Gelatin Haaram or Haalaal?!?

[Salafi_Online]

Asalaamu 'alaykum wa rahmathullaahi wa barakaathuhu

 

Bismillahi wa salaatu wa salaamu 'alaa rasulillah,

 

(Taken entirely from a dars given by Sh. Muhammad Bazmool, translated by Moosa Richardson and a fatwa given by Sh. al-Albaani)

 

 

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 feces 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 (radyallahu 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:

 

Allah 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 feces and blood, pure milk, wholesome to those who drink it." (16:66)

 

Allah 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? As Oxford dictionary of science defines: "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 thulm (oppression). Scholars have said that it is worse that you make something halaal to haraam rather than making something haraam to halaal. This deen Allah has made yusr (easy) let us not make it 'usr (hard). Wallahu 'Alim.

 

Khadhr As-somali al athari

 

Subhaanakallaah humma wa bi Hamdika Ashadu allaa ilaha illa ant, astaghfiruka wa atooba ilayk

[Maymuunah]

Oh thank you so much i really needed this. I was tired of relatives and friends finger pointing at every food that contains gelatin as a haraam. I have even seeen a friend who doesn't give yogurt to her kids because of the gelatin ingredient that it contains. every damn food contains gelatin in this country so what are you gonna do?

 

by the way what do you the rest nomads think..or any dawa's you heard about this ingredients. I am not still confirmed why? i don't know. may be brother Nur can add his two cents too.

[Nur]

Salafi bro

 

Thanks for the post

 

 

Maymoona sis

 

Hold your horses.

 

As I have read elsewhere, gelatin, the substance in discussion is produced from boiling bones, the skin and ligament tissues of animals, these animals are the pig, cows and sheep, cows and sheep in the USA are killed in four different ways, a chemical killing by choking the animal with carbon dioxide, electrical, and mechanical ways by either a striking the animal with a sharp object to the head or a bullet.

 

before we rush to an expedient answer to the Sharia's position on th consumption of gelatin and similar foods, let us first understnd the substance's source, effect of its chemical or phyisical transformation on the ruling of its default state status and the admissibility of analogies made by the Sheikh above to make gelatin halal for a Musilm's consumption.

 

First Allah SWT says:

 

"If you dispute on a matter, refer it to Allah ( Quraan) and the prophet ( Sunnah)

 

The Messenger of Allah SAWS said

 

The Halaal( permissible) is clear and the Haraam (forbidden)is Clear, and in between there are grey areas ( Shubuhaat) whomsoever takes precaution against the shubuhaaat (grey areas), has indeed protected his/her faith.

 

It was reported that the Msseneger of Allah SAWS said to the effect that every King has Ximan ( No Tresppassing Zones) and Allah's Ximan ( No Trespassing zones ) are his Maxaarim, (forbidden things), so by getting close to these grey areas, one risks crossing the zone. Does Yellow traffic light mean slow down or speed up?

 

 

The companions of the prophet used to avoid 9 out of ten of halal items to steer clear for fear of falling on haraam area.

 

A good treatment of this issue will require:

 

1. Discussion on legality of eating meats slaughtered by non Muslims, Polytheists, and the people of the book (Christians and Jews).

 

2. Eating of meats killed by un Islamic method, or animals that died naturally and the use of their meats and hydes or their wool ( vitamin D3 in Milk) in edible foods as an additive as in Milk.

 

3. The ruling of the hides of dead animals for non edible use.

 

4. The ruling of using Pig meat for other purposes, such as beauty, shampoo, etc. and its skin and its gelatin.

 

5. The validity of using analogy of wine and vineger to compare Pig meat and gelatin.

 

 

We shall discuss these in depth inshAllah in the near future.

 

 

Nur

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Viewers in Kurtunwaarrey, Somalia, and Ijaara, Gabilley Somaliland and vicinities need not worry about these foods.

