doctor said, according to the saying, “The person who eats pork becomes piggish in some ways;”1 the pig is not harmless like other domestic animals. Its meat causes considerable harm rather than being beneficial. And it has been established medically that its powerful fat is also harmful, even in the lands of Europe which are powerfully cold, and is thus in fact and in meaning extremely harmful.
Instances of wisdom such as these are purposes for the divine prohibition and for its being forbidden. The wisdom does not have to be present in every instance and all the time. The reason does not change with the purpose and wisdom changing. If the reason does not change, the injunction does not change. From this rule it may be seen just how far from the spirit of the Shari‘a the unfortunate man was when he spoke. No importance should be given to what he said regarding the Shari‘a. The Creator has many animals in the form of unreasoning philosophers!
I wonder, does the fact that despite all the wondrous progress and civilization of Europe and its advances in science and knowledge beneficial for humanity, its people eat pork, not play some part in their becoming piggishly stuck in the darkness of materialism and naturalism, which are entirely the reverse of that progress, knowledge, and attainment? I ask you. Evidence that man’s temperament is affected by the food he eats is the saying: “The person who eats meat every day for forty days will suffer anxiety and sorrow in his heart,” which has become proverbial.