Praise
be to Allah.
Firstly:
Animal gelatin is a soft, viscous substance that is not soluble in water. It
is extracted from animal bones and tissues by means of lengthy boiling in
water.
End
quote from al-Mu‘jam al-Waseet (1/150)
It
says in al-Mawsoo‘ah al-‘Arabiyyah al-‘Aalamiyyah: Gelatin is a
protein substance that is extracted from the skin and bones of animals. End
quote.
Raw
gelatin is extracted from the skin or bones of camels, cattle, sheep and
pigs.
Gelatin is a substance that is included in many manufactured foods, such as
pastry and children’s foods, and in the manufacture of yoghurt, cheese, ice
cream, pancakes, drinks, juices, and some ready-made foods in the form of
powder (jello and puddings), some types of yoghurt, chewing gum and gummy
candies. It is also used in the manufacture of medicines, such as capsules.
It is used in the production of toothpaste, lotions and creams, and in the
production of suppositories and pessaries.
Secondly:
There
is nothing wrong with extracting gelatin from the skin, sinews and bones of
animals that are permissible to eat and have been slaughtered in the
prescribed manner, alorl from plants that are not harmful or poisonous.
This
type of gelatin is permissible, and there is nothing wrong with using it or
consuming it in food or medicine.
See:
Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqh al-Islami (4/329)
It is
not permissible to extract gelatin from the flesh, bones and skin of pigs or
permissible animals that have not been slaughtered in the prescribed
manner.
It
says in a statement of the Islamic Fiqh Council: It is permissible to use
gelatin that is extracted from permissible substances and permissible
animals that have been slaughtered in the prescribed manner, and it is not
permissible to extract it from haraam sources such as the skin and bones of
pigs and other haraam animals and haraam substances.
End
quote from Qaraaraat al-Majma‘ al-Fiqhi al-Islami, Muslim World
League (p. 85)
Thirdly:
Although we say that it is haraam to extract gelatin from these haraam
substances, the ruling on consuming it after it has been introduced into the
manufacture of food and medicine depends on whether the gelatin was
transformed after being introduced into the manufacturing process.
If,
after manufacture and treatment the gelatin has turned into another
substance that differs in its characteristics from the impure substance from
which it was extracted, then there is nothing wrong with eating it or using
it.
But
if it has not been changed completely, and it still retains some of the
characteristics of the impure substance from which it was taken, then it is
not permissible to consume it under any circumstances, because it is part of
the pig or impure substance.
By
referring to the words of specialists concerning this matter, it is clear
that they differ concerning this issue. Some of them say that transformation
in the case of gelatin is complete, and others say that this is not the
case.
Some
researchers stated that gelatin which is derived from the bones and skin of
cattle and pigs has undergone a complete transformation and is different
from the substance from which it was derived, and that it has acquired
chemical properties that differ from those of the original substance from
which it was extracted, thus it comes under what the scholars have said
about transformation.
This
view was adopted by the Islamic Organization for Medical Science. In their
statement it says: Istihaalah (process of transformation) means that a
substance changes into another substance with different characteristics, so
an impure substance may change into a pure substance, and a haraam substance
may change into one that is permissible according to sharee’ah.
Based
on that: gelatin that is produced by means of a process of transformation
from the bones, skin and sinews of impure animals is taahir (pure) and it is
permissible to eat it.
See:
http://www.islamset.com/arabic/abioethics/muharaamat.html
[in
Arabic].
However others disagreed and said that the chemical processes to which the
skin and bones of pigs are subjected in order to extract gelatin do not
result in complete transformation. Rather it is a partial transformation,
because the gelatin still retains some of the characteristics of the impure
substance from which it was taken.
Dr
Wafeeq ash-Sharqaawi (President of the administrative committee of the
Arabian Company for Gelatin Products in Egypt) said:
The
skin and bones of pigs do not undergo a complete transformation; rather it
is a partial transformation and by means of testing it is possible to
determine the origin of the gelatin that is extracted from the skin and
bones of pigs after they are subjected to the chemical processes by means of
which gelatin is extracted. That is because of the presence of some
properties in this gelatin, from which it is possible to determine its
origin. So we cannot say that the parts of the pig that are turned into
gelatin have undergone a complete transformation.
End
quote from Majallat al-Buhooth al-Fiqhiyyah al-Mu‘aasirah (31/28)
What
appears to be more correct is the view that it is not permissible to use
gelatin in foods, medicines or anything else if it is derived from an impure
substance, for several reasons:
1.
A
number of specialists have stated that the transformation is not complete,
and that what has been done to the skin and bones of pigs is a manufacturing
process, not a process of transformation. So the porcine material remains
subject to the prohibition and is regarded as impure, and anything that is
manufactured from it comes under the same ruling.
2.
The
fact that there is some doubt concerning this matter (namely the question of
whether the transformation is complete or otherwise) prompts us to adhere to
the original ruling, which is that this substance is impure unless it is
proven that this is a real transformation.
3.
The
view of many of the scholars is that the ruling on an impure substance does
not change even if it is deemed to have been transformed. Therefore their
view is that using this kind of gelatin is haraam, because its origin is
impure. No matter how much the substance changes, the ruling does not
change.
Even
though this view is not more likely to be correct, it prompts us to be
cautious with regard to many matters in which we cannot be certain that the
process of transformation has indeed taken place.
4.
The
view that this kind of gelatin is haraam is the view of many contemporary
scholars.
It
says in a statement issued by the Islamic Fiqh Council in Jeddah:
It is
not permissible for the Muslim to use yeast and gelatin derived from pig
sources in food.
The
availability of yeast and gelatin derived from vegetable sources or animals
slaughtered in the prescribed manner means that there is no need for that
(i.e., gelatin from haraam sources).
End
quote from Qaraaraat Majma‘ al-Fiqh al-Islami (p. 90)
The
scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: Is gelatin haraam?
They
replied:
If
the gelatin is derived from something haraam, such as pork or the skin,
bones etc of pigs, then it is haraam. Allah, may He be exalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning): “Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al-Maytatah
(the dead animals – cattle-beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of
swine” [al-Maa’idah 5:3]. The scholars are unanimously agreed that pig
fat is included in this prohibition. If no haraam substances or ingredients
are involved in the production of gelatin, then there is nothing wrong with
it.
End
quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (22/260)
To
sum up:
It is
not permissible to consume foods, drinks and medicines that contain gelatin
derived from the skin of pigs or other impure substances, especially when
alternatives are available in the form of animals which Allah has permitted.
It is possible to manufacture gelatin from these animals that are
slaughtered in the prescribed manner, and it will serve the same purpose in
manufacturing medicine or food.
For
more information please see the following:
an-Nawaazil fi’l-Ashribah
by Zayn al-‘Aabideen al-Idreesi, p. 287
al-Mustakhlas min an-Najis wa Hukmuhu,
compiled by Nasri Raashid, p. 113
Ahkaam al-Adwiyah fi ash-Sharee‘ah al-Islamiyyah
by Hasan al-Fakki, p. 331
Majallat al-Buhooth al-Fiqhiyyah al-Mu‘aasirah
(issue no. 31, p. 6-38)
An-Nawaazil fi’l-At‘imah
by Badriyyah al-Haarithi (1/459)
And
Allah knows best.