Assalamualaikum,
Our five years old son has very early onset chrohns, and in order to avoid some heavy medications to treat him, we are opting for some probiotics and supplements from a small holistic clinic (alternative medicine). One of the dietary supplements prescribed is called SPM Active: Specialized Pro-resolving Mediators and comes in a soft gel. It is a “practitioners’ exclusive” and I am being told no other medication like it is available. However, the only way it is being offered is in a soft gel made with Bovine gelatin. The company Metagenics confirmed that there is NO pork used and Bovine gelatin is beef. Is it acceptable to give this soft gel to our son for treatment? If not, could we puncture the gel tab and squeeze the non-gelatin liquid out, although the doctor who prescribed it told us there is no guarantee that some of the gel tablet and liquid contents inside the tablet would not mix.
Please advise, and please keep our son and all of us in your Dua’as.
Jazakallah
الجواب وبالله التوفيق
May Allaah Ta’alaa grant your son complete and quick cure.
Based on the facts presented about the medicine out of caution it deems appropriate that you give the medicine to your son without the soft gel.
The detailed issue is as follows:
The usage of gelatin produced from plant sap is undoubtedly permissible. Similarly the gelatin produced from the fat of Halal slaughtered animals is also Halal. However, the Scholars hold two opinions about the transformation of the form of the gelatin produced from the fat or bones of Halal animals but slaughtered in a non-Islamic way or of Haram animals:
Some Scholars say that to make the gelatin, the fat or bones are passed through such stages that the original form of these materials changes after passing through these stages. For example, firstly the fat or bones are kept in acid for 10 to 15 days, then in lime for 4 or 8 hours, and then in hot water. After drying these are then ground and made powder or sticky material. Further, it involves عموم بلویٰ Umoom Balwa. Therefore, it is their saying that as after passing through all these stages its form changes therefore there is room for its usage. However, some other Scholars are not convinced of the transformation of the form, therefore, they call it impermissible. Nevertheless, it is better to avoid products having gelatin made from non-slaughtered or Haram animals. However, for the purposes of medical treatment and as medicine there is room to act upon the first opinion mentioned above due to the عموم بلویٰ.
عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، يَقُولُ: – وَأَهْوَى النُّعْمَانُ بِإِصْبَعَيْهِ إِلَى أُذُنَيْهِ – «إِنَّ الْحَلَالَ بَيِّنٌ، وَإِنَّ الْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ، وَبَيْنَهُمَا مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ لَا يَعْلَمُهُنَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ، وَعِرْضِهِ، وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ وَقَعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ، كَالرَّاعِي يَرْعَى حَوْلَ الْحِمَى، يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَرْتَعَ فِيهِ، أَلَا وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى، أَلَا وَإِنَّ حِمَى اللهِ مَحَارِمُهُ، أَلَا وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً، إِذَا صَلَحَتْ، صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ، فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، أَلَا وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ»(صحیح مسلم : کتاب الطلاق: 1599)
عَنْ أَبِي الحَوْرَاءِ السَّعْدِيِّ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِلْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ: مَا حَفِظْتَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ قَالَ: حَفِظْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «دَعْ مَا يَرِيبُكَ إِلَى مَا لَا يَرِيبُكَ (سنن ترمذی :ابواب صفۃ القیامۃ،والرقائق والورع،2518 )
وَجْهُ قَوْلِ مُحَمَّدٍ أَنَّ النَّجَاسَةَ لَمَّا اسْتَحَالَتْ، وَتَبَدَّلَتْ أَوْصَافُهَا وَمَعَانِيهَا خَرَجَتْ عَنْ كَوْنِهَا نَجَاسَةً؛ لِأَنَّهَا اسْمٌ لِذَاتٍ مَوْصُوفَةٍ، فَتَنْعَدِمُ بِانْعِدَامِ الْوَصْفِ، وَصَارَتْ كَالْخَمْرِ إذَا تَخَلَّلَتْ.(بدائع الصنائع: 1/85)
وَإِنَّمَا يُعْرَفُ التَّخَلُّلُ بِالتَّغَيُّرِ مِنْ الْمَرَارَةِ إلَى الْحُمُوضَةِ۔۔۔۔۔۔ فَأَمَّا إذَا خَلَّلَهَ صَاحِبُهَا بِعِلَاجٍ مِنْ خَلٍّ أَوْ مِلْحٍ أَوْ غَيْرِهِمَا، فَالتَّخْلِيلُ جَائِزٌ وَالْخَلُّ حَلَالٌ عِنْدَنَا. (بدائع :5/113)
(وَ) يَطْهُرُ (زَيْتٌ) تَنَجَّسَ (بِجَعْلِهِ صَابُونًا) بِهِ يُفْتَى لِلْبَلْوَى۔۔۔۔۔ ثُمَّ هَذِهِ الْمَسْأَلَةُ قَدْ فَرَّعُوهَا عَلَى قَوْلِ مُحَمَّدٍ بِالطَّهَارَةِ بِانْقِلَابِ الْعَيْنِ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ الْفَتْوَى وَاخْتَارَهُ أَكْثَرُ الْمَشَايِخِ خِلَافًا لِأَبِي يُوسُفَ كَمَا فِي شَرْحِ الْمُنْيَةِ وَالْفَتْحِ وَغَيْرِهِمَا. وَعِبَارَةُ الْمُجْتَبَى: جَعْلُ الدُّهْنِ النَّجِسِ فِي صَابُونٍ يُفْتَى بِطَهَارَتِهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ تَغَيَّرَ وَالتَّغَيُّرُ يُطَهِّرُ عِنْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَيُفْتَى بِهِ لِلْبَلْوَى۔۔۔۔۔۔وَعَلَيْهِ يَتَفَرَّعُ مَا لَوْ وَقَعَ إنْسَانٌ أَوْ كَلْبٌ فِي قِدْرِ الصَّابُونِ فَصَارَ صَابُونًا يَكُونُ طَاهِرًا لِتَبَدُّلِ الْحَقِيقَةِ. اهـ.
ثُمَّ اعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْعِلَّةَ عِنْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ هِيَ التَّغَيُّرُ وَانْقِلَابُ الْحَقِيقَةِ وَأَنَّهُ يُفْتَى بِهِ لِلْبَلْوَى كَمَا عُلِمَ مِمَّا مَرَّ، وَمُقْتَضَاهُ عَدَمُ اخْتِصَاصِ ذَلِكَ الْحُكْمِ بِالصَّابُونِ، فَيَدْخُلُ فِيهِ كُلُّ مَا كَانَ فِيهِ تَغَيُّرٌ وَانْقِلَابُ حَقِيقَةٍ وَكَانَ فِيهِ بَلْوَى عَامَّةٌ. (الدر مع الرد:باب الانجاس،1/316)
واللہ اعلم بالصواب