There are a number of prohibitions that have been ordained by Allah. These prohibitions serve as a guard against the things that Allah in His Ultimate Wisdom has deemed as being adverse for a person's spiritual, mental, physical and social state. These prohibitions serve not only to safeguard a person from certain things that may be apparently adverse, but also safeguard a person's spiritual state, which may not be immediately apparent.
Some of the most important prohibitions are listed below, along with a brief explanation as to why they may have been prohibited by Allah. Whilst it may be possible to rationalise some prohibitions from the outset, some prohibitions may not be rationalised from the point of view that the adverse effects of those prohibitions may not be apparent (at least not to the author).
At this point, it should also be mentioned that Muslims take these prohibitions very seriously, and whilst an attempt is made to rationalise some of them, a Muslim believes that Allah is the Source of All Knowledge, and has decreed these prohibitions in His Ultimate Wisdom. As such, it is enough for a Muslim that Allah has decreed that these prohibitions are to be followed, and the Muslim "listens and obeys", and submits to the Will of Allah in observing these prohibitions.
Of course, this does mean that a Muslim is not permitted to find out about the reasons that these prohibitions have been prescribed. A Muslim tries to find out as much as possible, without going to extremes.
If a Muslim is doubtful about whether something is permissible or not, then it is always better to avoid that thing, rather than risk falling into sin (i.e. it is better to be safe than sorry). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
"Both lawful and unlawful things are evident, but in between them there are matters that are not clear. So whoever saves himself from these unclear matters, he saves his religion and his honour. And whoever indulges in these unclear matters, he will have fallen into the prohibitions, just like a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near a private pasture, at any moment he is liable to enter it."
(Hadith)
Below are some of the major sins or prohibitions which Allah and His Messenger (PBUH) has warned us against. These prohibitions are in no particular order. However, it should be noted that Allah has informed us in the Qur'an that the greatest of all sins is shirk (the attribution of other gods with Allah).
Read about Islamic prohibitions relating to:
Please note that the above list is in no means an exhaustive list of prohibitions. There are numerous other prohibitions such as lying, stealing, cheating, and so on that have not yet been added. Insha-Allah (God-willing), we will add more in due time.
Shirk (associating partners with Allah)
Associating partners with Allah is the gravest sin that a human can commit. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"Verily Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases. And whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, He as indeed invented a tremendous sin."
(Qur'an: 4:48)
The verse above applies to one who has died in the state of believing that there are gods besides Allah, including those who believe that God has a son, or a daughter, and so on. However, for those who have accepted Islamic monotheism by believing in the One and Only True God, Allah, and in the prophets from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them all), Allah has promised forgiveness and mercy.
One may ask, what about those to whom the message of Islam has not reached? In that case, due to the fact that we believe that Allah is the Most Just, He will judge them accordingly. Allah knows the deepest secrets, desires and intentions within a person's heart, and each person will be judged according to his/her innermost intentions.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"No person will enter Paradise according to his or her actions. In the end, it is only by the Grace of Almighty Allah, that a person will enter Paradise." The companions asked him, "Even you, O Prophet of Allah?". He said, "Even I."
Of course, this does not mean that a person should not try to do good actions. What it means is that Allah is the final Judge of every action, as it is He who knows what the true intention is that lies in a person's heart when s/he does something i.e. whether s/he has done an action to gain the pleasure of Allah, or the pleasure of others. For if a person does good deeds for the pleasure of others, s/he is seeking recognition or other benefit from others. This would eventually lead to vanity and pride, whereas one who does actions for the sake of Allah, seeks the pleasure of none except Allah, and thus has no need of showing off or of being proud.
Another question that people may ask is, why is associating partners with Allah the greatest sin? Surely, murdering, drinking alcohol, adultery, taking drugs, and other such sins are much worse, and it is these kinds of actions that cause corruption and degeneration of society? The answer to this is that when mankind is misled into worshipping gods other than Allah, it is then that the other sins such as murdering, alcohol, drugs, etc. start to manifest themselves in a more dominant manner in society.
A person who believes in gods other than Allah (in other words more than one god, or that that God has a son, etc) cannot believe in the Qur'an. This is because the Qur'an clearly and categorically states that there is One and Only One God. The Qur'an is the only revealed book from Allah that He has promised to preserve until the Day of Judgement. As such, none of the rules and guidelines set out in the Qur'an can be changed or altered, thus preserving the Laws of Allah that He has decreed for mankind. A person who believes in the Qur'an, and acts according to it, cannot be misled or be led astray.