[Maymuunah]

Nur jazakallahu Khiaran walaal. Oh God I have been eating these few months lots of chocaltes and candies with gelatin ingredient in it. I am paitently waiting for the continuation of the discussion.

[Salafi_Online]

Baarakallahu feekum to those who contributed

 

 

Along with Shaykh Albani, Shaykh Shayhk Muhammad Bazmool (Hafidhuhullah) professor at the Islamic university of UmmuulQur’a(KSA), and The Shaykh (Rahimullah TaCaala) ibn Hazm

 

The noble Caalim Saleh Uthaymin (rahimullah) wrote in the following book, which is a compilation of fatawaa

 

« Liqaa-u al babi al maftuh » volume 3, page 52, question n° 1170

 

heading:

 

“"ma hukm al akalaat allati tahtawi 'ala ma yussammi bilhalaam(gelatin)

 

indeed, the same fiqh ruling the other scholars in my initial post used is also consumed by the shaykh to substantiate his reason, he brings forth similar scenarios from the time of the the Sahaba (radi Allahou 'anhoum)( he uses the term: "kaanu ya'kuluna, which designate a recurring action to prove his view.

 

Sheikh Ahmed Kutty(graduate of the Islamic university of Almadina(KSA) says: Gelatin is halal and there is nothing wrong with it. As for gelatin that comes from pork, it is also considered halal because even if it is made from pig it has undergone fundamental process of transformation through certain chemical changes that is called “Istihalah†in Islamic law. So, the ruling of pork does not apply to it anymore and we are still allowed to use it.â€

 

 

The Oxford dictionary of science states,

 

Gelatin

 

‘A colourless 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)

 

GME - GELATINE MANUFACTURERS OF EUROPE

 

Gelatine is produced in highly technological industrial installations in a complex procedure involving several stages. The input material is the connective tissue of pigs, cattle, poultry or fish. The collagen protein is removed from the pig, calf or cattle skin as well as bones and is processed to form gelatine. Gelatine the final product is a pure source of protein.

 

1. Pretreatment

 

First of all, the fat and minerals are removed from the raw materials. Afterwards two different pre-treatment methods are used, depending on the raw material and on the final application of the gelatine.

 

Alkaline Procedure:

The connective tissue of cattle is highly interconnected and is therefore pre-treated with lime in a process lasting several weeks. This brings about a gentle change to the collagen structure. After this treatment, the collagen is soluble in warm water and can thus be separated from the rest of the raw material.

 

Acid Procedure:

The collagen connective tissue from pigskin is not so heavily interconnected. Here, a one-day acid treatment with subsequent neutralisation and the intensive rinsing out of the salts is sufficient to extract the collagen.

 

2. Extraction

 

The pre-treated raw materials are now treated with hot drinking water and extracted in several stages. The temperature of the hot water is a parameter for the jelly strength: the lower the temperature of the water, the higher the jelly strength (Bloom value) of the extracted gelatine.

 

3. Cleaning

 

The extracted solutions are freed of traces of fat and fine fibres in high-performance separators. Even the finest impurities are removed by filtration, in a similar way to the beverages industry . In a last purification stage the gelatine is freed of calcium, sodium, residual acid and other salts.

 

4. Thickening

 

The gelatine solution is now concentrated in vacuum evaporators and thickened to form a honey-like solution.

 

5. Drying

 

The highly concentrated gelatine solutions are sterilised, cooled, set and dried under strict hygienic conditions. In this process, “gel noodles†are formed that are ground into grains.

 

The quality and purity of the gelatine is ensured by detailed quality control.

All of these steps are indispensable for gelatine manufacture and have been used for decades to manufacture high-quality gelatine.

[Nur]

Salafi Bro

 

Your article is raising several issues in a bundle.

 

1. The Issue of meats slaughtered by Non Muslims

2. The Issue of by products of Haram sources.

 

 

In your post you say That Sheikh Utheimeen was asked this Qusetion:

 

" ma hukm al akalaat allati tahtawi 'ala ma yussammi bilhalaam (gelatin)" ?

