Answer by Shaykh Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
Is it permissible to take medicines which contain non-ḥalāl elements, for serious conditions where alternative medication is not available?
Answer:
Thank you / Jazākumullāhu Khayran for your question.
May the Almighty bless all those who are sick with treatment, healing and cure.
In general circumstances, it is forbidden to use medicine that contains prohibited ingredients. The Messenger (peace and blessings upon him) said,
“Allāh has not placed your cure in prohibited things” (Bukhārī)
However, in the situation, where there is genuinely no ḥalāl alternative, it is permissible to benefit from such medicine up to the extent of the need. A well-known principle in Islamic jurisprudence is “Dire necessities permit the prohibited’. Sanctity and the saving of one’s life overrides the prohibition. This is why eating pork becomes permissible if there is no other food one can find.
Allāh Almighty states,
“He has spelled out to you all that He has made unlawful for you, except that to which you are compelled by extreme necessity. Surely, there are many who misguide people on the basis of their desires without having knowledge. Surely, your Lord is the best Knower of those who cross the limits.” (Qurʿān 6:119)
The intellectual giant, Sh. Ashraf ‘Alī Thānwī (may Allāh’s mercy be with him) also indicates this ruling in his famous manual, ‘Bahishtī Zewar’ – Heavenly Ornaments.
And Allāh Knows Best.