Compare this to the followers of the other scriptures, who have changed or invented the Laws of God to suit the modern-day beliefs. For example, you will still find in some scriptures that homosexuality is outlawed, yet it is promoted nowadays by some other religions, or even the same religions that follow such scriptures. Most other religions change with time, as they feel that if they don't do so, then modern-day people will not accept them.
However, Islam is today as it was at the time of the Prophet Muhammad, and Muslims believe that Islam is not only a religion, but that it is also a way of life that is to be practiced until the end of time. Allah, through His Ultimate Wisdom has ordained this way of life through the practices of His last prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The best manners, the best morals, the best behaviour, the highest levels of respect and attitude, the humility and kindness, good nature, and countless other noble attributes can be found in a person who strives to perfect his or her religion by imitating the actions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and by following the Laws of Allah laid down in the Qur'an.
In saying this, it is to be noted that, unfortunately, due to lack of faith, lack of knowledge, political persuasions, and other reasons, a lot of Muslims do not exhibit such high levels of morality and behaviour. This is not due to Islam, but due to other factors that are discussed in Cultural Practices.
The other important fact to consider is that Allah has created the whole of the universe for the benefit of mankind, so that mankind may recognise the signs of Allah, and use them for his/her benefit. For mankind to then intentionally attribute the creation of these gifts to gods other than Allah, is indeed a great crime and a sign of ultimate arrogance and ungratefulness.
Allah says in the Qur'an:
"And kill not one another, Lo! Allah is Ever Merciful unto you. Whosoever does that through aggression and injustice, We shall cast him into Fire, and that is ever easy for Allah"
(Qur'an 4: 29-30)
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said
"One who kills another person without good reason, is as if he has killed the whole of mankind. And one who saves the life of a person, is as if he has saved the whole of mankind".
A Muslim is not permitted to kill another person (whether it be a Muslim or a non-Muslim). Of course, in the case of war, fighting and killing the enemy has been permitted, with the following exceptions - not to kill infants or children, not to kill women (unless they are fighting as well), not to kill old people, not to burn trees, houses and live stock, and not to slaughter animals (except as necessary for food).
The sanctity of life also applies to killing one's child in the womb without medical reason and taking one's own life. Therefore, abortion and suicide are forbidden in Islam. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
"If a person kills himself with an iron (knife), he will be in Hell with his knife stabbing himself (and abiding) there forever. If a person kills himself with poison, his poison will be in his hand taking it in Hell (abiding there) forever. If a person throws himself down a mountain to death, he will go down into Hell continuously forever"
No person should ever give up hope that Allah will ease his/her difficulty for He is able to do all things and He says in the Qur'an:
"And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty)."
(Qur'an 65:2)
Adultery and fornication have been prohibited and are considered to be major sins in Islam. Adultery and fornication lead to immorality, corruption, destroy families and cause all manner of problems in society. Many of the effects of rampant fornication and adultery can be seen here in New Zealand where there is a high abortion rate, a huge cost to society in terms of social welfare, high divorce rate, sexually transmitted diseases are common and families are torn apart or lack two parents to support the children. A person who commits either adultery or fornication is one who is forced to lie, cheat and disrespect his/her parents. This is because s/he is keeping this secret from his/her wife or husband, friends, and family and is unable to keep a clear conscience.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) was asked by a man:
"O Messenger of Allah, which sin is the worst?" He said, "Setting up a rival to Allah when He is the One Who created you." [then the man] said: "Then what?" He said, "Killing your child for fear that he may eat with you." [then the man] said, "Then what?" He said, "Committing adultery with your neighbour's wife."
The confirmation of the fact that adultery and fornication are grave sins was revealed in the Qur'an:
"And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allah, nor kill such person as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment"
(Qur'an 25:68)
As such, actions and behaviour that lead to adultery and fornication are also prohibited, or at the very least, highly disliked and discouraged. This closes the door to the possibility of falling into temptation before a person even gets a thought in his/her mind.
