particular about the words Halaal and Haraam; what do they mean?
Yunus: That which is permissible is termed Halaal
and that which is not permissible is termed Haraam and it is the Qur'an which
draws the distinction between the two
Bob: Can you give me an example?
Yunus: Yes, Islam has prohibited consuming blood of any type.
You will agree that a chemical analysis of blood shows that it contains an
abundance of uric acid, a chemical substance which can be injurious to human
health
Bob: You're right about the toxic nature of uric
acid, in the human being it is excreted as a waste product and in fact we are told
that 98% of
the body's uric acid is extracted from the blood by the kidneys
and removed through urination
Yunus: Now I think that you'll appreciate the
special prescribed method of animal slaughter in Islam.
Bob: What do you mean?
Yunus: You see, the wielder of the knife, whilst
taking the name of the Almighty', makes an incision through the jugular veins,
leaving all other veins and organs intact.
Bob: I see, this causes the death of the animal by a
total loss of blood from the body, rather than an injury to any vital organ.
Yunus: Yes, were the organs, example the heart, the
liver, or the brain crippled or damaged, the animal could die immediately and
its blood would congeal in its veins and would eventually permeate the
flesh. This implies that the animal flesh would be permeated and contaminated
with uric acid and therefore very poisonous; only today did our dieticians
realize such a thing
Bob: Again, while on the topic of food; why do
Muslims condemn the eating of pork or ham or any foods related to pigs or swine.
Yunus: Actually, apart from the Qur'an prohibiting
the consumption of pork, bacon (pig flesh); in fact the Bible too in Leviticus
chapter 11, verse 8, regarding swine it says, "Of their flesh (of the swine
another name for pig) shall you not eat, and of their carcass you shall not
touch; they are unclean to you." Further, did you know that a pig cannot be slaughtered at the neck for it does
not have a neck; that is according to its natural anatomy? A Muslim reasons that
if the pig was to be slaughtered and fit for human consumption the Creator
would have provided it with a neck. Nonetheless, all that
aside, I am sure you are well informed about the harmful effects of the consumption
of pork, in any form, be it pork chops, ham, bacon.
Bob: The medical science finds that there is a risk
for various diseases as the pig is found to be a host for many parasites and
potential diseases.
Yunus: Yes, even apart from that, as we talked about
uric acid content in the blood, it is important to note that the pig's
biochemistry excretes only 2% of its total uric acid content, the remaining 98%
remains as an integral part of the body.