Christianity and Pork

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على رسوله الامين

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Allah, Holy and Exalted is He, forbids pork in four different verses of the Holy Quran, for instance,

إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةَ وَالدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ الْخِنزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ

He has forbidden upon you carrion, blood, pork and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah

(16:115)

The prohibition of pork is also a well-known law in the Torah (Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8). Although the Torah and the Islamic Shari’ah forbid other unclean animals, the prohibition on pork holds a special significance. Unlike those other unclean animals, pork is commonly consumed in most cultures of the world. China by far is the biggest consumer of pork, but it is also a popular meat among other East Asians along with Americans and Europeans. The ancient Israelites refraining from eating pork is one of the main things which differentiated them from all the surrounding cultures and populations. Archaeologists have noted an almost complete lack of pig bones in ancient Judahite settlements in stark contrast to the settlements of their neighboring populations and cultures. In our time, the strict avoidance of pork is one of the prominent matters which sets Muslims apart from non-Muslims. The rationale behind the prohibition of pork is that as it is a most unclean animal, it is not fit to be consumed by any people that seek holiness and purity, requirements for communion with God. The Prophet Isaiah prophesied that God is particularly angry with and shall punish those who eat pork, “I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick; Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels” (Isaiah 65:2-4), “For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many. They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 66:15-17)

Yet Christianity apparently teaches that all animals and food are clean, including pork. Hence, pork consumption is universal among Christians, with the exception of the Seventh-Day Adventists and a few other obscure denominations. Christians argue that Jesus declared all food clean, quoting Mark 7:19 “In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean”, yet these are the words and conclusion of the author or a scribe and not of Jesus himself. They also quote the supposed vision of Peter in which he saw a sheet descend from Heaven containing all manner of animals and he heard a voice say, “Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:13-15). Yet this was a vision which was to be interpreted, and Peter himself initially struggled to understand its meaning, “Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean” (Acts 10:17). The chapter goes on to explain that the meaning of the vision was that Peter, an observant Jew, should not consider keeping company with the Gentiles, represented in the vision as all manner of unclean animals, to be unlawful, “And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28). Nevertheless, the Christian Church went astray and declared all food clean and lawful including pork. Now the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, prophesied that when the Messiah Jesus comes,

فَيَكْسِرَ الصَّلِيبَ وَيَقْتُلَ الْخِنْزِيرَ

He will break the cross and slay the swine

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

The cross and the swine are the main symbols of Christianity, with the cross symbolizing its pagan theology (doctrines of the trinity, divine incarnation, and atonement for mankind’s sins through the crucifixion of Jesus) and the swine symbolizing its antinomianism, exemplified in its having declared all food clean and lawful including the abomination of pork. When Jesus himself returns he will go out of his way to repudiate such falsehood that was adapted in his name and shall break the cross and kill the pig, thus falsifying Christianity and confirming the Truth of Islam.