Question

My wife is very deficient of Vit D. The doctor has prescribed the Vit D Capsule.

And the source of vit d is Either Cod liver oil in GELATIN capsule (don’t halal animal’s or not) Or Cholecalciferol extracted from lanolin found in sheep’s wool. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholecalciferol#Industrial_production

So will it be permissible to CONSUME any of these for MEDICAL REASONS ?

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Commercially the gelatin used in most of the capsules and medication is animal based. This is not to say that there are no commercial products which may use plant or other gelatin. Since animal gelatin is so widespread, a Muslim is liable to find out what ingredients are in the medication. Let me try to simplify the issue.

• If the gelatin is from a non-animal source, then it will be permissible.

• If the gelatin is from bones of those animals which are consumable by Muslims, then such gelatin is also halal. Zabiha is not a condition for the gelatin from bones of these animals.

• If the gelatin is from the hide/skin of those animals which are consumable by Muslims, the animal needs to be slaughtered for the gelatin to be considered halal.

• If the gelatin is from bones or skin of animals which we cannot eat (lions, tigers), then that gelatin is not permissible.

• If the gelatin is from any part of pork/pig/swine, it will never be halal.

The best way is to call the company and confirm what type of gelatin is in the product and then make the decision. If one is not able to get such clarification, one should abstain from consuming any such product.

Lanolin from sheep wool will fall under the category of derivatives from such an animal which is consumable by Muslims. Hence lanolin from sheep wool will be halal even if it was not slaughtered in the shar’i manner.¹

In principle, one can only resort to medication through something impermissible when there is no alternative available. Since Vitamin D deficiency is a widely occurring medical condition there are numerous procedures to handle it. In the two choices which you have mentioned, lanolin seems to be safer option. Moreover, you should also consult with your doctor or nutritionist to advise you on a non-animal substitute as indicated by the link which you have provided. ² Your nutritionist may also be able to determine food groups and help you establish a diet plan to increase your specific vitamin D to tackle the deficiency.

And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Faisal bin Abdul Hameed al-Mahmudi
www.fatwa.ca

Concurred by
Mufti Luqman Hansrot
www.efiqh.com