Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamoalaikum,
I am a patient of Rheumatoid Arthritis and for the past 27 years have been on medication to be able to function normally.Till 2005,I was in Pakistan and never worried about anything haraam being included in the capsules,because I just assumed that the companies would`nt include anything that was not allowed by Islam.But ever since I came to USA,this has become a big problem.Recently I found out that the multivitamin `CENTRUM` that I have been taking for the past 4-5 years has got pork in it.I called the manufacturer and they confirmed that the tablet has gellatine which can come from pork,beef or fish,whichever is available.My pharmacist tells me that the same is true for all capsules.So what is one supposed to do?I have stopped taking the multivitamin,but there are other tablets/capsules that I take to control pain.There are so many people like me,who depend on medicines to be able to lead a normal life.

People say that during the making of the medicines their chemical properties change,so it is ok to take the medicine.I`m not sure if I can take something that I know contains haraam ingredients.

Your guidance in the light of Quran and Sunnah might be able to help.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Medicine contains pork haraam ingredients

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Wail ibn Hujr al-Hadrami reported that, "Tariq ibn Suwaid asked the Prophet (saws) if he could use alcohol as medicine. The Prophet (saws) replied: 'It is not a cure, but a disease'.''

Related by Muslim, Abu Daw'ud, and Tirmidhi.

Umm Salamah (r.a.), the wife of the Prophet (saws), reports that he (saws) once said: "Allah has not placed a cure for your diseases in things that He has forbidden for you.''

Related by Bukhari.

Abu ad-Darda reported that the Prophet (saws) said: "Allah has sent down both the malady and its remedy. For every disease He has created a cure. So seek medical treatment, but never with something the use of which Allah has prohibited.''

Related by Abu Dawood.

In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), it would not be permissible for the believers who sincerely fear Allah and the Last Day to consume anything (including medicine) made of ingredients which have been declared as ‘haraam’ or unlawful by Allah and His Messenger (saws).

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan