407. Prohibition on eating pork.
Through verses (2:173, 5:3, 6:145, 16:115) of the Quran the Almighty prohibits men from eating pork
The reason for this ban is not explained either in the Quran or in the sayings of Prophet Muhammad.
Some cite the reason, being the pig consumes human waste
If the basis for the ban is cited as above, then there are many creatures like the cow and the foul that do the same.
And moreover, if the reason cited is as above, there are pigs that are raised in farms that do not eat human waste, but are still banned.
Hence the reason for ban on pork is not based on eating habits of the animal but something else.
Generally excess fat in our food is detrimental to our health especially for those with heart diseases.
Those with heart ailments are advised to refrain from eating beef and mutton.
100 grams of mutton contains 17 grams of fat and 5 grams of fat is found in 100 grams of beef, but pork contains 50 grams of fat in 100 grams of meat.
A meat containing half its amount of fat cannot be a good food.
Cattle in general have sweat glands producing sweat that is excreted along with unwanted fluids through pores in their skins, thus bringing down the temperature within their bodies.
But the pigs do not have sweat glands in them. Humans normally can withstand a temperature of 40°C and other cattle can hold on to withstanding a heat of much higher intensity. But pigs cannot withstand heat above 29°C, the reason being the absence of sweat glands. This is the reason the pig keeps keeling itself in damp slush when the temperature goes above 29°C to bring down its body temperature.
Pigs act as hosts to the tapeworms, that get embedded in their flesh, and are not killed with any high amount of heat while cooking The world of medicine has discovered that nearly 66 diseases such as brain fever, swine flu, yellow fever, inflammation of the heart etc. are connected with these tapeworms found embedded in the flesh of the pigs.
People living in Islamic countries for whom pork is prohibited are found less susceptible by 5% to inflammation of heart diseases than their counterparts in European countries where pork is freely eaten.
Due to the above cited various reasons pork has been prohibited in Islam.
