as salam alaikum

This Question was sent to one of the yahoo groups could you inshallah give an answer to the quesiton؟

The question goes as follows: "I have a question and i have asked a lot of people about this and I get a different answer everytime. My husband is diabetic and there is only one medicine that works for him. We just found out that it has gelatin which contains animal-derived fats (pig included). This is a cause for us to worry. If he doesn`t take the medicine, he would get very sick. And if he takes it, it would be against Islam. Please help us and give us advise on this. Jazakallahu khair."

All praise be to Allah, and may his peace and blessings be on the last and best prophet and messenger, Muhammad.

Thank you for your observance of the truth and seeking it.

It will not be against Islam if he takes the medicine. Islam is a religion of ease, and Allah is most merciful.

The ruling of gelatin from haram-to-eat animals is controversial. Some chemists say it gets completely transformed in the process of manufacturing, thus some scholars deemed it halal. Other chemists maintain that it doesn`t.

The conclusion would be the following:

Gelatin derived from haram-to-eat animals must not be used in food.

Muslim pharmacists, scientists and physicians must look for alternatives.

For the individual patient, they may use medications which contain that gelatin, if there were no alternatives.

Allah knows best.