Answered by Shaykh Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
Salam. What is the dominant view on shellac?
Answer:
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
In the name of Allāh, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Jazāk Allāh Khayr/ Thank you for contacting Mathābah Institute.
To consume shellac is prohibited according to Islamic jurisprudence. Shellac is an insect produced content (resin secreted by the female lac bug on trees of India and Thailand). Insects and their by-products are forbidden according to all mainstream schools of jurisprudence. – (See: Al-Fatāwā Al-Hindiyyah, Vol 5, Page 289, Dār Al-Fikr[1])
“God has made the pure [and decent] lawful and the impure [and indecent] unlawful.” (Qurʿān 7:157)
Only Allāh knows best
[1] وَأَمَّا الَّذِي يَعِيشُ فِي الْبَرِّ فَأَنْوَاعٌ ثَلَاثَةٌ: مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ دَمٌ أَصْلًا وَمَا لَيْسَ لَهُ دَمٌ سَائِلٌ وَمَا لَهُ دَمٌ سَائِلٌ، فَمَا لَا دَمَ لَهُ مِثْلُ الْجَرَادِ وَالزُّنْبُورِ وَالذُّبَابِ وَالْعَنْكَبُوتِ وَالْخُنْفُسَاءِ وَالْعَقْرَبِ وَالْبَبْغَاءِ وَنَحْوِهَا لَا يَحِلُّ أَكْلُهُ إلَّا الْجَرَادُ خَاصَّةً، وَكَذَلِكَ مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ دَمٌ سَائِلٌ مِثْلُ الْحَيَّةِ وَالْوَزَغِ وَسَامٍّ أَبْرَصَ وَجَمِيعِ الْحَشَرَاتِ وَهُوَ أُمُّ الْأَرْضِ مِنْ الْفَأْرِ وَالْجَرَادِ وَالْقَنَافِذِ وَالضَّبِّ وَالْيَرْبُوعِ وَابْنِ عِرْسٍ وَنَحْوِهَا وَلَا خِلَافَ فِي حُرْمَةِ هَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءَ إلَّا فِي الضَّبِّ فَإِنَّهُ حَلَالٌ عِنْدَ الشَّافِعِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ – كتاب الفتاوى الهندية ج٥/ ص٢٨٩ دار الفكر