ISLAM

Why Aren’t More Muslims Vegan?

If Islam teaches compassion, why do so many Muslims still eat animals?

Photo by Yuda Feby on Unsplash

No verse in the Quran commands Muslims to eat animals.

Nor do any of the Hadiths (the sayings and actions of the Prophet Mohammad).

Neither Mohammad nor Allah has commanded that Muslims (or anyone else, for that matter) must eat animal flesh, or any other animal products.

On the contrary, many of the Hadiths demand ethical conduct and the minimisation of suffering.

So why aren’t more Muslims vegan?

This isn’t an attack, but a respectful inquiry into religious practice vs. ethical possibility.

It’s true that Islam allows animal flesh to be eaten, with certain constraints. The Prophet himself ate animals, although he emphasised moderation, compassion and mercy.

Some hadiths suggest he went days without eating meat, and he praised simple, plant-based foods like dates, barley and lentils.

But in a time and place where it might not have always been possible to thrive on a fully plant-based diet, he also recognised that avoiding all animal flesh was not always practicable or possible.