- AR (العربية) -
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| Fatwa ID: | 77314 |
| Title: | Medicine containing some impurities |
| Category: | Varieties |
| Scholar: | Dr.Salah Al-Sawy |
| Date: | 01/01/2009 |
There are medicines for diabetics in some countries, but they contain lard (pig fat) as some people say, but this fat may have undergone a chemical change so that there isn't any more pig or its fat.
The question is: Would it be permissible for a Muslim to take this medicine?
Please advise us on this question, and may Allah reward you well.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,
All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessing be upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his household, his companions and those who have followed him. To proceed:
Allah Almighty has prohibited the pig: meat, fat and bone, and if something is forbidden, it is forbidden to consume it or trade it, as it is forbidden to help anyone with any of that. There are no exceptions in this respect besides exigent need (daroorah) which must be assessed according to its extent [without exceeding that which is absolutely necessary] and steps must be taken to put an end to the situation. As such, the basic rule is that a Muslim must not take medicine that contains any ingredients taken from the pig, unless a medication has been prescribed for him and there are absolutely no alternatives to it.
On the other hand, transformation is a consideration in the ruling on substances. If what you say is true - that this ingredient which has been added to the medicine has undergone chemical treatment which made it change into another substance and another ingredient, and it has thereby lost all of its characteristics and original components, then there would be nothing wrong with using it in such a case. However, since the issue of verifying this transformation of a particular ingredient would be a question that warrants further investigation by experts, we advise you to avoid medications like this, if you find other substitutes for it. We advise you not to resort to this unless there are absolutely no other alternatives. We ask Allah to grant success to us and to you.
And Allah Almighty is the Most High, and He knows best.