 

 

The Word of Gelatin is not Halaam, it is Hulaam, it the any high viscosity liquid such as the egg liquid.

 

You write: he brings forth similar scenarios from the time of the the Sahaba (radi Allahou 'anhoum)( he uses the term: "kaanu ya'kuluna, which designate a recurring action to prove his view .

 

 

Brother, A Good question is half the answer, teh qusetion to the Sheikh is as good as the information the Sheikh was given about the gelatin. It is unbelievable that the Sahaabah used to eat processed foods as we do today, also, non of the foods eaten underwent Chemical change that altered the reason it was made Haraam. Therefore, the Qiyaas that the companions used to eat such foods is ambiguous at best, first, it must be proven that the exact gelatin we are discussing is what they have eaten, second, that the Prophet SAWS approved it by knowing about it and allowing it. If those two conditions are not met, the Fatwaa is flawed, no matter the title of the Sheikh who gave it.

 

 

You write:

 

" As for gelatin that comes from pork, it is also considered halal because even if it is made from pig it has undergone fundamental process of transformation through certain chemical changes that is called “Istihalahâ€"

 

 

Answer:

 

Istixaalah means "imposible to differentiate" in Fiqh, not food that was processed and transformed to adifferent state, as Kutty claims, his bases of justification should be examined in two ways:

 

1. Does gelatin processing change its nature, part of its nature, or altogether its nature?

 

2. If we suspect that certain foods may contain a haraam thing and cannot differentiate, does the Xukm of Istixaalah in Fiqh make it Xalaal if other options are available?

 

 

First question:

 

According to Sheikh Ibn Taymiya, in His Book, Iclaamul Muwaqiciin, " Before a Muslim scholar gives an edict FATWA, he must know two things vey well:

 

 

1. The Subject Matter ( Phyisical Chemistry, Food additives and Processing methods)

 

2. The Sharia based on Quraan and Hadeeth, Qiyaas or Ijmaac of the Scholars.

 

Does Kutty fit the above? please share with us.

 

Certain foods are always, Xaraam to consume like Pork, and its derivatives, animals killed by mushriks, or killed in a non Halaal way Muslims or by people of the book, or animals who died naturally, The only way to render these foods halaal is:

 

A. Neccesity ( Fear of death, or severe harm)

B. A similar verse or Hadeeth ( NOT AN IDEA)

 

In The law, a superior law can not be repealed by a lower law, or interpreted in a way that is not obvious than the original law, so, Pork and its derivatives are Haram by default.

 

Secondly, these foods are not only Haraam, they are very harmful, because business profit drives their aim, not devine rulings, by suggesting they are OK with such flimsy daleels you are comitting a diservice to warn Mulsims of dangers of such foods. Writers Gary and Steven Null in their book : Poisons in Your Body , write:

 

" The aimals are kept alive and fattened by the continuous administration of tranquilizers, hormones, antibiotics and 2700 drugs", they wrote. " The process starts even before birth and continues long after death. Although these drugs wil still be present in the meat when you eat it, the law does not require that they be listed on the package ".

 

 

To be continued

 

 

Nur

[Sakina]

"So eat of that (meat) upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned. If you are believers in His verses.

 

"And why should you not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned while He has explained in detail to you what He has forbidden you, excepting that to which you are compelled. And indeed do many lead (others) astray through their (own) inclinations without knowledge. Indeed, your Lord - He is most knowing of the transgressors.

 

"And leave what is apparent of sin and what is concealed thereof. Indeed, those who earn (blame for) sin will be recompensed for which they used to commit.

 

"And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience, And indeed do the devils inspire their allies (among men) to dispute with you. And if you were to obey them, indeed, you would be associators (of others with Him).

Qur'an (Sura Al An'am : 118-121

 

I think that only in case of necessity we are allowed to eat what is normally prohibited.

 

Allah knows best.