Gelatin is Halaal - Please Read!!!

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wayofthesalaf

New Member
As-Salaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah everyone,

My dear brothers and sisters, I see there is a lot of confusion has arisen around the subject of what is considered Halaal and what is considered Haraam when it comes to food and have taken the time to shed some light on the subject.

Unfortunately many Muslims commit dhulm (oppression) against themselves by labeling certain foods ‘haraam’ while they are actually halaal and perfectly permissible to eat.

The fact of the matter is: Gelatin is Halaal.

You may be asking "how could he say this when gelatin has come from a pig?"

Please take the time to read the following article which has been based on a lesson given by Shaykh Muhammad Bazmool, and a fatwa given by Shaykh Al-Albaanee. InshaAllah this will clear up any misconceptions on the issue. The proof is given below.

Gelatin: Halaal or Haraam?
http://calltoislam.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=299&Itemid=42

Istihala is when something becomes pure. It was najis (impure) but it is now taahir (pure). A good example would be maitah (animal carcass): it is najis, but should it be burned and become ashes, or decompose and become earth, then it is taahir, it is no longer najis. This can happen with dung or faeces or whatever. Whenever something changes from one property to another, then the ruling likewise changes.

Example: Let us say that someone uses the fat of a dead animal to make soap. That fat is najis, but the chemical change that it was put through makes it taahir.

Ibn Hazm put it concisely when he said,

"Ruling upon an object is upon what it is named (what it is), if the name (what it is) changes then so does the ruling."

He also mentioned in his book of fiqh, Al-Muhalla: "If the quality of the substance of naturally impure objects changes the name which was given to it so that it is no more applicable to it and it is given a new name which is given to a pure object, so it is no more an impure thing. It becomes a new object, with a new rule."

Meaning that if the natural composition of a substance changes to another substance of a different composition, so much so that you can no longer call the new substance by the name of what it was -- ruling upon that substance changes too.

Proof/Example 1:
The companions (Radiya ‘Llahu 'anhum) used to eat a cheese that came from the land of the disbelievers. In that cheese was a part of the calf which was slaughtered by the disbelievers in a way that is not in accordance with Islaam. The companions knew this, but they also knew that the prohibition was upon the calf, what is directly from the calf, and what could be properly called part of the calf; the ruling is not upon that which you cannot identify as part of the calf nor is it called any longer such-and-such part of the calf. This is called istihala.

Proof/Example 2:
Another proof from the Sunnah: The Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) forbade making vinegar out of wine, but he said that if you should come across vinegar that has been made from wine then it is halaal.

Why?

The ruling is upon what the object is, and not what it was. Wine is haraam; vinegar is not, and before the wine became an intoxicant, it was halaal. Why? Because it was fruit before that.

Proof/Example 3:
Allaah says in the Qur'an:

"And surely there is a lesson for you in the cattle we give you to drink of what is in their bellies from between the faeces and blood, pure milk, wholesome to those who drink it." (16:66)​

Allaah is putting forth an example for us of how something pure can come from
something impure.

And we can also use as proof something that we've already gone over. The Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said that when the hide of maitah (the carrion) is tanned, then it is taahir. He (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) gave us a method to purify something which was first impure.

Let us examine things we are familiar with: mono and diglycerides, whey, gluten, emulsifiers, gelatin, and whatever else is on the international haraam list. These by-products sometimes come from animals, pigs even, in which case the ruling on the initial substances is that they are haraam. But the initial substances (e.g. fat, marrow, cartilage, etc.) are put through chemical change so that you no longer can even call it "pig fat" or "animal bone" or "skin" or "cartilage", etc. because it is no longer that, hence it is taahir, it is halaal.

What is gelatin? The Oxford dictionary of science defines it as: "A colorless or pale yellow, water-soluble protein obtained by boiling collagen with water and evaporating the solution. It melts when water is added and dissolves in hot water to form a solution that sets to a gel on cooling." (page 290)

Is this a chemical change or is this not a chemical change? Is it protein any longer? No, it is not.

You are in disbelief so you ask, "But how can it be halaal when it came from something haraam?"

Because of the proofs mentioned above, the ruling is not based upon what it was, the ruling is based upon what it is. A Hanafi scholar, Ibn Abedin gave the example: "the swine which drowns in a salt lake and decomposes and becomes salt itself, is now halaal."

And other Hanafi scholars go on to say: "salt is different from meat and bones. If they become salt, they are salt."

To take the salt example further: salt consists of sodium chloride (NaCl) when together they are the halaal food known as salt, when separated they make up two poisonous substances which are then haraam for consumption.

The ahnaaf (Hanafis) also use as an example the human semen, saying that it is najis, then when it inseminates the egg and becomes a blood clot it is still najis, but when it becomes flesh it is no longer najis. And the ahnaaf are not the only ones who take this position.

The examples are numerous and they extend beyond food: Yesterday a man was kaafir and going towards Hell, today he is Muslim, so what is the ruling upon him? It is based upon what he is today. We must be careful when we call things haraam because it is a form of dhulm (oppression). Scholars have said that it is worse that you make something halaal to haraam rather than making something haraam to halaal.

