Q: A lady asks, why are Jews referred to as pigs in the Quraan? She gives reference as follows, from the Quran itself, in three different verses: 7:166, 2:65, and 5:60. Kindly explain.
A: The Holy Quran does not refer to Jews as pigs. This is a false notion and a distortion spuriously and deviously attributed to the Book of Allah. The verses cited do not call Jews pigs. Whoever said this is guilty of quoting the Quran out of context and positing total falsehood as fact. It is indeed an unforgivable crime when people distort and manipulate the Word of God to suit their false motives and mischievous designs, and to sow the seeds of anti-Semitism between Muslims and Jews.
In verses 2:65 and 7:166, Almighty Allah speaks refers to a group of Jews in the time of The Prophet Moses. These Jews disobeyed the command of God given to Moses regarding the Sabbath. The Sabbath was and still is a sacred day for the Jews. The group referred to in the Quran are those followers of Moses who desecrated and disregarded the sanctity of the Sabbath by catching fish on this day. As a punishment for them Almighty Allah turned them into monkeys and pigs. The story is mentioned in verse 2:65 and then repeated in verse 7:166.
As for verse 5:60, a translation of the full verses provides the answer: Say: (O Muhammad): Shall I inform you of what is worse (than that) as a punishment from Allah? (It is the punishment of) he who Allah has cursed, and became angry with, and made from among them monkeys and pigs and slaves of the Devil. They are (in a) worse (of) position and further away from the straight path.”
Again this verse refers to those Jews who were punished by Allah for their violation of the Sabbath. It is clear that the Quran does not call Jews pigs. Anyone who makes this fictitious claim knows full well that such an averment is totally devoid of truth and absolutely detached from reality. The reference to monkeys and pigs is made with regards to a group of people in the time of Moses who disobeyed his commandments. It is totally against reason and logic to construe this as a label attached to all Jews.
Let us turn our attention briefly to a similar reference as above in the Holy Bible of the Christians. In Mark 7:27, Jesus is reported to have said: “Jesus said to her who sought his help: “It is not meet to take the children’s bread and to cast it unto dogs.” And further in Matthew 7:6: “Do not give that which is holy to the dogs, neither cast your pearls to the pigs.”
We ask our Christian friends, who are the dogs and pigs referred to in this verse? The answer to this will leave the Christians with serous considerations
Mufti Siraj Desai