Food & Nourishment,- Ruling on using foods which contain pork-derived substances and how to deal with them.

"The mentioned above numbers according to Muslim scientists are
substances that have been transformed into totally different
substances. They cannot have their original attributes and thus they
cannot be named according to the originalsubstance they are madeof.
This chemical or natural transformation made the substance into
another one. It is permissible then to eat products containing those
substances after it loses its original attributes. The Muslim scholars
know that transformation cancels prohibition. An example of this was
given by the known scholar imam ibntaymiyah :" if a pig or a dog falls
into a saltcellar and transformed under the effect of salt until it
loses its original attributes, it is permissible to use this salt"
this is a known rule to the early Muslim scholars. They used
transformation as a way to make some impermissible things permissible.
What is haram is to use products that contain pork fat or meat, as fat
does not normally change by heating or boiling. So if it is written on
the coverof the product that it contains pork fat or animals fat, this
makes the particular product impermissible to eat, and it is haram to
eat it for the mentioned reason"
Do I have to search on the covers of all productsI buy? And how can we
know the haram substances? If these numbers are not prohibited, then
what is their purpose? A common person does not understand some of
these numbers, and some products may contain these substancesbut they
will not be written on the cover.
Is it correct that if the mentioned substances exist in a product but
in small proportion, it becomes halal? And what if we do not know the
exact proportion?
What is your opinion regarding who says that some firms feed turkeys
with pork products?
Will I be sinful if I eat a product that I found it contains one of a
substance that maybe extracted from pork? Will I be sinful if I eat a
product and after eatingit discover that it contains one of the
mentioned numbers referring that it maybe extracted from pork?
I apologise for this long question. May Allah reward you greatly!.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
One of the things that distinguishes the Muslim from others is that he
pays attention to the shar'i rulings that have to do with his life.
That includes his earnings, hisfood, his drink. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated the importance of halaal food
to the Muslim in this world and the Hereafter. He stated that eating
haraam food is a cause of du'aa's not being answered and with regard
to the Hereafter, there is a stern warning to the onewho nourishes his
body with haraam things.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Every
body that is nourished with haraam things, the Fire is more befitting
for it." Narrated by al-Tabaraani; classed as saheeh by Shaykh
al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami' (4519).
The Muslim should beware of eating that which is it not permissible
for him to eat, and he should seek out halaal food, even if it is more
expensive thanother food, and even if obtaining it involves more
effort.
Secondly:
The pig is haraam and najis (impure); it is haraam to eat its meat or
fat, and it is not permissible to eat a littleof it or part of it. If
some parts of its meat or fat is found in bread, food or medicine, it
is haraam toconsume it at all.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas said:
If the Muslim is certain or thinks it most like thatany pork, lard
(pig fat), or ground up pig bones has gotten into his food, medicine,
toothpaste and so on, then it is not permissible for him to eat it or
drink it, or apply it to his skin. Whatever he is uncertainabout, he
should abstainfrom it, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Leave that which makes you doubt for that
which does not make you doubt." End quote.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaaq 'Afeefi, Shaykh
'Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh 'Abd0Allaah ibn Qa'ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (22/281).
Thirdly:
Does the Muslim have to ask and find out before eating any ingredients
ifhe is uncertain about whether there is anything haraam in them?
The scholars of the Standing Committee said: If he is uncertain about
something, he should leave it. Elsewhere (22/285) they said: He should
ask for details because it is obligatory to beware of eating haraam
things.
This is what must be done if the country where those foods and drinks
were manufactured is one where factories are not banned from using
pork derivatives. Those people use a lot of pork by-products such as
lard (pig fat) which they use in many kinds of food, drink, medicines,
pastes and so on.
If the country of manufacture is a Muslim country which bans the use
of pork and its by-products, then the Muslim does not have to research
and enquire and ask about product that is permissible in andof itself,
as it is unlikely that there will be any of these haraam things in it.
Depending on the country where the food is produced or manufactured,
the scholars will say whetherone should enquire or not. Part of
enquiring is asking scientists and experts about the chemical
composition and organic materials. It also includes reading thelists
of ingredients on foods. This is sufficient to make sure, even if it
comes from a kaafir country, because such lists are paid proper
attention to for fear of the laws and penalties. They are slaves to
moneyand do not indulge in lying – in most cases. What is written on
them of symbols and names ofingredients that are not understood should
also be asked about by the one who is able to do that. Knowledge is
available nowadays via many means. The one who trusts them regarding
this matter and trusts what they write can read the list of
ingredients, otherwise he has to enquire further, or avoid it
altogether, which is safer for him.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked:
Is it essential to read the list of ingredients written on food, to
make sure that there areno pork or alcohol related products?
They relied:
Yes, that is essential. End quote.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaaq 'Afeefi.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (22/285)
Fourthly:
Everything mentioned above applies whether there is a little pork or
lard or there is a lot in food, drink or medicine. If that meat or fat
is manufactured in a manner that changes its form, is the prohibition
lifted or does it remain haraam and must be avoided?
The scholars differed concerning that. The scholars of the Standing
Committee for Issuing Fatwas are of the view that the prohibition is
not lifted, and the rulingdoes not change at all. Others – such as the
Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences – disagreed and said that
najis, haraam substancesbecome permissible if they are turned into
something else, and the quality of impurity and the name no longer
apply to them. This is in accordance with what Ibn al-Qayyim (may
Allaah have mercy on him) thought most likely to be correct and what
we think is most likely tobe correct. We have quoted both opinions in
the answer to question no. 97541 .
We should add here thatthis is also the view regarded as more correct
by the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In
their book al-Buhooth al-'Ilmiyyah (3/467), they said:
Similar to that is the purity of that which has been fertilized of
trees and crops with impure things; their fruits are permissible
because of the transformation of the impure substance. Another similar
case is the purity of alcohol which turns into vinegar; it is
permissible to consume it, sell it, drink it and use it in other ways,
after it had been alcohol which it is haraam to drink, sell or buy,
and that is because of this transformation. End quote.
Fifthly:
If a person eats some haraam food and does not know anything about it,
he should avoidthe rest (as soon as he finds out that it is haraam);
he does not have to do anything about what happened inthe past, but he
should be careful in the future.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked:
A man ate pork without realizing, then another man came to him after
he had finished eating and told him that it was pork, and as we know,
pork is haraam for Muslims. What should he do?
They replied:
He does not have to do anything about that, andthere is no sin on him,
because he did not know that it was pork. But he has to be careful and
be cautious in the future. End quote.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaaq 'Afeefi, Shaykh
'Abd-Allaah ibn Qa'ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (22/282, 283)
And Allaah knows best.