Practising Muslims do not promote free mixing between the sexes, and the clothing and behaviour, especially in the presence of the opposite sex is strictly regulated. A man and woman (who are not closely related) are not permitted to be alone together, let alone touch one another or anything else more intimate than this. There are numerous other safeguards that have been prescribed for both men and women including lowering the gaze, speaking in a non-seductive voice when speaking to members of the opposite sex, etc. A practicing Muslim man's or woman's manner, behaviour and actions should ideally reflect the actions of the Prophet, who himself was a shy person, and was chaste and modest.
To a person who views Muslim women and the way they dress, and the dress and bearded profiles of Muslim men may appear rather conservative and backward. However, if comparisons were made as to the extent of modesty, shyness, respect and honour that is present in such people, one would find that a practicing Muslim has much more of these than others, and as such enjoys a life virtually free of the problems of immorality and uncontrolled desires.
Disrespecting parents is a major sin, and is considered by some to be second only to shirk (described above). Allah has commanded mankind to respect both his parents, and not even to say a word of contempt to them.
"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.
And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: 'My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young.'"
(Qur'an 17:23-24)
A Muslim is also commanded to respect his or her parents even if they are not Muslims. However, if a Muslim's parents try to coerce him or her into associating partners with Allah, it is that Muslim's responsibility to then distance themselves from his or her parents and to try to advise them. However, at the same time this should still be done in a kind and respectful manner, without cursing or shouting or screaming at his or her parents. A person should also assist with and follow whatever good his or her parents do.
"Worship Allah and join none with Him (in worship); and do good to parents"
(Qur'an 4:36)"And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination"
(Qur'an 31:14)
It has been reported that a companion came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said:
"O Prophet of Allah, I have helped my old mother perform the pilgrimage by carrying her on my back. Have I repaid my debt to her for being my mother?". The Prophet replied, "Not even one contraction (during your birth)".
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also said:
"The pleasure of Allah is in pleasing one's father and the anger of Allah is in angering one's father."
There are many similar hadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)) and verses of the Qur'an which all enjoin nothing but goodness to parents and speak of the seriousness of disrepecting and disobeying them.
Falsely accusing a chaste woman of being lewd
Allah has forbidden any person to accuse a chaste woman of being unchaste. So serious is this sin that if the accuser cannot bring solid evidence to prove his/her claims against the woman then s/he is to be punished by: (a) being flogged with eighty stripes of the whip (b) having his/her testimony rejected forever (because they are known to tell terrible lies), and (c) being labelled as a rebellious person who is not of good character.
If the accuser is lying and repents by admitting that what they said was false then they are still to be flogged, but their testimony is to be accepted in future and they are no longer to be labelled as rebellious.
Note: The general rule is that a for a woman to be sentenced to the punishment for being unchaste, one of the following must be provided as evidence: four trustworthy witnesses produce sound proof about which there can be no doubt and testify to have actually seen the act of fornication/adultery take place, or by the woman becoming pregnant as a result, or the woman confessing that she is guilty.
However, if it is the husband accusing his wife of being unchaste and he was the only witness to actually see the act, then he must give testimony four times by testifying that by Allah, he is telling the truth, and the fifth testimony is that he invokes the wrath of Allah upon himself if he is lying. If the wife then bears witness four times that her husband is lying and the fifth testimony is that she invokes the wrath of Allah upon her if he is indeed telling the truth, then she averts the punishment and her word is accepted.
Whilst it may seem like a person would much rather lie and invoke the wrath of Allah upon themselves than be subjected to the punishment for either slandering a chaste woman or committing fornication/adultery, it is something very serious. A believing Muslim would rather be subjected to any of these punishments (or far worse) in this life rather than asking for all of Allah's wrath to be put on them in this life, or worse still, in the Hellfire.
Horoscopes, fortune-tellers, witchcraft and magic
Horoscopes and fortune-tellers
Only Allah has control over what will happen in the future and only benefit or harm can come by His leave.
"Say: 'None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghayb (Unseen) except Allah...'"
(Qur'an 27:65)
Consequently, a person should put all of his/her trust in Allah and not rely on those things which serve no benefit but to cheat people of their money and take them away from Islam. Included in this are astrology, horoscopes, fortune-telling and the like, which are clearly forbidden by Allah. The Prophet Muhammad said of these:
"He is not one of us who practises augury or has it done for him, who tells fortunes or has his fortune told, or who practises witchcraft or has that done for him."
and
"Whoever learns anything of astrology has learned a branch of witchcraft (al-sihr)..."
