Fatwa: # 19864
Category: Misc. Fiqh
Country: United States
Date: 17th March 2012

Title

Is the usage of soap permissible? Is it permissible to consume food items which are made of soap?

Question

I need more clarification on the answer in fatwa #19734. Soap from animal fat is reported in that fatwa is halal. How about the source of such animal if is not slaughtered according to Shari’āh like goat, camel, or cow in the USA? Similarly, regarding the food products like cakes, ice creams, biscuits, chocolates, snacks and other cheese products which contain mono and diglycerides and many other items derived from animals like cow, goat and camel which are not slaughtered according to Shari’āh? What should we do about them? Please, I am making it clear that I am not talking about pig here at all. This entire question is regarding animals other than pig which are not slaughtered according to Shari’āh.

Answer

 

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Soap which is made from animal fat is permissible to use on the body regardless whether the ingredients are obtained from a Halāl animal or a Harām animal.[i]

Any food item in which the ingredients are derived from Harām animals or from Halāl animals which are not slaughtered according to Shari’āh, are not permissible to consume.[ii]

The difference between soap and food items is, soap is for external use and food is for internal consumption.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mawlana Abdul Hannan Nizami,
Student Darul Iftaa
USA

 

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net


[i][i] الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (1/ 316) المتوفي سنة 1252 دار الفكر-بيروت

جَعْلُ الدُّهْنِ النَّجِسِ فِي صَابُونٍ يُفْتَى بِطَهَارَتِهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ تَغَيَّرَ وَالتَّغَيُّرُ يُطَهِّرُ عِنْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَيُفْتَى بِهِ لِلْبَلْوَى

 

البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق ومنحة الخالق وتكملة الطوري (1/ 234) المتوفي سنة 970 دار الكتاب الإسلامي

وَالْمَاءُ الْمُقَيَّدُ مَا اُسْتُخْرِجَ بِعِلَاجٍ كَمَاءِ الصَّابُونِ وَالْحُرْضِ وَالزَّعْفَرَانِ وَالْأَشْجَارِ وَالْأَثْمَارِ وَالْبَاقِلَا فَهُوَ طَاهِرٌ غَيْرُ طَهُورٍ يُزِيلُ النَّجَاسَةَ الْحَقِيقِيَّةَ عَنْ الثَّوْبِ وَالْبَدَنِ جَمِيعً

فتاوي محموديه (18/205) ادارة القرآن

 [ii] وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَفِسْقٌ.....  (121:6) القرآن

بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع (5/ 47) المتوفي 587 دار الكتب العلمية

أَمَّا رُكْنُهَا فَذِكْرُ اسْمِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَيِّ اسْمٍ كَانَ لِقَوْلِهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فَكُلُوا مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ بِآيَاتِهِ مُؤْمِنِينَ - وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلا تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللَّهِ (6 :118 – 119) مِنْ غَيْرِ فَصْلٍ بَيْنَ اسْمٍ وَاسْمٍ

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