Question

I have tried all other medication to treat my acne I was finally admitted to a specialist dermatologist. They prescriped me accutane as a last resort drug but it has gelatine in it. If it’s the last resort and there is no other treatment, am I allowed to take it?

Answer

As we are not aware of the extent and consequence of your acne it is difficult for us to provide an exact answer. For this reason we will provide an overview of the rules in this regard.

Whether or not you can take the medication would depend on the source of gelatine. If it is derived from bovine sources then it would be permissible to take. If it is derived from porcine sources then it would not be permissible to take except in cases of necessity. Necessity here means a threat to life or a major limb of the body. If the acne is to such a degree that without treatment you would not be able to live a normal life or there would be severe permanent scarring which to some degree would disfigure your facial feature, then there maybe scope to utilise such medication.

You will be able to identify the source by contacting the manufacturers of the medication. Details are usually provided on the box.

You may also want to look into alternative treatment not provided by the NHS. There are a variety of cosmetic treatments available to help with severe acne. If these treatments do not violate any religious principle and you are able to afford them you may want to consider them as an alternative to the above mentioned medication.

البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق ومنحة الخالق وتكملة الطوري (1/ 109( وَفِيهِ مَسْأَلَةُ جِلْدِ الْمَيْتَةِ بَعْدَ الدِّبَاغِ هَلْ يَجُوزُ أَكْلُهُ إذَا كَانَ جِلْدُ حَيَوَانٍ مَأْكُولِ اللَّحْمِ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ نَعَمْ؛ لِأَنَّهُ طَاهِرٌ كَجِلْدِ الشَّاةِ الْمُذَكَّاةِ وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: لَا يَجُوزُ أَكْلُهُ، وَهُوَ الصَّحِيحُ لِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى {حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ} [المائدة: 3[

فقه البيوع 307:1

وبما أن عظم حیوان غیر مذگی طاهر، وأن جلده يطهر بالدباغ، فإن الجيلاتين المتخذ منهما طاهر، ويجوز استعماله في غير الأكل باتفاق الحنفية. أما استعماله في الأكل، فالصحيح المفتی به عند الحنفية أنه لا يجوز، ولكن هناك قول عند الحنفية والشافعية في جواز أكله. ويسوغ العمل به للتداوي بالكيبسولات المتخذة من الجيلاتين، بشرط أن لا تكون متخذة من جلد الخنزير أو عظمه. أما في غير التداوي، فينبغي الاجتناب من أكله، ما لم تثبت استحالتها. أما البيع والشراؤ، فيجوز في غير المتخذ من الخنزير، لأنه طاهر حسبما ذكرناه، والانتفاع به ممکن بطریق مشروع. والله سبحانه وتعالى أعلم.

Answered by:
Ifta Research Fellow

Checked & