I live in a non-Muslim county. Most of the food, vitamins, and medicines available are made of things like gelatin and other components that might be made from pig fats. Sometimes it's really hard to avoid this food. Is it Haraam to take such foods, vitamins and medicines?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

It is forbidden to consume food, drinks or medicines that are known to include forbidden ingredients like pig or dead animal extracts or other forbidden items, because of the general evidences which prohibit us from eating pork, dead animals and all other impurities. We have already issued Fataawa 86671, 89340 and 82089 in this regard, so please refer to them.

Finally, the following two matters should be mentioned:

1)     If these impure items were treated before being added to food items or drinks, to an extent that they have been transformed to other materials and there is no trace of impurity left in them, then a group of scholars are of the view that they become permissible because when an impurity is transformed it becomes pure.

2)     A Muslim is required to seek lawful food and drinks and he is obliged to fear Allaah as much as possible.

For more details, please refer to Fatwa 86405 on the ruling of residing in a non-Muslim country.

Allaah Knows best.