Sheep!
If you've ever enjoyed a meal with feta cheese, a gyro, a lamb chop, a soft wool rug, or a wool sweater, you should thank Allah for sheep! Sheep live in flocks (groups). They can be found on farms, ranches, in pastures with herders, and in the wild.
The stomachs of sheep are separated into four (4) parts called chambers. These chambers help sheep digest plants and grasses. Sheep swallow their food, then bring it back up to chew it and swallow it again. They do this until the food becomes easy to digest. Human stomachs don't have chambers, and are very delicate! How to Eat to Live guides us to choose foods that are good for our type of stomach. We must be grateful for such important and useful knowledge.
Each ram (male) usually mates with a number of ewes (females). Ewes can give birth to one lamb (baby), twins, or sometimes even triplets! The calves learn to stand and walk shortly after birth. They must be able to stand up to reach their mother's teat to eat.
Sheep are very special animals. In scripture, they are often used to symbolize us (the Lost-Found Tribe of Shabazz)! For example:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Bible, Matthew 25:31-34
Can you figure out who goats symbolize in scripture?
Sheep look similar to goats, but they have many differences. Some of these differences include:
In scripture, the lamb is sometimes used to symbolize our Messenger. For example:
"The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" Bible, John 1:29
The stomachs of sheep are separated into four (4) parts called chambers. These chambers help sheep digest plants and grasses. Sheep swallow their food, then bring it back up to chew it and swallow it again. They do this until the food becomes easy to digest. Human stomachs don't have chambers, and are very delicate! How to Eat to Live guides us to choose foods that are good for our type of stomach. We must be grateful for such important and useful knowledge.
Each ram (male) usually mates with a number of ewes (females). Ewes can give birth to one lamb (baby), twins, or sometimes even triplets! The calves learn to stand and walk shortly after birth. They must be able to stand up to reach their mother's teat to eat.
Sheep are very special animals. In scripture, they are often used to symbolize us (the Lost-Found Tribe of Shabazz)! For example:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Bible, Matthew 25:31-34
Can you figure out who goats symbolize in scripture?
Sheep look similar to goats, but they have many differences. Some of these differences include:
- Sheep avoid many foods that goats eat.
- Goats have beards; sheep do not.
- Sheep fleece is usually woolly; goat hair is straighter.
- Sheep tails usually point down, goat tails generally point up.
- Sheep have a split upper lip.
- Sheep have gentle, submissive personalities. They like to be unified and are easy to lead.
- Goats have wandering, mischievous personalities.
In scripture, the lamb is sometimes used to symbolize our Messenger. For example:
"The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" Bible, John 1:29
Did you know?
- Animals raised on a farm or a ranch (such as cows or sheep) are called livestock.
- Sheep have split hoofs that look like two "toes". This is called being "cloven footed".
- Cud is the name for food that is brought up from the sheep's stomach to be chewed again.
- The Bible instructs that we may eat any animal that has a split hoof and chews cud.
- The Honorable Elijah Muhammad advises that we may eat lamb but warns it is not good for our stomach.
- Animals that have a stomach with four compartments are called ruminants.
- Sheep can be horned (have horns) or polled (hornless). In some breeds, both rams and ewes have horns!
- Sheep are herbivores. This means they only eat plants!
- Sheep get stressed if they feel lonely. They need companionship to feel comfortable.
- Most sheep can live around ten to twelve (10-12) years, but some have lived twenty (20) years or more.
- The meat from mature sheep is called mutton.
- Sheep produce less milk than cows.
- For some people, it is easier to digest cheese made from sheep milk than from cow milk.
- Sheep like to be well-groomed. They get their fleece cut and hoofs trimmed regularly.
- The plural form of sheep is sheep. That's easy to remember (smile)!
Sheep were among the first animals to be domesticated. They are used for meat, sausage casings, dairy products, wool, lambskin, lanolin (used in skin products), and for scientific purposes. They are also used as currency (money).
As we mentioned, the devil has found many scientific uses for sheep. Their body parts are used as cadavers in anatomy classes. Dissecting a sheep eye is a common activity for students. Sheep are also used for research and experiments. Dolly, the famous cloned sheep, is an example of this.
Sheep are a well-respected animal in the Nation of Islam. They are our best source of meat, if we must eat meat. They provide a variety of products that we can use and sell. As if that wasn't enough, they are often used to represent our Messenger (lamb) and the Lost-Found so-called Negroes (sheep) in scripture!
As we mentioned, the devil has found many scientific uses for sheep. Their body parts are used as cadavers in anatomy classes. Dissecting a sheep eye is a common activity for students. Sheep are also used for research and experiments. Dolly, the famous cloned sheep, is an example of this.
Sheep are a well-respected animal in the Nation of Islam. They are our best source of meat, if we must eat meat. They provide a variety of products that we can use and sell. As if that wasn't enough, they are often used to represent our Messenger (lamb) and the Lost-Found so-called Negroes (sheep) in scripture!