Muslims do not eat pork because the Quran, which they believe is the word of God, explicitly forbids it. The prohibition appears in four separate verses, including Quran 2:173. For Muslims the main reason is obedience to God, not a health theory, though some see health benefits as a possible added wisdom.
The question comes up at work lunches, school canteens and barbecues, and it is often asked with genuine curiosity. This guide explains what the Quran says, how the rule fits into the wider idea of halal food, why Jews keep a similar law, and what happens in emergencies.
Key takeaways
- The Quran names "the flesh of swine" as forbidden food in four verses: 2:173, 5:3, 6:145 and 16:115.
- Quran 6:145 gives the only stated description of pork, calling it rijs, translated "impure," without listing medical reasons.
- Every verse that forbids pork also allows it when a person is "forced by necessity," such as starvation, with no sin on them.
- The Hebrew Bible also forbids pork in Leviticus 11:7–8 and Deuteronomy 14:8, which is why observant Jews and Muslims share this practice.
- The Prophet Muhammad said "every intoxicant is khamr and every khamr is forbidden," a hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim 2003, which is why Muslims also avoid alcohol.
What does the Quran say about pork?
The Quran mentions pork only in the context of food law, and always in the same short list: animals that died on their own, blood, the flesh of swine, and animals sacrificed to anything other than God. This is the earliest and simplest version:
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.
Notice the word "only." The Quran presents food as broadly permitted and the forbidden list as short. A few verses earlier it tells all of humanity to "eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good" (Quran 2:168).
The longest version, in Surah al-Maidah, adds animals killed by strangling, a violent blow or a fall. The version in Surah al-Anam adds a brief description of pork itself: "for indeed, it is impure." Classical scholars read the four verses together as one consistent ruling, and there has never been a recognized school of Islamic law that permits eating pork.
Why is it haram to eat pork?
Haram (haram, حرام) means forbidden by God. Halal (halal, حلال) means permitted. Pork is haram because God declared it so, and for Muslims that is the decisive reason.
Obedience comes first
In Islamic thought, some rules come with an explained purpose and others do not. Food laws largely fall in the second group. Muslims believe God is al-Hakim (the Perfectly Wise), so a rule can be followed with full trust even when its wisdom is not spelled out. You can read more about this name on the page for Al-Hakim.
For many Muslims, keeping the rule is itself part of worship. Choosing a different dish at a restaurant is a small, daily act of saying "I submit to God," which is what the word Islam means. Our guide to what Islam is explains that idea of submission in more depth.
What about health reasons?
You will often hear that pork is forbidden because pigs carry parasites such as the worm that causes trichinosis, or because the meat is fatty. Some Muslim writers mention these points as possible benefits of the rule.
Islamic scholars are careful here, for two reasons. First, the Quran does not give a medical explanation, so any health theory is a human guess. Second, if the rule depended on hygiene, it would disappear once farming and cooking made pork safe. Muslims do not believe it disappears. The health argument is therefore treated as secondary and uncertain, while the command itself is treated as certain.
Why do Muslims and Jews not eat pork?
Muslims and observant Jews share this practice because both traditions trace it to divine law. The Torah lists the pig among unclean animals because it has a split hoof but does not chew the cud (Leviticus 11:7–8). Deuteronomy 14:8 repeats the rule and adds that Israelites should not touch the carcass.
The Quran presents itself as continuing the message of earlier prophets, including Moses, so this overlap is not surprising from a Muslim point of view. Our article on the Quran and the Bible explores other places where the two scriptures meet.
Most Christians, by contrast, eat pork. Mainstream Christian teaching holds that the Old Testament food laws no longer bind believers, often citing Mark 7:19 and Peter's vision in Acts 10. Some Christian groups, such as Seventh-day Adventists and many Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, still avoid pork.
| Tradition | Is pork eaten? | Main source of the rule |
|---|---|---|
| Islam | No, forbidden | Quran 2:173, 5:3, 6:145, 16:115 |
| Judaism (observant) | No, forbidden | Leviticus 11:7–8, Deuteronomy 14:8 |
| Most Christian churches | Yes, permitted | Mark 7:19, Acts 10 |
| Seventh-day Adventists, Ethiopian Orthodox | Generally avoided | Old Testament food laws kept as practice |
What is halal, and why do Muslims eat halal?
Halal is a much wider idea than "no pork." It describes anything permitted by God, from food and drink to earnings and relationships. When people talk about halal food, they usually mean three things:
- The animal is a permitted kind. Cattle, sheep, goats, poultry and most seafood are permitted. Pork and carnivorous animals with fangs are not.
- It is slaughtered in the prescribed way. The animal's throat is cut swiftly with a sharp blade, the blood drains out, and God's name is mentioned. This draws on Quran 6:119, which speaks of eating "that upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned."
- It is free of forbidden ingredients. That rules out pork products such as lard or pork gelatin, and alcohol.
