Why Do Muslims Not Eat Pork? The Quran's Answer

Short answer: Muslims do not eat pork because Allah forbids it in the Quran, in four separate verses. For a Muslim that is the whole reason: God has said it, so we leave it. The ban covers every part of the pig, so bacon, ham, pork sausages, lard and pork gelatin are all avoided. The only exception the Quran itself makes is a real emergency, when a person would otherwise die of hunger.

Muslims are not alone in this. The Torah forbids pork too (Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8), which is why observant Jews do not eat it either. Muslims see the Quran as continuing that same line of guidance.

What the Quran says

Pork is named in 2:173, 5:3, 6:145 and 16:115. The Quran lists very few foods by name, and the flesh of swine is in every one of these lists:

إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةَ وَٱلدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ بِهِۦ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍۢ وَلَا عَادٍۢ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿١٧٣﴾

Innamaa harrama 'alaikumul maitata waddama wa lahmal khinzeeri wa maaa uhilla bihee lighairil laahi famanid turra ghaira baaghinw-wa laa 'aadin falaaa isma 'alaih; innal laaha Ghafoorur Raheem

He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

Quran 2:173 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Baqarah

In 6:145 the Quran adds a description: the flesh of swine "is impure" (rijs). Notice the mercy in the same verses: a person forced by necessity, "neither desiring it nor transgressing its limit", has no sin.

What the Prophet ﷺ taught

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ حَرَّمَ بَيْعَ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْتَةِ وَالْخِنْزِيرِ وَالأَصْنَامِ

Allah and His Messenger have forbidden the sale of wine, dead animals, pigs and idols.

Sahih al-Bukhari 2236; Sahih Muslim 1581 · narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah, who heard it in Makkah in the year of the Conquest · sahih

So the ruling reaches beyond the plate: a Muslim also does not sell pork or make a living from trading in it.

The wisdom scholars mention

Obedience in small things. Food is a daily, private test. Leaving something tasty for no reason except that Allah asked is a way of saying, as the believers do in 24:51, "We hear and we obey."
Purity. The Quran calls pork impure, and describes the Prophet ﷺ as one who "makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil" (7:157). Classical scholars saw the ban as part of keeping body and soul clean.
Health. Many writers point to diseases that can pass from pigs to people, such as trichinosis from undercooked pork. Treat this as a possible benefit only. Modern farming has reduced some of these risks, and the ruling does not depend on them.

Wisdom, not the reason. These are benefits scholars have reflected on. Muslims follow this because Allah and His Messenger ﷺ commanded it, and would follow it even if none of these benefits were known.

The ruling, Hanafi first

Hanafi position

Eating any part of the pig is haram. The pig is impure in itself (najis al-ayn), so its meat, fat, skin and bones are all impure, and its skin cannot be made pure by tanning. In a real emergency, eating only enough to survive is allowed (2:173). Eating it by mistake is not a sin: stop once you know.

Other madhhabs

Shafi'i, Hanbali: The same on eating. They also treat the pig's impurity as heavy, like a dog's, so something it touched while wet is washed seven times, once with earth (the Shafi'i school spells this out).
Maliki: Eating it is haram, but in the relied-upon view every living animal is pure, the pig included, so touching a living pig does not make you impure.

What else is halal or haram?

The general rules of halal food: what is lawful by default, what the Quran forbids, and how to handle doubtful ingredients.

Read halal and haram

More "why do Muslims" questions

All questions

FAQ

Is it a sin for a Muslim to eat pork by accident?

No. The Quran says there is no blame for what you do by mistake (33:5). If you find out, stop eating and rinse your mouth. There is nothing to make up.

What about pork gelatin?

Gelatin made from pig skin or bones is avoided by most Muslims. Scholars differ on whether processing changes it enough to count as a new substance (the principle of istihalah), so the careful choice is gelatin from halal beef, fish or plants.

Can Muslims touch pork or cook it for others?

Touching it is not eating it, but in the Hanafi school the pig is impure, so wash your hands before prayer. Selling pork is not allowed for a Muslim, as the hadith of Jabir shows, so most scholars also tell Muslims to avoid jobs that mainly serve it.

Do Muslims think pigs are evil?

No. The pig is one of Allah's creatures and must not be harmed for no reason. The ruling is about eating it, not about hating the animal.

Is pork forbidden in the Bible too?

Yes. Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8 forbid it. Most Christians believe that food law was lifted in the New Testament; Muslims believe the Quran confirmed it.

The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.

Sources

Quran 2:173, 5:3, 6:145, 16:115, 7:157, 24:51 and 33:5, translation by Sahih International.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2236 and Sahih Muslim 1581, from Jabir ibn Abdullah.
Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah (Kitab al-Taharah, on tanning hides), and Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, for the Hanafi position.
The Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali positions are summarised from al-Nawawi, al-Majmu; al-Dardir, al-Sharh al-Kabir; and Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni.
Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8 (Hebrew Bible).

Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, English translation by Sahih International. Hadith gradings are those of the hadith scholars named. AmalKit cites the scholars; it does not issue fatwas.

Why do Muslims not eat pork?