Consume whatever is pure

It is reported by Hazrat Abu Hurairah (Radiyallahu Anhu) that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

"Certainly Allah is pure and He does not accept (anything) except that which is pure. Allah Ta'ala has commanded the believers whatever He has commanded the Prophets. Thus, He said: "O Prophets! Consume from whatever is pure and do good deeds." And he said: "O those who believe! Consume from the pure things that we have provided for you." And then, he [Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam)] mentioned a person who underwent a long trip and with his dishevelled and dusty hair, he extends his hands towards the sky while supplicating, 'O my Rabb! O my Rabb.' And yet his food is Haraam, his drink is Haraam, his clothes are Haraam and he is nourished with Haraam things. So how will his Dua be accepted?" (Muslim)

Explanation:

The word "pure" which has been used in this Hadith, when used in regards to Allah Ta’ala refers to Allah Ta’ala being pure and beyond all short comings. Thus, "Certainly Allah Ta'ala is pure" means Allah Ta'ala does not have any defect and He is beyond everything that indicates shortcoming, weakness and defection.

When the word "pure" is applied to people, it means a person who has noble characters and has purified his interior and exterior of all that which is not good. In this sense, it is mentioned in the Qur'aan:

"...Allah accepts only from those who have Taqwa" (S5/V27)

When this word is applied to things, then it means clean, pure and whatever is Halaal. It may also mean that Allah Ta'ala accepts a Sadaqah that is given from a Halaal source.

As far as food is concerned, the word pure refers to something which is delicious, Halaal and that has been obtained in a Halaal way. For example, honey has a good taste. It is Halaal in itself and it was bought with Halaal money or it was obtained as a gift from someone who had it by him.

Thus, this means that Allah Ta'ala appreciates a person who has purified his interior just as this may include the fact that Allah Ta'ala does not accept any Sadaqah except one who did not contaminate it or rendered it impure by consuming Haraam food or food that has been wrongly obtained. Likewise, Allah Ta'ala only accepts an action which is pure and which is done with Ikhlaas (sincerity). Thus, Allah Ta'ala accepts only whatever is clean, pure and Halaal. That is, Allah Ta'ala does not accept anything from someone who has rendered himself impure by using Haraam things. He accepts only an action which has been done with sincerity and a Sadaqah which has been given with something Halaal.

To use Halaal and to consume whatever is pure is so important that Allah Ta'ala has given this command even to the Ambiya (Prophets) also.

It is impossible for a Nabi to consume something which is not Halaal. This is because Allah Ta'ala has granted a special protection to each Nabi which protects them from all evils. Despite this, if Allah Ta'ala addressed this command to the Ambiya, it is merely to show the gravity of consuming Haraam and on the other side to show the importance, benefit and advantage of consuming Halaal.

And its gravity is evident from the fact that Allah Ta'ala does not accept the Dua of someone whose food and drink is Haraam. And yet, according to a Hadith of Tirmizi, Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

"Certainly Allah Ta'ala hesitates (to refuse), he is full of kindness. He is ashamed to return empty-handed/in want/in need with despair when a person supplicates Him."

Allah Ta'ala hesitates in the sense that when a servant asks Him for something, then he does not refuse to give him unlike human beings who can sometimes hesitate to give another something which he asked for.

Allah Ta'ala is so generous that He bestows before a person asks and He does not return the person who stretchs his hand to Him, empty-handed.

On the other side, one will notice that Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) gave the example of a person who embarked on a long journey. Previously, trips were very hard and dangerous. A traveller had to expect anything. In such a situation, it is very normal that a person be more inclined towards Allah Ta'ala. He is relatively more sincere. Thus, by giving the example of a traveller who is on a long journey, Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) drew one's attention to the sincerity of this person. By "dishevelled and dusty hair", he drew one's attention towards his appearance which is very pitiful. "Stretching the hands towards the sky" is a sign and an indication of humility. And finally, the formula يا رب (O my Rabb) is the Ismul-A'zam according to some Hadith, meaning it is the great name of Allah Ta'ala, through which Allah Ta'ala accepts the Dua when supplicated with it.

In short, the person is sincere, his external state is pitiful, he is filled with humility and devotion and he is using Ismul-A'zam. Like that all the conditions for a Dua to be answered are present but Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) says how will his Dua be accepted. That is, it would be a miracle if the Dua of such a person would be accepted.

And the reason of the non-acceptance of his Dua is due to the person being in Haraam. That is, his food, drink, clothes, etc. are all Haraam. This shows the gravity of consuming something which is not Halaal. That is, a person deprives himself of the Rahmat (blessing) of Allah Ta'ala by using things that are not Halaal.

In a Hadith reported by Hazrat Jabir (Radiyallahu Anhu) in Musnad Ahmad, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

"...A flesh that has grown with Haraam will not enter Jannah. It is the fire of hell that is more appropriate for that..." (Musnad Ahmad)

Thus, using something which is Haraam deprives a person of his well-being and it puts him in extreme suffering. There is no future in using Haraam things. It can be used as a facility for a short while but its consequences will be forever very grave. It is very true that those who are in Haraam are playing with fire and are rendering themselves extremely miserable because their Dua itself is not being accepted.

Haraam includes foods that are forbidden such as the meat of pork, dog, cat, monkey, rat and ferocious animals such as lion, tiger, elephant etc. and also the meat of animals which are Halaal but on which Zabah was not done according to the Shariah or animals which passed away without making Zabah. Likewise, it includes things that were wrongly obtained although it can be Halaal in itself.

Wrongly obtained refers to acquiring something by means prohibited in the Shariah such as theft, cheating, fraud, corruption, bribery, interest, gambling, lottery, horse racing, casino, prostitution and money that is obtained by selling alcoholic beverages, video cassettes, singing, dancing, etc.

[English version of "Consomme banne kitchoses pure" – Al Jamiat – Vol.6 No.3]