By reading horoscopes, learning one's star sign, or using fortune tellers, tarot cards, using divining arrows, soothsayers or throwing stones and the like, a person is acknowledging that they think the something besides Allah knows the unseen. This is incorrect because knowledge of the unseen (including the future) is something that is unique to Him or those which He has chosen to reveal certain things to, such as Prophets (who may know about certain events in the future that Allah has informed them of, but not everything).
Of course there are people who can predict certain events in the future with success who are not prophets. Muslims have been informed that these people are able to do this because they receive information from the Jinn (another creation of Allah that usually cannot be seen by humans). These evil jinn go up to the heavens each day when Allah tells the angels what is going to happen in the future and eavesdrop. Missiles (what we refer to as shooting stars) are thrown at the eavesdropping jinn to ward them off, but they hear some, but not all of what is conveyed to the angels therefore they have to make up the rest. These jinn then go to those people who have the ability/desire to communicate with them and pass this information onto other people.
Fortune-tellers and the like will frequently get some details correct, but they have to add in a thousand lies to supplement the truth. Thus, to the person requesting the service, there is enough truth in it for them to believe everything that is said.
It is a serious matter to consult such a person or read horoscopes and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in this this regard:
"Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days."
and
"Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad."
One of the reasons why it is so serious is because these people (fortune-tellers and so on) use the jinn to help them and seek their assistance. This is a kind of shirk or associating partners with Allah because they are seeking help from and worshipping the jinn rather than Allah, and one who seeks help from these people is like them. It has already been discussed that shirk is the greatest sin a person can commit.
Witchcraft and magic
With regard to witchcraft (al-sihr), it is something real and something Allah has warned Muslims against and to seek refuge from. Those who practice witchcraft use the jinn to achieve their means and they may harm or kill a person or cause other undesirable things to happen to a person. All of this however, can only happen by the will of Allah, and He says in the Qur'an:
"... but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah's Leave"
(Qur'an 2:102)
Magic is a kind of witchcraft that involves trickery, lying, deceit and making something appear to be something which it is not. Shaytaan (devils) teach misguided people magic and then perform tricks in front of other people. It is forbidden to learn magic or witchcraft of any kind and it is generally considered by the scholars of Islam to put a person into the state of disbelief (i.e. they cannot be called a Muslim). So serious is it, that one who practises magic/ witchcraft is to be killed under the punishment prescribed by Islam. This is because using the jinn and drawing close to them and doing what they love is joining partners with Allah (shirk) of which there is no crime more serious.
Looking after or raising an orphan is one of the noblest acts a person can undertake. However, when doing so, the guardian is obliged to safeguard any wealth or property that the orphan has until s/he comes of age and is able to use it wisely. Failing to do so is a very serious matter indeed because it involves not simply just stealing, but stealing from those who are poor and weak. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"And come not near to the orphan's property, except to improve it"
(Qur'an 6:152)
A Muslim is not permitted to turn their back on the disbelievers in war, and doing so is one of the major sins. Allah say in the Qur'an:
"O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve, in a battlefield, never turn your backs to them.
And whoever turns his back to them on such a day - unless it be a stratagem of war, or to retreat to a troop (of his own), - he indeed has drawn upon himself wrath from Allah. And his abode is Hell, and worst indeed is that destination!"
(Qur'an 8:16)
"Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks) and gambling and idols and dividing arrows are only an infamy of Satan's handiwork. Leave it aside in order that you may be successful. Satan seeks only to cast among you amity and hatred by means of strong drink and games of chance and to turn you away from remembrance of Allah and from (His) worship. Will you not then abstain?"
(Qur'an 35: 90-91)
The consumption of intoxicants and gambling are the root cause of many problems and evils that occur in society, and it is easy to why they have been classed as major sins. For those people that become addicted to either of these two prohibitions, life becomes miserable for both the individual, those around them and society as a whole as the individuals stop at nothing to finance their addiction and inevitably forsake remembrance and worship of their Lord.
