The 'pig' and 'alcohol' in the Bible
By: A. Mohamed
By: A. Mohamed
This article is written in response to a question received from a Catholic who was contemplating adopting Islam:
"Greetings, I am of Catholic upbringing and I have been reading about Islam for the last few months. Many aspects of Islam appeal to me, but what I do not understand is why there are so many restrictions and prohibitions? I like to have a glass of wine sometimes with my dinner, but your religion says no alcohol is allowed. I also like a couple of slices of bacon with my breakfast.
When I do treat myself, the amounts are almost negligible. I see those pleasures as totally harmless.
What worries me is that if I become a Muslim, I would have to deprive myself of such harmless pleasures, and without knowing the wisdom behind doing so.
Can you tell me why is it necessary to go through such self deprivation in order to worship the Lord?"
To address this inquiry and present a complete reply, the answer is divided into three parts.
FIRST
Unknown to many Christians, both alcohol and pig meat are prohibited in the Bible and not just in the Quran. Muslims are aware of the prohibition in their Book and observe it strictly. However, most Christians are unaware of these prohibitions in their Book! Instead, they accuse Islam and the Quran of being too strict.
1- Prohibition of pig in the Bible
And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you. You shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass. (Deuteronomy 14:8).
The same command is repeated in Leviticus:
"And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. You must not eat their eat, and their carcass you shall not touch, they are unclean to you." (Leviticus 11:7-8)
In Isaiah 65:2-4, and 66:17, God issues a stern warning against those who eat swine.
2- Prohibition of alcohol in the Bible
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. (Proverbs 20:1)
Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder. (Proverbs 23:30,31)
It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;
Lest they drink and forget the law,
And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.
(Proverbs 31:4-5)
Some interpreters attempt to dismiss the law in Proverbs 31:4-5 by claiming that these words apply only to Kings and Princes. However, the words (lest they drink and forget the law) are decisive. What is the law that the Kings would be forgetting if they drink wine? It can only be a law prohibiting drinking wine.
It follows that the words Kings and Princes in the above passage are used to denote the ones who keep the law of the land and who are upright and righteous.
It is important to note that when it comes to God's prohibited items, God never prohibited food items for Kings and Princes and not for the public. God's prohibited food items are prohibited for all people without distinction.
The outcome of the above Biblical prohibitions is that it is incorrect to speak of these two prohibitions (pig and alcohol) as being prohibitions exclusive to the Quran.
What this also means is that Christians do not have to convert to Islam to desist from consuming these items. If they choose to remain Christians, they should also desist from consuming alcohol and pig meat. That is, if they wish to follow their own Book.
SECOND
Some Christians, mostly the one who are unwilling to change their lifestyle, state that these prohibition are indeed in the Bible, however, they are in the Old Testament (Torah). They add that they are not bound by the law of the Old Testament because they follow the teachings of Jesus Christ only (New Testament).
It can be shown that these words are quite uninformed.
1- Jesus Christ lived all his life as a Jew and according to the law of the Torah. In his own words, he proclaimed that he was not sent to change any letter of the law of the Torah but to confirm it. The following are the words of Jesus:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law, or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. (Mathew 5:17)
3- Jesus also confirmed that no one should change even one letter from the law of the Torah:
So long as the Heaven and the Earth endure, not a letter, not a stroke, shall dissapear from the law, till all if fulfilled. If any man therefore sets aside even the least of the Law's demands, and teaches others to do the same, he will have the lowest place in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Mathew 5:18-19).
The sincere followers of Jesus are therefore those who live by the same law with which Jesus lived. They will also, as Jesus commanded, allow no one to change that law, not even one letter of it.
THIRD
As for the following inquiry:
"Can you tell me why is it necessary to go through such self deprivation in order to worship the Lord?"
1- The suggestion of deprivation is quite far from the truth. When we consider the infinite number of good food, drink and provisions granted to us by God, it becomes totally unjustified to suggest that abstaining from one or two items causes deprivation!
2- The bigger picture can be better comprehended when we inquire into the true meaning of worshipping God. Does worshipping God simply means the offering of prayers? The answer is that our daily prayers are only one among numerous acts of worship.
As is shown on the page above, the act of worshipping God entails a number of acts and not just the act of prostration. An integral act that demonstrates our sincere worship of God is the act of obeying His law. Those who are sincere in their worship of God obey all of God's law willingly, while those who offer only lip service, they obey only those laws and rules that do not compromise their lifestyle.
3- It is also necessary to address the following inquiry from the question above:
Why do I, "have to deprive myself of such harmless pleasures, and without knowing the wisdom behind doing so?"
The simple answer is that by observing the law of God we demonstrate our submission to His will.
Let us remind ourselves with the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible. God commanded the two of them to eat from all the fruit of Paradise but not to go near one particular tree. Paradise was full of trees with all kinds of fruit. And so, abstaining from the forbidden tree would not have exactly been a case of deprivation! However, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree.
What is important here is that when the two of them ate from the forbidden tree neither of them died nor even had an upset stomach. The fruit of the forbidden tree was totally harmless. The harm they incurred was to themselves, for they had disobeyed God. The forbidden tree was no more than a test of obedience.
Adam and Eve failed in that simple test of obedience.
Equally, the so-called "harmless" glass of wine and a slice of bacon are simple tests of obedience. The human being cannot claim to worship God without demonstrating that he obeys God.
To conclude, the Christians who accuse the Quran of being too strict in its prohibitions should know the facts: The same prohibitions are found in their own Book.
Equally, those who claim to follow Jesus Christ, should also know the facts: Jesus Christ lived all his life as a Jew. He was sent to the Children of Israel to call them back to the law which they had abandoned and badly corrupted. He lived all his life in total obedience to the law of God in the Torah.
Jesus was also given a Scripture from God, the Injeel. This Scripture confirmed the Torah, it did not violate it nor invalidate it:
And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming what came before him of the Torah. We gave him the Injeel, containing guidance and light and confirming what came before it of the Torah, and providing guidance and advice for the reverent. 5:46