This deen Allaah has made yusr (easy) let us not make it 'usr (hard).

And Allaah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) Knows Best.
 

marildu

Junior Member
Assalamu Alaikum,

Brother for me personally I would rather avoid these things. I do not find it hard or difficult to do this especially when there is so much confusion between companies and things. I think unless we can be sure that an ingredient is halal it's better to avoid it. I have actually became healthier from not freely eating everything in this country. I don't eat junk food as much. And I'm sorry I don't agree with the logic on gelatin. Just because we take haram meat and boil it before we use it doesn't make it halal. Gelatin is made from the carcass of an animal and is boiled. The gelatin is still from the animal and it's still a remnant of that animal. What's your take on stocks and broths then? Because it's the exact same thing. You boil the bones etc. from an animal and flavor it and make soup etc. from it. It's a similar process.

I don't see those hadith as addressing this gelatin issue or specific process.

http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=210&ln=eng&txt=gelatin

May Allah forgive me if I have said something wrong.
 

wayofthesalaf

New Member
Akhi I am merely forwarding the opinions of some of the most prominent scholars of our time. As they mentioned the ruling is not based upon what it was, the ruling is based upon what it is.
 

bdot

Junior Member
Not so fast!

Asalamu Alaikum,

What I believe the brother has mentioned is something that we should take into consideration. Yes, gelatin is made from the fat of a pig, but it is no longer pig fat after it undergoes chemical change. When you think about, many different substances consist of the same base units of matter (i.e. elements), however they are completely different substances because of their structures and other factors (i.e. functional groups, molecular arrangment etc.). These small differences can make something similar become something completely different (as the brother mentioned). I'm not going to get all scientific on things, but truly what something is is what it is. It is no longer pig fat, it is some new substance that has been modified. We'd be wrong to classify something haraam when it itself is not haraam. Nature itself (by Allah's (swt) will) can make such changes, so what is the difference if humans do so as well. I think it has a lot to do with intention. If you intend to make something haraam into something halal, maybe your intentions suffice to make such a deed plausible. Just as someone's intention to make something halal into something haraam would be wrong (i.e. grapes into wine). Still, it is probably best not to go out looking to eat gelatin all the time, just to be safe. But, from the information the brother has presented, I don't think we should feel ashamed if we accidentally ate gelatin or if some food contains gelatin. JazakAllahu khayr brother, may the knowledge that you have brought to light here be beneficial knowledge, InshaAllah. I still don't don't think I'll be eating too much gelatin though (better safe than sorry).

AsamaluAlaikum WaRahmutAllahi wa Barkatahu
 

q8penpals

Junior Member
Salam - if you DO like gelatin though (the flavored kind) I emailed the Jell-O company when I became a Muslim (because a bunch of people around me were arguing about it once) and asked directly of the contents of their gelatin, and they told me that their brand name of TANG Gelatin is certified halal and is completely pork-by-product free.

Lana
 

zarah

Islam
Staff member
Assalamu Alaikum

:salam2: :shake:

Jazzak-Allah khair for sharing,but I am use to avoiding any products regarding gelatin.(I think I`ll stick to that,but thanks!:shake:

:wasalam:
 

Nazli

New Member
Because of all the different fatwa's and explanaitons about gelatin I think also its better to avoid consuming foods with gelatin.
If there is one small doubt, than we cannot eat it.
I heard that our prophet did the same!
There is enough other vice food that we can consume.
 

samiha

---------
Staff member
Assalam.

I felt like posting this hadith...

The Prophet (sws) is reported to have said: 'Both the lawful (Halal) and the unlawful (Haram) things are obvious, and in between them are doubtful [Mushtabihat] matters. Whoever forsakes those doubtful things lest he may commit a sin, will definitely avoid what is clearly unlawful; and whoever indulges in these (suspicious) doubtful things carelessly, is likely to stumble into what is clearly unlawful. Sins are Allah's Hima (ie private pasture) and whoever pastures [his sheep] near it, is likely to get in it at any moment.'

The above Hadith mentions an important principle for the religiously pious individuals: They should not just be content with staying away from what is obviously prohibited; they are expected to stay away from the gray areas of the Shari'ah as well.


Wassalam.
 

zarah

Islam
Staff member
Assalamu Alaikum

:salam2:

Jazzak-Allah khair for sharing this beautiful hadith with us Samiha sis.:dishes:

:wasalam:
 

ripefig

Junior Member
Be Carefull

:salam2:

Without making any judgement on this topic, I just want to point out certain facts. Today we can always come up with some reason to justify what we are doing or what we want to do. Many of us go "Fatwa Shopping" to legitimise some action we intend to do, meaning that when we are told something is not lawfull we still ask until we receive the answer we want to hear. I want to remind myself and all the Muslims about the situation of the Jews reguarding the Sabbath. They could not catch the fish because it did not come around except for the Sabbath. So what did they do? They set their nets the day before and retrieved the catch the day after the Sabbath. Now technically they did not work on the Sabbath. The truth is they thought they could "out-smart" Allah most high. Allah most high was very displeased with them for that. Remember dear Bros and Sisters, shaitan is very cunning. Again I am not qualified to make a judgement, but this is how I see the situation.:jazaak: :)
 

Abu_Usamah

New Member
Salam.