Alcohol
Alcohol, in particular, is related to violence, shamelessness, and promotes irresponsible behaviour, amongst other things. In terms of worship, it would be impossible to try to achieve concentration and God consciousness in prayer if he or she were intoxicated, even if one who was intoxicated remembered to pray in the first place.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
"Alcohol is the mother of all evils"
This is because one who drinks alcohol may commit other sins such as disrespect of parents, violence or physical or sexual abuse, murder, stealing and so forth, that they would have not otherwise done had they been thinking clearly and rationally.
One may ask, what if you just drink a little, so as to not intoxicate yourself? However, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has clearly said that if a lot of it is forbidden then a little of it is forbidden also. In other words, consuming something that has even 0.1% alcohol or other intoxicating ingredient is forbidden for a Muslim.
It may be easy to think that drinking a little would not intoxicate a person, however, in reality not everyone is disciplined enough to drink only a little and a small amount leads to drinking a large amount. The same rules must apply for everyone to protect those who may go overboard. Secondly, there may be other effects on the body from drinking a small amount (such as during pregnancy) which only Allah knows and thus even this small amount may harm us.
It should also be noted that the prohibition of intoxicants does not only apply to the drinking of alcohol. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
"Curse be on the wine itself, it's drinker, server, seller, purchaser, squeezer, the one for whom it is squeezed, its carrier, the one to whom it is carried, and the receiver of its price"
Thus, a person it not permitted to make, serve, sell, transport or assist in any way the consumption of alcohol since this would mean aiding someone to commit a serious sin and in some way gaining benefit from this. For if all (or even some) of the people who were involved in getting the alcohol to the drinker, did not carry their roles, then it would not be possible for the drinker to get alcohol in the first place.
Gambling
Gambling deals with a person giving money (or some other kind of commitment) to someone else in the hope of getting something better back. At the same time the person realises that they may get less or nothing back. The person often has little or no control over whether they will win or lose and mostly they will lose because if they didn't, the person/organisation facilitating the gambling wouldn't bother.
Gambling involves deceit, trickery and playing with a person's mind and emotions and is one of the cleverest tricks of Shaytaan (Satan) because he will always put whispers in your mind that "this time I'm going to win" or "I just need one more chance". It leads to a person being completely engrossed in and obsessed with winning and forgetting about all their responsibilities, including those to Allah in the form of prayers and paying alms taxes and so on.
Consequently all forms of gambling such as scratch and win cards, Lotto, betting on horses or sports, entering competitions for prizes (where the person has to pay to enter or risks losing something or only buys something to enter the prize draw with no need for the product/service or the cost of the product/service is increased to pay for the prize) are forbidden and should be avoided at all costs.
Interest (or riba) has been forbidden. As such, it has been prohibited for Muslims to receive or give interest, or sign or witness transactions that deal with interest, and Prophet Muhammad has cursed the one who does so. Consequently, a Muslim is not permitted to have a bank account or other scheme that pays them interest or buy a house with a mortgage, unless s/he can arrange a loan that does not involve the payment of interest.
Regarding what Allah has said about interest (riba):
"but whoever returns (to Ribaa), such are the dwellers of the Fire - they will abide therein"
(Qur'an 2:275)
"O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah and give up what remains (due to you) from Riba (from now onward) if you are (really) believers.
And if you do not do it, then take a notice of war from Allah and His Messenger"
(Qur'an 2:278-279)
Thus, by dealing with interest a person must realise that Allah has declared war with him/her and no person could ever imagine anything worse than this since Allah has power over everything and there is no question that He will win and cause the sinner great suffering and pain for their disobedience.
As mentioned in the Qur'an and by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), a person who deals with interest will, on the Day of Resurrection when they come out of their grave be like a person who is insane or possessed by demons and will be suffering from seizures:
"Those who eat Riba (interest) will not stand (on the Day of Resurrection) except like the standing of a person beaten by Shaytaan (Satan) leading him to insanity."
(Qur'an 2:275)
At one stage during his prophethood, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had a long dream where he saw images of many deceased people being tormented (during the time between death and the Day of Resurrection). Among these people was a person who had dealt with interest. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) reported the following from this dream with regard to interest:
"We reached a river (the narrator said, "I thought he said that the river was as red as blood'' ) and found that a man was swimming in the river, and on its bank there was another man standing with a large collection of stones next to him. The man in the river would swim, then come to the man who had collected the stones and open his mouth, and the other man would throw a stone in his mouth."
(Hadith)
The explanation of this dream was that the person in the river was one who consumed interest.
