominance has cosmic significance.  Indeed, for a Muslim, the responsibility for managing creation is an awesome burden.  Deliberate cruelty towards other humans and towards animals can merit the most terrible consequences.  Muslims know well the story told by the Prophet Muhammad of a woman who tied a cat, neither feeding it nor letting it find its own food, until the creature perished.[4]  A merciless person has no portal to the Merciful Creator and so the woman’s final destination was hellfire.

Consumption of Animal Products

Limited in our knowledge, humans will never fully understand the wisdom of many aspects of creation.  The bird catches the worm and the cat catches the bird and thus carnivorous creatures continue in their struggles for survival day after day.  According to Islamic law, humans, too, can kill for food.  There is no universal obligation to consume meat, but Islamic tradition seems to indicate that, if all conditions can be met, it is better to eat meat occasionally than to shun it all together.  The Prophet Muhammad, whose practice exemplifies Islamic principles and hence, is normative for Muslims, ate meat, and it was his practice to distribute meat to the poor and needy on particular occasions, especially on the Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha).   At the same time, the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad restricted the way animals can be killed for consumption and the kinds and amounts of meat that can be consumed.

During their lives, animals must be treated kindly and with dignity. Among practices explicitly forbidden by the Prophet Muhammad are the castration of animals, branding or striking animals on the face, loading them with very heavy burdens, cutting off a piece of flesh from a live animal, separating baby animals from their mothers and delaying the milking of animals to the point that their udders become uncomfortably full. If animals are to be killed for food, many rules to prevent the suffering of the animals must be observed.  When the Prophet Muhammad observed a man sharpening his knife in the presence of an animal he said, “Do you want to inflict death on the animal twice—once by sharpening the knife in its sight and once by cutting its throat?”[5]  Thus, conscious effort should be made to shield the animal from any fear that it will be harmed.

It is a sad reality that many of these rules are violated in our society, especially in large commercial farms and slaughterhouses.  During their lives, animals are drugged, deprived of wholesome food and sometimes force-fed. Baby animals are separated from their mothers at birth, hormones are given to dairy cows leaving their udders painfully distended, and terrified animals are routinely slaughtered in front of one another.  The list of cruelties committed against animals raised for human consumption is long.

Given that most of the meat available on the American market has been produced in violation of multiple Islamic legal and ethical guidelines, it is clear that Muslims should avoid this meat.   We should refrain from declaring such meat “prohibited” (haram) for Muslims, given the Islamic legal tradition that gives some leeway for the consumption of meat produced in less than ideal circumstances.  But it should be noted that this leeway is to make life easy for people who, in many times and places, have access to very limited resources.  Those who are not so restricted in the resources available to them have to seriously consider their obligation to consume foods that meet the highest legal and moral standards of Islam.  At the same time, Muslims should not only help develop and consume alternative meat sources that are in harmony with their values, they must engage in broader policy discussions about these issues and promote legislation regulating the industry at large.  As long as animals continue to be mistreated in an immoral fashion, Muslims have a duty to work to change their situation.  These are not issues that simply can be relegated to the sphere of personal choice.  Animals have rights and these rights can only and must be protected by people.

Putting Values into Practice

Many people hearing about the multiple ethical concerns related to the raising of livestock and food consumption feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the issues.  Of course, it is unrealistic to expect that every person will be able to research these issues on his or her own.  This is true of most ethical issues.  For this reason, Islamic law distinguishes between individual obligations (fard ‘ayn) and collective obligations (fard kifayah).  Individuals are responsible to acquire knowledge of the primary rules governing their food consumption and to implement those rules.  Thus, no adult Muslim should be ignorant of the prohibition against the consumption of pork and blood.  No adult Muslim should be ignorant of the requirement that animals must be slaughtered according to certain rules that minimize the suffering of the animals and render the meat wholesome.  Not every Muslim, however, needs to know all of these rules, as long as he or she can find a competent person to perform this function.   At the same time, this places a collective burden on the Muslim community to ensure that there are a sufficient number of people who have expertise in this area to guide others and to provide them with the lawful food they need.  If the community does not produce such experts, the whole community will bear the burden of sinful negligence.

Muslim leaders have the responsibility to ensure that these issues are continually researched and that the community is educated about the choices they should be making.  At the same time, the practical challenge of making lawful food accessible to a broad range of Muslim consumers cannot be met by religious leaders and theologians alone.  It is the business community that is best equipped to find ways to make halal and healthy meat available to a broad range of consumers.  Muslim leaders who advocate a change in consumption patterns will notice a better reception for their moral voices if savvy marketers within their community echo the same message.   At the same time, we have to recognize that because profit is the primary objective in business, no Muslim business committed to ethical practices can survive without support from the community.  In the end, unless Muslim individuals purchase their products, despite their being somewhat more expensive and less widely accessible in the marketplace, these businesses will not survive.

The current reality is that because many individuals are reluctant to pay more for lawfully produced meat than what they can find in the supermarket, Muslim businesses have to find other ways to cut costs.  Unfortunately, this is often done at the expense of their workforce. Those who labor in the meat packing industry and in neighborhood stores are often underpaid and work in unhealthy conditions.  This, too, is a violation of Islamic law and ethics.  We cannot really be said to be eating in the name of God if those men and women who are providing us with our food are being exploited.

Transforming the consumption patterns of the Muslim community can be successfully achieved over time, God willing, if multiple strategies are employed.  Specialists must continually research these issues and work with Muslim ethicists to create clear, practical guidelines.  This research has to be disseminated through means accessible to religious leaders and educators who will transmit the information in meaningful ways to the community.  Businesses that are struggling to provide lawful food must be given support by the community.  These businesses will not survive if only a few individuals patronize them.  It is therefore the obligation of Muslim organizations and institutions to provide a foundational market for these products by purchasing them for community dinners, school lunches and other events.  This will take a commitment on the part of these institutions to pay more for these products.  This extra expense is justified if we consider the provision of these products part of our religious and educational mission.  Community meals, after all, are not just about food, but are ways to communicate our values.  The Muslim community is justifiably proud of its reputation for hospitality; by providing food that is wholesome and is produced in a way that preserves the rights of animals and workers, we can also be proud of our integrated ethical approach to consumption.