The Quran also allows Muslims to eat the food of Jews and Christians: "the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you" (Quran 5:5). Scholars differ on how far this applies to modern industrial meat, so some Muslims eat only certified halal meat while others accept kosher meat or meat from Christian-majority countries.
Muslims eat halal for the same reason they avoid pork: the five pillars of Islam and the wider law of Islam shape daily life, including the kitchen. You can read how Islamic law works more broadly in our guide to what Sharia law is.
Why do Muslims not drink alcohol?
Alcohol was forbidden in stages. An early verse acknowledged that wine has "some benefit" but said "their sin is greater than their benefit" (Quran 2:219). A later verse told believers not to come to prayer intoxicated (Quran 4:43). The final ruling came in Surah al-Maidah:
O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful.
The next verse gives a reason: Satan wants "to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer" (Quran 5:91). Unlike pork, alcohol comes with a stated purpose, namely protecting the mind, relationships and worship.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) extended the rule to every intoxicating substance, not only wine made from grapes. He said, "Every intoxicant is khamr and every khamr is forbidden" (Sahih Muslim 2003). In Sunan Abi Dawud 3674 he also condemned those who produce, sell, carry and serve it, which is why many Muslims avoid working in that trade.
Can a Muslim ever eat pork?
Yes, in a genuine emergency. Every verse that forbids pork ends with an exception for a person "forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit]." Islamic law turns this into a well-known legal maxim: necessity makes forbidden things permissible.
The exception has limits. It applies when there is a real threat to life or severe harm, such as starvation with no other food. The person may eat only what is needed to survive, not a full meal by choice. The verses close by reminding the reader that God is "Forgiving and Merciful," which scholars read as removing any sin in such cases.
What about medicine, gelatin and accidental eating?
- Accidental eating: A Muslim who eats pork without knowing commits no sin. The Quran's principle is that people are accountable for what they do knowingly.
- Medicine: Many scholars permit medicines containing pork derivatives, such as some vaccines or heparin, when no halal alternative exists and a doctor advises it, applying the necessity principle.
- Gelatin and transformed ingredients: Scholars disagree. Many Hanafi and Maliki scholars hold that a substance chemically transformed into something new (istihala) takes a new ruling, while many Shafi'i and Hanbali scholars hold that pork-derived gelatin stays forbidden. This is why halal certification bodies take different positions.
Is avoiding pork a sign of disrespect to others?
No. A Muslim declining pork is following their own religious law, not judging the person who eats it. The Quran tells Muslims to speak about faith "in a way that is best" (Quran 29:46), and most Muslims are happy to explain their reasons when asked politely. Hosts can make things easy by offering a vegetarian or fish option.
Read the food verses on Quran Universe
You can read Quran 2:173 and the longer list in Quran 5:3 on Quran Universe with the Arabic text, word-by-word meanings and Tafsir Ibn Kathir. Our guide to what tafsir is explains how classical scholars read these verses.
Frequently asked questions
Why do Muslims not eat pork?
Muslims do not eat pork because the Quran forbids it in four verses: 2:173, 5:3, 6:145 and 16:115. Muslims see following this rule as an act of obedience to God. Some mention possible health benefits, but scholars treat those as secondary, since the Quran itself gives no medical reason and calls pork simply "impure."
Why is it haram to eat pork?
Pork is haram, meaning forbidden, because God declared it so in the Quran. Verse 6:145 describes it as rijs, or impure. Islamic scholars hold that the command is binding whether or not its full wisdom is known, much as a person trusts a wise doctor's instruction without needing every detail explained.
Why do Muslims and Jews not eat pork?
Both religions trace the prohibition to divine law. The Torah forbids pork in Leviticus 11:7–8 and Deuteronomy 14:8, and the Quran forbids it in four verses. Muslims see the Quran as continuing the message given to Moses, so the shared rule reflects a shared source in their view. Most Christians, by contrast, do not keep this law.
Why do Muslims not drink alcohol?
The Quran calls intoxicants "defilement from the work of Satan" in verse 5:90 and says they cause hatred and distract from prayer. The Prophet Muhammad said every intoxicant is forbidden, as recorded in Sahih Muslim 2003. The rule protects the mind, family life and worship, and it applies to any intoxicating drink, not only wine.
What does halal mean?
Halal is Arabic for "permitted." In food, it means the animal is a permitted kind, it was slaughtered in the Islamic way with God's name mentioned, and the food contains no forbidden ingredients such as pork or alcohol. More broadly, halal describes anything Islamic law allows, from earnings to relationships.
Can a Muslim eat pork if there is no other food?
Yes. Each Quranic verse forbidding pork includes an exception for someone "forced by necessity," such as a person facing starvation. They may eat only what is needed to survive and carry no sin for it. Many scholars apply the same principle to essential medicine containing pork derivatives when no alternative exists.