It should also be noted that the very last verse of the Qur'an to be revealed was about the prohibition of interest and it was revealed so close to Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) death that there was not even time for him to explain in detail the meaning, as he normally would. Furthermore, at the time the people were surprised about the revelation of another verse since they believed the revelation to be complete. This illustrates the great importance Allah has placed on this prohibition, since the Qur'an was revealed for 23 years and covered a vast range of matters relating to Islam. That interest was the very last thing to be mentioned and after such time that everyone thought the revelation has ceased, shows that this prohibition has special significance and should be taken very seriously. To illustrate its seriousness the Prophet (PBUH) said:
"Riba (interest) is of seventy types, the least of which is equal to one having sexual intercourse with his mother"
(Hadith)
In other words, the sin of the least sinful type of interest, is equal to the despicable and utterly grotesque action of committing incest with one's own mother, and so should also be regarded as such.
Interest is a prohibition that many people do not like to discuss because a person's finances and dealings with money are something that is generally done in private. It is therefore easy to commit this sin and it takes some effort and will power to make alternative banking and loan arrangements, especially when in countries like New Zealand it is such common practice to deal with interest and the entire national economy and housing market seems to revolve around interest rates. But this should not lull a Muslim into a false sense of security since the Qur'an states very clearly that it is absolutely forbidden to take, receive, write the contract for or give witness to interest and that a terrible torment awaits those who persist in dealing with it.
Sadly, almost all Islamic states allow interest and are infiltrated with banks dealing in it - often because the rich people are the people who have the power and make the country's laws! After all, interest only makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. However, in Islamic states it is usually possible to find many banks who do not deal with interest and loans are available without having to pay back interest on the money borrowed. In these interest-free banks, some of the money that people keep in their savings accounts is often invested in companies that deal in permissible trade and the customers receive a share of the profits - but not at a set rate of return, as would be the case with interest. Rather, it depends on the success of the companies that are being invested in.
Consumption of prohibited food
"He has forbidden you only Al-Maytatah (meat of a dead animal), blood, the flesh of swine, and any animal which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah (or has been slaughtered for idols etc. or on which Allah's Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering). But if one is forced by necessity, without willful disobedience, and not transgressing, then, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
(Qur'an 16:115)
Swine flesh, flowing blood, dead animals, and any animal that has been slaughtered or sacrificed for gods beside Allah, are not permitted as food, nor are the foods that are derived from these products.
Pigs by their nature are dirty animals, and are known to feed on the excrement and faeces of other animals, including their own. They represent lewdness, and shameful attributes that are highly undesirable. It is not only the physical effects, but the spiritual effects caused by the consumption of pig meat that makes it undesirable as well. Indeed some of the scholars of Islam have equated the degradation of morals and good character with the consumption of pig meat.
Animals that are found dead and those that have not been slaughtered according to Islamic Law (where most of the blood is drained from the animal and the animal is killed with as little stress or pain to it as possible) are also forbidden as food by Allah. In such animals the possibility of disease, food poisoning and the suffering they go though when dying are possible reasons why they are forbidden.
Backbiting (speaking badly about a person behind their back) is also forbidden. This is especially true in the case where a person talks about others without understanding the true nature of certain matters. Unfortunately, it is true that today a lot of people, for the sake of talking start of talk about others.
Allah has said in the Qur'an:
"O you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting) . And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful."
(Qur'an: 49:12)
This is in relation to backbiting and its seriousness. Allah has compared it to eating the flesh of ones own dead brother. Even if what the person is saying about the other person is true, it is still forbidden.
It is reported that a man said to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):
"O Messenger of Allah, what is backbiting (Ghibah)'' He said,
"It is when you mention something about your brother that he dislikes. It was asked, "But what if what I say about my brother is true'' He said,
"If it is true, then you have committed backbiting (Ghibah) about him, and if it is not true, then you have slandered him."
It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
"When I was taken up into the heavens (the Mi'raaj), I passed by some people who had nails of copper with which they were scratching their faces and chests. I said, 'Who are these people, O Jibreel?' He said, 'These are the ones who used to eat the flesh of the people and slander their honour.'"
The one who backbites, slanders or spreads malicious gossip about others should repent and seek the forgiveness of Allah, lest they are held accountable to be punished in such a way after they die.
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