Is pork gelatin in supplements ok?

Dear Hadi,

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your question.  The issue of gelatin for Muslims living in the West is one that comes up frequently.  While we don’t give fatwas, we’re happy to share with you our understanding of modern scholarship on this question.  As you note in question, the meat of the pig is forbidden.  The natural follow up to your inquiry is whether or not gelatin falls under this prohibited category.  Gelatin is a protein that comes from animal bones, skin, and cartilage.   Although gelatin can come from cows and fish, the vast majority of gelatin used in the West comes from pigs.  Our understanding, and God knows best, is that there is consensus among the scholars that the gelatin obtained from pigs is also prohibited, unless it has undergone the process of istihalah.

Let’s take a moment to understand what istihalah means.  It is generally defined as a complete transformation of the very nature of the material at hand.  When istihalah happens, the scholars say that a material that was previously unpure has now been rendered pure, and thus allowable.  The common example used to illustrate this point is that of vinegar.  Namely, that vinegar has gone through istihalah – a complete transformation of its alcohol-containing nature and properties to its purified state as vinegar.  

The question now is, has gelatin derived from pigs gone through istihalah.  For a more complete answer to this question, here’s a link to a YouTube video by the well-known scholar Yasir Qadhi: Gelatin in Drug Tablets.  In short, his opinion, with which we agree (and which he based on his own research and consultation with a variety of scientific experts in the field of chemistry), is that gelatin derived from pigs has not gone through the requisite istihalah in order to make it an allowed substance.  This is because the manufacturing process involved is simply about extracting the gelatin from the bones or cartilage of the animal, and does not involve a chemical recombination or essential alteration of its proteins.  Thus, the gelatin derived from pigs remained clearly distinguishable from the gelatin derived from fish, for example.  In the video, Yasir Qadhi also relays that this is the perspective of the Majma Al-Fiqh Al-Islami (The Islamic Fiqh Academy), considered to be among the most reliable bodies issuing rulings on Islamic jurisprudence.  You can find the fatwa here:  Islamic Fiqh Academy Ruling on Gelatin

However, that is not the end of the story.  Your question is about gelatin in a supplement that you would like to take.  As you may know, Islam does allow the consumption of prohibited items if one is compelled by necessity, even in the eating of pork.  This is clearly seen from the Quran itself in the verses that prohibit pork, such as in surat al Baqara (2:173):

(God) has forbidden to you only carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any name other than God's has been invoked; but if one is driven by necessity - neither coveting it nor exceeding his immediate need - no sin shall be upon him: for, behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

Thus, we have the general dictum in Islamic fiqh that “necessity obviates prohibition.”  So, for example, if someone is required to take a certain medication for his/her health, and it is encapsulated in gelatin, and there is no reasonably available alternative, then to the best of our knowledge, all scholars agree that this would be allowed.  In the case of a supplement, as your question asks, we think you would have to ask yourself how necessary this supplement is, and if there is any reasonable alternative.  It appears you have searched for an alternative and could not find one, so we believe, and God knows best, that it really comes down to how necessary this supplement is for your health.  And that is a decision that you are probably in the best position to make.  

In peace.