Islam and Veganism: Are They Really Worlds Apart?

Veganism is often viewed as a Western movement that is only for rich, privileged, Whole-foods-obsessed vegetable addicts –a movement that has no real basis in the Islamic faith. At least that’s how I viewed it before going vegan myself a short 6 months ago. It is a common misconception that veganism and Islam are incompatible, and that one cannot truly be a vegan and a Muslim at the same time. Well, I’m here to tell you precisely why that is not the case.

Islam is a very big advocate for compassionate treatment towards animals, as I’m sure the majority of us are well aware of. Animals are considered to be a special part of Allah’s creation, and we are ordered to respect them and honor their rights as living beings. In fact, Allah even states that animals form communities much like humans do, countering the notion that animals only exist as resources to us.

"There is not an animal that lives on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but they form communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they all shall be gathered to their Lord in the end" (Qur'an 6:38).

However, in our current day and age, with capitalism and industrialization on a constant rise, animals are being treated like property and not like living creatures. More and more of their needs and rights are being compromised for the sake of producing more animal products for us to feed on.

Now, I know what many of you may be thinking right now - “But Allah created animals for us. And if it’s slaughtered in the halal way then why does it matter?”Interesting point, but slightly flawed. With the amount of meat being produced on a daily basis, it would be near impossible to follow every single guideline needed to ensure a truly halal slaughter. There are things that are surely overlooked or compromised at this level of mass production. This means that while an item of food may technically be labelled as halal, this does not necessarily ensure that the food was prepared ethically. Moreover, Muslims do not have any laws governing other animal products we consume (i.e. eggs and dairy). This poses a problem, as the dairy industry in itself is one of the largest sources of animal cruelty and mistreatment. Hence, the dairy we are consuming is likely coming from a farm where cows are being subjected to extremely harsh conditions, conditions that Islam would never tolerate or encourage. Similarly, in the egg industry, male chicks are often killed at birth because they do not have the capability to produce eggs. Yet we continue buying and eating these eggs despite the unethical practices the egg industry engages in. So, are the eggs/dairy we are eating really “halal”? By what standard?

“But what about the Sunnah? Our own Prophet PBUH ate meat, so why shouldn’t we?”–wonderful question! Here’s the thing though, our Prophet Muhammad PBUH himself was a semi-vegetarian who ate meat on the rarest of occasions. In fact, the Sunnah actually discourages Muslims from eating meat! Quoting Umar Ibn Al-Khattab RA, “Beware of meat, for it is has addictiveness like the addictiveness of wine”. Now tell me this, if our Prophet PBUH and his companions rarely ate meat, despite it being somewhat necessary for survival back then, what’s our excuse? We definitely do not need meat (or animal products in general) to live a healthy, balanced life. In fact, to the contrary of what the meat and dairy industry might want you to believe, choosing to go without them has proven to have a significantly positive effect on your health. We also have several alternatives to animal products that people did not have back then. Eating meat is not a physiological necessity, yet for many of us it has become a staple in our diets. One that we likely consume on a daily basis. The current animal agriculture industry is designed to push mass consumption, and in fact it is this narrative that is inconsistent with Islam and the Prophetic teachings. We need only look at how moderately the Prophet PBUH used to consume any food to know that we’re doing it all wrong.

“But why are you trying to make something haram for yourself when Allah made it halal?”–another question I get way too often. I am in no way saying that eating meat in itself is haram, or that it is morally unacceptable. However, while the act of eating meat or animal products in itself may not be haram, supporting an industry that promotes the excessive consumption of animal products and the complete disregard of animal rights is definitely unacceptable. It is really important to make that distinction. There is a Quranic verse that is often used to support this statement –“O you who believe, do not forbid the good things God has made lawful to you”. Interestingly, however, the other half of this same verse is often conveniently left out of the argument. Here is the verse in its entirety:

“O you who believe, do not forbid the good things God has made lawful to you –do not exceed the limits: God does not love those who exceed the limits”[Quran 5:87]

As Muslims, we are ordered not to transgress the Divine balance of the universe, and clearly, this has not been the case. Billions of animals are slaughtered so that we can eat their meat in excess, and so much suffering has entailed. Animals are suffering as a result of the cruel and inhumane practices they’re being subjected to. Our Earth is suffering as a result of the ridiculous amount of damage the agricultural industry has inflicted on our environment (it is responsible for over 18% of greenhouse gas emissions!). And most importantly, we are suffering due to the unhealthy dietary lifestyle we have all become accustomed to. Our brothers and sisters around the world who are living in famine are suffering because of the lack of resources available to sustain them –another downside of the animal agriculture industry. Tell me, is it worth it?

Understandably, going vegan may not be the most feasible option for everyone. But here’s the thing, you do not have to give up animal products completely in order to make a positive difference! The best thing any of us can do is be conscious of the things we are consuming, and do our best to reduce our harm on the planet, our bodies, and our fellow creatures co-existing with us on this Earth. Find out what that means for you. Whether it’s going vegan, or simply reducing your meat intake from every single day to every other day, the smallest effort counts. Allah has showered us with so many blessings, and on the Day of Judgement we will all be asked what we did with them. We will be asked about the efforts we made to combat injustice and InshaAllah (God Willing) we will be rewarded for those efforts, no matter how small. Since I cannot possibly include everything I need to say in an article of this length, I will link some resources down below if any of you are interested in learning further!

With love,

Umm Tofu

If you’re interested in environmental impact:

The Triple Whopper Environmental Impact of Global Meat Production

http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the-triple-whopper-environmental-impact-of-global-meat-production/

If you’re interested in the health aspect:

Nutritional Update: Plant-Based Diets

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/

If you’re interested in a nice analysis of the Islamic perspective on veganism:

The Halal Bubble and the Sunnah Imperative to Go Vegan

https://almadinainstitute.org/blog/vegan-sunnah/

And, lastly, if you would like to find out how you can be vegan (or reduce your consumption of animal products, check out this cool vegan starter kit! J

http://vegankit.com/be/