Answered by Muftī Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
I wanted to inquire about whether or not sugar is considered ḥalāl in North America. I searched on Google and found out that white sugar that we normally use is actually made in processing with bone char. Does this mean that many sweet products we eat contains this type of sugar? We are not able to consume basically anything on the market now such as Coca Cola, smoothies, pies, candies etc. Please let me know what is the consensus for this and if any precautions are made for such products.
Answer:
In the Name of Allāh, the Almighty, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind.
Sugar manufactured in North America is ḥalāl. Any ḥalāl consumables made with sugar in Canada and America are also ḥalāl.
Regarding bone char and the sugar filtering process, kindly note the following:
- In modern times, most sugar manufactures and refiners do not use bone char for sugar filtration, including the two major Canadian sugar refiners, Redpath Sugar Ltd and Lantic Inc.
- Bone char is made from animal bones by heating them in a sealed vessel at up to 700°C; The organic material in the bones is driven off by heat. Under Islamic jurisprudence, this more than likely constitutes tabdīl al-māhiyyah. The bones completely transform into a new property (charcoal), with no remanence of any impurities. – (See: Fatḥ Al-Qadīr, Vol 1, Page 201, Dār Al-Fikr[1], Al-Baḥr Al-Rāiq, Vol 1, Page 229, Dār Al-Kitāb Al-Islāmīy [2])
- According to my research, when bone char is used for filtering sugar, the end product, the sugar, has no trace, residue or remnants of the bone char whatsoever.
And Allāh Knows Best.
[1] فِي الشَّرْعِ النُّطْفَةُ نَجِسَةٌ وَتَصِيرُ عَلَقَةً وَهِيَ نَجِسَةٌ وَتَصِيرُ مُضْغَةً فَتَطْهُرُ وَالْعَصِيرُ طَاهِرٌ فَيَصِيرُ خَمْرًا فَيَنْجَسُ وَيَصِيرُ خَلًّا فَيَطْهُرُ فَعَرَفْنَا أَنَّ اسْتِحَالَةَ الْعَيْنِ تَسْتَتْبِعُ زَوَالَ الْوَصْفِ الْمُرَتَّبِ عَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى قَوْلِ مُحَمَّدٍ فَرَّعُوا الْحُكْمَ بِطَهَارَةِ صَابُونٍ صُنِعَ مِنْ زَيْتٍ نَجِسٍ – فتح القدير للكمال ابن الهمام وتكملته ط الحلبي مجلد ١/ ص ٢٠١ دار الفكر،
[2] انْقِلَابُ الْعَيْنِ فَإِنْ كَانَ فِي الْخَمْرِ فَلَا خِلَافَ فِي الطَّهَارَةِ وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي غَيْرِهِ كَالْخِنْزِيرِ وَالْمَيْتَةِ تَقَعُ فِي الْمُمَلَّحَةِ فَتَصِيرُ مِلْحًا يُؤْكَلُ وَالسِّرْقِينُ وَالْعَذِرَةُ تَحْتَرِقُ فَتَصِيرُ رَمَادًا تَطْهُرُ عِنْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ خِلَافًا لِأَبِي يُوسُفَ وَضَمَّ إلَى مُحَمَّدٍ أَبَا حَنِيفَةَ فِي الْمُحِيطِ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْ الْمَشَايِخ اخْتَارُوا قَوْلَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَفِي الْخُلَاصَةِ وَعَلَيْهِ الْفَتْوَى – كتاب البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق مجلد ١/ ص ٢٢٩ دار الكتاب الإسلامي
