I was wondering what the Islamic stand point is when it comes to health products/Medicine that are either in a base of alcohol or a gelatin capsule derived from pork? Most allopathic medicine in capsule form is derived from pork and some natural medicine also. As a Nutritionist I was wondering if the sale of these items containing pork or alcohol are Halaal based on the circumstances of it being medicinal and also if the consumption of it is permissible. I know that wherever I go allopathic medicine seems to be approved of under these circumstances. Al-hamdulillaah, I prefer natural medicine as a means of prevention as Allaah has created everything in perfect harmony. Also to treat disease and illness with natural medicine directly treats the underlying cause rather than conventional merely treating the symptoms and causing innumerable side effects. By the way, it would be both non-Muslims and Muslims that I would be consulting and selling to.

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 not permissible to use medicine the ingredients of which are extracted from gelatine derived from pork or ingredients extracted from intoxicants. Pork is impure and it is forbidden, the same thing applies to intoxicants as it is the basis of drunkenness. Intoxicants are impure according to the most preponderant opinion of the scholars. This ruling means that gelatine or intoxicants are forbidden if they were not completely transformed when being produced in a way that they did not remain in their original state. However, if they were completely transformed from their original condition then there is no harm in using this medicine.

Finally, the following two matters should be mentioned:

1.     In principle medicines do not contain forbidden ingredients. So if it is not stated among the ingredients that they include something impure then it should not be ruled that they contain something impure so that people would not be in doubt and confusion.

2.     There is no harm, Allaah willing, for a Muslim to deal with non-Muslims in buying and selling and the like, as long as this is within what is Islamicly permissible.

Allaah Knows best.