I havent read your whole post brother, but by reading the initial few paragraphs i seem to understand that in your opinion a 'najis' would become 'tohoor' in certain scenarios. I must stress that I've not read the article on the link and merely half your post.

My point is how can something that is Najisul Ayn (pig) become 'tohoor' in any circumstance? All scholars are unanimous on the fact that 'Najiul Ayn' will remain even after undergoing such formations.

And with regards to Shaykh Albani, (all due respect to him) But majority of the prominent Arab shcolars (let alone others from around the globe) have not considered his findings to be of acceptable standards. I have come across many as saying 'Lam yathiq alayhe katheerum min Ulamail Arab' (sorry for the transliteration'

If I have time I will read your article, although to me Gelatin can never be made Halal. And if I get round to it I will place my own article here, Insha Allah.

Wasalaam
 

Mabsoot

Amir
Staff member
Assalamu Alaykum,

It would be so lovely if people spent the same amount of attention to much more important things such as Tawheed and Aqeedah.

Where is the source for this pdf? what was the original book called?

Wasalam
 

Mabsoot

Amir
Staff member
And with regards to Shaykh Albani, (all due respect to him) But majority of the prominent Arab shcolars (let alone others from around the globe) have not considered his findings to be of acceptable standards. I have come across many as saying 'Lam yathiq alayhe katheerum min Ulamail Arab' (sorry for the transliteration'

Assalamu Alaykum

Which are the prominent Arab scholars who said this? You must give proper evidence.

There is nothing wrong with the late Shaykh's Arabic. He studied and taught alongside the late Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh Abdul Azeez ibn Baz, as well as many of the other great scholars. They were all close.

In our history, many of the great scholars were not Arabs, and even in the field of Arabic linguistics non-Arabs made great contributions.

Wasalam
 

Abu_Usamah

New Member
Apoligies for not backing up my comments. I will do as soon as I have get round to it.

And yes brother! You are quite right that there are more important issues to tackle rather than bringing up needless issues such as these. But I feel it is our duty to counter such inapropriate posts rather than confuse the vunerable.

Looking back at my original post I think I may have been the wiser not to comment on the the shaykh. Nevertheless I'd rather not get into discussions on who is and who is not the more prominent scholars etc, Allah knows best.

May Alah guide us all! Ameen
 

rguyah

Junior Member
The imam at the Masjid I attend also confers to the fact that Gelatin is not Haram as it is no longer pork, pig fat, or anything thing of the swine. It is chemically changed. According to him, this is the opinion of the Salaafi scholars.
 

ShaheedU

Extinct
Asalamu Alaikum,

What I believe the brother has mentioned is something that we should take into consideration. Yes, gelatin is made from the fat of a pig, but it is no longer pig fat after it undergoes chemical change. When you think about, many different substances consist of the same base units of matter (i.e. elements), however they are completely different substances because of their structures and other factors (i.e. functional groups, molecular arrangment etc.). These small differences can make something similar become something completely different (as the brother mentioned). I'm not going to get all scientific on things, but truly what something is is what it is. It is no longer pig fat, it is some new substance that has been modified. We'd be wrong to classify something haraam when it itself is not haraam. Nature itself (by Allah's (swt) will) can make such changes, so what is the difference if humans do so as well. I think it has a lot to do with intention. If you intend to make something haraam into something halal, maybe your intentions suffice to make such a deed plausible. Just as someone's intention to make something halal into something haraam would be wrong (i.e. grapes into wine). Still, it is probably best not to go out looking to eat gelatin all the time, just to be safe. But, from the information the brother has presented, I don't think we should feel ashamed if we accidentally ate gelatin or if some food contains gelatin. JazakAllahu khayr brother, may the knowledge that you have brought to light here be beneficial knowledge, InshaAllah. I still don't don't think I'll be eating too much gelatin though (better safe than sorry).

AsamaluAlaikum WaRahmutAllahi wa Barkatahu

A kaafir in a jubbah/Hijab is still not a muslim no matter how you dress it up.
what im trying to say is that it is still pig as it came from pig no matter what u do to it. and whatever we eat effects our imaan. But Allaah knows best.
 

rguyah

Junior Member
Also, there is NO WAY to make halal what is haram... and vice-versa. No amount of intention on the planet can make what Allah has made haram into something halal.
 

shahzad shah

New Member
Sugar issue

Salam u aalaikum,

Although this matter is not related to gelatine, still i felt relevent. I have come to know that in some countries sugar mills use a chemical to make sugar more crystalline which is not halal. Does any one have update/info on this? I have left using sugar here(UK) as i am not sure.
Jazakkallah u khair.
 

seekingtruth2

Junior Member
as salaamu alaykm,
thank you so much for such a good and kind reply samiha ( I hope I spelled that correctly and please forgive me sister if I did not......) I agree wholeheartedly with your veiw...... we should stay away from anything that is in doubt!!!!!!!!! Jazakallah khair
 
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