Gelatin Sourced From Animals Not Slaughtered In An Islamic Manner
Question
Please advise if bovine gelatin sourced from cows that are slaughtered in an UN-Islamic manner considered halal.
Answer
Gelatin from un-Islamicaly slaughtered animals is not halal and impermissible to consume. Even though a lot of processing and cleansing takes place, Metamorphoses does not take place which means the same ruling applicable to the source will still apply on the end product i.e impermissibility.
Some Ulama contend that a drastic metamorphic change occurs in the non-Halaal animal material used in gelatine manufacture thereby rendering the impure collagenous protein into Halaal gelatine.
Majority of the Ulama and International Halaal certification bodies are of the view that such metamorphic change does not occur and therefore they do not accept this view and have adopted a very holistic position on gelatine and other such ingredients of non-Halaal animal origin used in food production.
Mufti Taqi Uthmaani saheb mentions in his book Fiqhul Buyoo’ (1/306 Maktaba Ma’ariful Qur’an):
“I have personally witnessed the chemical processing in some factories. Undoubtedly chemical changes do take place however I found it not sufficient enough to be regarded as Istihaalah (Istihaalah is defined as: “A change in the qualities and nature of an object”.
According to the Fuqaha it is defined as: “A change in the reality of an object and its characteristic form, to another form)….Merely cleansing and changing an item from a solid state to a liquid state can not be regarded as metamorphoses or Istihaalah.
References (Arabic / Urdu sources)
(فقه البيوع ٣٠٦/١ معارف القرآن)
ومعنى الاستحالة انقلاب الشيء من صفة إلى أخرى (كفاية الاخيار ٧٣/١)
- Approved by
- Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B.
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