Pathway to Paradise — Page 66
66 Extend your greetings to all alike; you will have peace. It is wrong to discriminate. Pray for and visit the sick. Shed silent tears of grief for the deceased. ISLAMIC DIETARY LAWS As with all matters concerning a Muslim’s life, you will find that Islam provides guidance for a pure and healthy life. The Holy Qur’an says: “O ye who believe, eat of the good things We have provided for you, and render thanks to Allah, if it is He Whom you worship. He has made unlawful to you only that which dies of itself, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which the name of any other than Allah has been invoked. But he who is driven by necessity, being neither disobedient nor exceeding the limit, it sha ll be no sin for him. Surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful. ” (2:173,174) The first three categories are prohibited because they are harmful to the body, and that which is harmful to the body is harmful to the spirit. The last prohibition relates to something which is directly harmful morally and spiritually, as it amounts to as sociation of others with God. Allah has made the provision that a believer may use prohibited food if absolutely necessary; i. e. , if it is a matter of life and death.