Can Muslims Eat ANYTHING in India? -or- Let's Not Get "Curried" Away...
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Hey,
I think you have been clear in your question.
Let's say I'm a Hindu, and I own a farm. It's planting season, and before I plant my crops, I pray to Krishna and Ganesh to bless me with a good harvest. Can a Muslim in India eat these crops, given the prohibition against eating anything dedicated to someone/thing besides God?
Why should the muslim not be able to eat it? The crops are a blessing from the Creative Being no matter to whom you pray for a bountiful harvest. The muslim will thank Allah/Being for the food and in this way dedicates it to Allah. Neither the farmer nor the consumer is actually creating the seeds and makes them grow anyway. This is done by the inherent force of life through Being/Allah. The farmer and the consumer are just using the plants and ways of life for their own sustenance. The key lies in understanding what 'dedicating' means and how it is related to the 'dedicator' and 'that which is dedicated'. The muslim would dedicate it to Allah before eating, so it would be ok.
Again, let's say I'm a Muslim living in India, near the Ganges river. The river is considered divine by loads of Hindus, and as such, it is the site of perpetual ritual prayers, offerings, temple ceremonies, and so on. This water also happens to be the municipal water supply for a large population. Can a Muslim drink this water?
Why not? Because it is CONSIDERED holy or divine by some people? If shrines, temples are located along he river and lots of prayers take place near by it, why should it make the water unusable to muslims? The water doesn't get polluted by someone's prayers. Of course the muslim can drink it.
At least this is what my common sense tells me. Let's see what other people here can add to this.
Cheers
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Hi, and thanks for your help everybody. )
I may not have made myself clear. Let's say I'm a Hindu, and I own a farm. It's planting season, and before I plant my crops, I pray to Krishna and Ganesh to bless me with a good harvest. Can a Muslim in India eat these crops, given the prohibition against eating anything dedicated to someone/thing besides God?
Again, let's say I'm a Muslim living in India, near the Ganges river. The river is considered divine by loads of Hindus, and as such, it is the site of perpetual ritual prayers, offerings, temple ceremonies, and so on. This water also happens to be the municipal water supply for a large population. Can a Muslim drink this water?
I know it might sound silly to ask something like this, but this IS a Qur'an discussion forum, soooo....
Thanks for your help!
I think the verse is talking about whats been slaughtered and not food in general since it came in reference to meat eating.
(5.3) Forbidden to you (for food) are dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful
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So Muslims can eat prasad then, as long as you say bismillah? Prasad, for those who are unaware, is food offered to a deity (again, like Krishna or Saraswati), then distributed to worshippers / the poor / random people who happen to be around.
Does "dedicate" simply mean that if you make your own dedication to God, it "cancels" anybody else's, and if so, why? Does it work for everything, meat included? Why or why not?
confused
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Interesting, didn't know all of that!
meat wise I would honestly say no if another name other than God had been invoked on it in the killing of it or it's been 'sacrificed' for some other deity. Granted as the above said it doesn't actually 'change' or modify anything BUT Quran clearly says not to........
Water wise I wouldn't worry about that........well I would considering what else they chuck in it including bodies but Quranically I wouldn't worry about it as the river is not something one can invoke another God onto, if that makes sense. Also if it's necessity and there is nothing else then anything can be eaten, including pork chops.
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So Muslims can eat prasad then, as long as you say bismillah? Prasad, for those who are unaware, is food offered to a deity (again, like Krishna or Saraswati), then distributed to worshippers / the poor / random people who happen to be around.
Does "dedicate" simply mean that if you make your own dedication to God, it "cancels" anybody else's, and if so, why? Does it work for everything, meat included? Why or why not?
confused
Salam to all brothers and sisters. I am also still confused about this part. As quoted above, logically if I make dedication to God everytime I eat something (like saying bismillah) so is it okay for me to eat any meat without confirm whether the meat has been slaughtered in Islamic way or not(if there are any)? Currently I am studying in Japan, and as long as I know the Japanese do not dedicate foods to any deity. Can I just assume the food that I am going to eat has not been offered to any deity, and then make dedication to God myself everytime before eating?
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Hi, and thanks for your help everybody. )
I may not have made myself clear. Let's say I'm a Hindu, and I own a farm. It's planting season, and before I plant my crops, I pray to Krishna and Ganesh to bless me with a good harvest. Can a Muslim in India eat these crops, given the prohibition against eating anything dedicated to someone/thing besides God?
Yes eat it...
Again, let's say I'm a Muslim living in India, near the Ganges river. The river is considered divine by loads of Hindus, and as such, it is the site of perpetual ritual prayers, offerings, temple ceremonies, and so on. This water also happens to be the municipal water supply for a large population. Can a Muslim drink this water?
Yes drink it..
Now can I ask you question?
Let's say I'm a Muslim living in India another muslim friend of mine offered me a generous $1 M donation. Upon being asked where did he got the money... he said it's from 'his business'.. Upon detailed investigation I found out that this muslim friend of mine is an Indian politician which often received kickbacks and bribes from his abuse of power..
- Can I receive this donation?
- If I did receive his donation and use it to buy food.. will the food be rendered as 'haram' ?
Salam / Peace
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Hello omdufro,
welcome
53 does not talk about eating. Please check the links in my next post to get more detail about eating food.
About non-veg
6145
6145 Say, "I do not find within that which was revealed to me forbidden to one who would eat it unless it be a dead animal or blood spilled out or the flesh of swine - for indeed, it is impure - or it be disobedience, dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced, neither desiring nor transgressing, then indeed, your Lord is Forgiving and Merciful."- Nothing is haraam/forbidden for one who would like to eat it.
- Except a dead, spilled blood, flesh of swine because it is impure or dedicating to anyone other than God because this is disobedience.
- Still if anyone is forced to eat but he is not desiring nor transgressing, then my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.
About veg
6141
6141 And He it is who causes gardens to grow, trellised and untrellised, and palm trees and crops of different food and olives and pomegranates, similar and dissimilar. Eat of its fruit when it yields and give its due on the day of its harvest. And be not excessive. Indeed, He does not like those who commit excess.- God wished for us gardens and crops of all types .
- Eat of its fruit/food when it yields. .
- And give its due/haqq on the day of its harvest, but did not say not to eat from it if it is dedicated to others than God.
- And be not excessive as Allah does not like those who commit excess.
About water
5668
5668 And have you seen the water that you drink?5669
5669 Is it you who brought it down from the clouds, or is it We who bring it down?5670
5670 If We willed, We could make it bitter, so why are you not grateful?- nothing is mentioned that makes it haraam
Hope I answered your questions.
May TheCreator increase us in knowledge and guide us to His true path pr
mmKhan -
Salam to all brothers and sisters. I am also still confused about this part. As quoted above, logically if I make dedication to God everytime I eat something (like saying bismillah) so is it okay for me to eat any meat without confirm whether the meat has been slaughtered in Islamic way or not(if there are any)? Currently I am studying in Japan, and as long as I know the Japanese do not dedicate foods to any deity. Can I just assume the food that I am going to eat has not been offered to any deity, and then make dedication to God myself everytime before eating?
Salaam,
welcome
Please click here and for another detailed thread click here, these may help you understand inshaAllah.
mmKhan
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Salam to all brothers and sisters. I am also still confused about this part. As quoted above, logically if I make dedication to God everytime I eat something (like saying bismillah) so is it okay for me to eat any meat without confirm whether the meat has been slaughtered in Islamic way or not(if there are any)? Currently I am studying in Japan, and as long as I know the Japanese do not dedicate foods to any deity. Can I just assume the food that I am going to eat has not been offered to any deity, and then make dedication to God myself everytime before eating?
I think God is looking at it from the animals point of view since we are talking about killing an animal. An animal who has been killed for other deities should not be eaten by a believer. As humans we identify with animals more than plants and water since they are creatures like us. In the end you are killing a life so a life that was killed invoking other deities is not for a believer. God has given us some creatures for us to eat and live from. This is why pleasure hunting is forbidden.