Swine in the Scriptures

The Holy Quran                                    

The Holy Quran specifically prohibits the eating of the flesh of swine and the blood in general of all the permissible animals besides the eating of any permissible animal that has died by itself.

The Holy Quran says : “Innama har-ramah alaiku-mul maitata wad-damah wa lah-mal khinziri wa maa u-hilla  bihi li-gairil-lah..” Chapter 2, verse 174

Meaning :(He (Allah) has made unlawful (har-ramah) to you only that which dies of itself, (maitata) and blood (ad-daam)and the flesh of swine (lah-mal khinziri)  

And :“Hur-rimat alaiku-mul maitatu wad-dahmu wa lahmul khinziri wa maa u-hilla  bihi li-gairil-lah......”  Chapter 5, verse 4

Meaning :(He (Allah) has made unlawful (Hur-rimat) to you only that which dies of itself, (maitatu) and blood (ad-daam) and the flesh of swine (lah-mal khinziri) 

Also read : Chapter 6, verse 146 and Chapter 16, verse 116 The Arabic word “khanzir” is the descriptive name of swine consisting of two words, “khaa” and “zeer.” In the Arabic language, “Khaa” denotes something very dirty, impure and repulsive, and “zeer” is to see, to viewThus the name “khanzeer” means “seeing something vey repulsive, impure and abominable” 

 The Bible 

The Bible is very specific in declaring swine “haraam.” It not only prohibits eating the flesh (pork, ham, bacon, etc) but also prohibits even touching its carcase. 

“And the swine, though it divideth the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud, he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean unto you.” Leviticus 11:7-8   “

And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.” Deutronomy 14:8 

Jesus followed the Law of Moses to the dot. He himself did not eat their flesh neither did he touch their carcase. He declares: “Think not that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.Whosoever therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”      Mathew 5:17 – 19 

He directs others to keep the commandments. When questioned by an inquirer as to what should he do to gain eternal life, Jesus responds by saying :“…but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Mathew 19:16 – 17) 

Jesus had no regard for swine. He says:“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” Mathew 7: 6   And he practically demonstrates the disregard when he intentionally causes approximately a herd of 2000 swine to fall off a cliff and drown in the sea.   “Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him (Jesus), saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter unto them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea (they were about two thousand) and were choked in the sea. “  Mark 5:11 ---14, Mathew 8:30 –32, Luke 8:32 –33

The Christians justify their eating pork from the verses in the Acts of Paul where  Peter declares he had a vision long after Jesus had departed Palestine : “On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour.And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth.Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.And there came a voice to him, Rise Peter, kill and eatBut Peter said, not so Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.  Acts 10:9 ---16See also  Acts 11:5 --- 10. 

The above mentioned vision is narrated by the same Paul who abolished the law of Moses and put his own law into effect. To quote one such abolishment :  “And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:39:  Also read :Acts 13:39, 15:1 – 17, 19 – 31, 15:19 – 31, 6:11 - 13, 18:13, 21:26 – 31, Romans 3:20-29, 4:15, 5:6 – 21, 6:14 -15, Hebrew 7:12, 19, 8:13, 10:1, 38, Galatians 1:16- 21, 3:10 – 13, 24 – 26, 2:16, 5:2 – 5, 2:16 – 21, 1 Corinthians 15:50 – 56 J

esus on the other hand declares : “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master and the servant as his lord….”   Mathew 10:24 -- 25

And with regards to such false teachings and people who claim to be his followers, Jesus says :?“But in vain do they worship me, teachings for doctrines the commandments of men.”    Mathew 15: 9

And advises :“Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”   Mathew 15: 14 

Shastra 

“Näyaà deho deha-bhäjäà nå-loke kañöän kämän arhate viò-bhujäà ye.” It has especially mentioned, viò-bhujäm: pig ,"the stool-eater,." "You should not be like the “stool-eater” pig.!!       SB Canto 5. Chapter 5. salok 1 

Why has this animal been specifically highlighted ? The reason is that the pig will eat its own stool, (“stool-eater”) and has no distinction of eating. The modes of nature are three:

1. .sattva-guëa, --- meaning the upper or the holy class. (nafse muttamaina) 

2. rajo-guëa, --- meaning the endeavouring class (nafse lawwama) Ürdhvaà gacchanti sattva-sthäù If you act in the rajo-guëa, then madhye tiñöhanti räjasäù. 

3. tamo-guëa. ---- meaning the animal level (nafse ammarah).. And if you act in tamo-guëa, then jaghanya-guëa-våtti-sthä adho gacchanti tämasäù. Jaghanya. Tämasäù means very abominable activities. Bg. 14.18, Bg. 13.22. 

There is a verse of Cäëakya Paëòita, “na hi harate jyotsnaà candraç caëòäla-veçmani. Caëòäla.”Caëòäla means the low caste, lower than the çüdras, especially the pig-eater, and caëòäla-veçmani, the place where pig is eaten is a very polluted, sinful place. 

The first class of humans in Vedic society are the “brähmaëas”; second class the ”kñatriyas”; third class the “vaiçyas,” fourth class the “sudras”  and the fifth class “caëòäla, païcama”, the class that eat pigs and dogs. But the pig-eaters are in a class of their own called “çvapacas”, they are the lowest and are the untouchable !   Bg. 18.44.

In the Sanskrit and Hindi language, swine is also called “Suwar” and as in the  Arabic language, Suwar is also  the  descriptive name of swine consisting of two words, “soo” and “war.” “Soo” is the short form of “soor” which means to see and “war” denotes something very dirty, impure , repulsive, abominable.Thus the name “Suwar” means “seeing something vey repulsive, impure and abominable.”