There are different views about the use of pig leather. One of my friend stresses that it can be used after tanning process, by quoting one hadees from Bukhari narrated by Hazarat Ali R.A. Although I have heard from an Alim of Ahlay Sunnah that it is najis but I don’t know the Ahadees or Quranic verses from which it can be proved najis. I therefore request you to deliberate on this issue in detail.
At the outset, we wish to clarify a matter which unfortunately, very few people seem to understand and that is: With exclusion of very few matters, in every masalah there are different views. Amongst the Sahabah, you would find different opinions on the same matter, then in their students the Taabi’een and then in the A’immah of the Mazaahib, thus the existence of difference of opinion on the topic will not change the ruling.
The Fuqaha of each mazhab have compiled the rulings of their mazhab in great detail based on principles derived from the Quran and Hadith and backed up the the Fatawa of the Senior Sahabah and Taabi’een. Thus, our responsibility is to follow the rulings of our mazhab.
As for your question, we would request you to ask your friend to send us the exact reference for the hadith of Hadhrat Ali (Radhiallahu Anhu) in Sahih Bukhari. We were unable to find such a narration, in fact we have found that the view of Hadhrat Ali (Radhiallahu Anhu) was that pig skin does not become pure through tanning. This is mentioned in Imam Nawawis commentary on Sahih Muslim Vol.4 Pg.53 under the chapter “Purification of the shin of a dead animal through tanning” and in Umdatul Qari Vol.9 Pg.88. In fact Ibn Abdul Barr mentioned that the Ijmaa’ of the majority of the salaf is that the pig does not become pure through tanning.(At-Tamheed Vol.1 Pg.164) Our proof is simple and that is that the Quran classifies the pig as being Najisul Ain (Filth) thus it cannot become pure through tanning as tanning can only purify something that was pure when the animal was alive.
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai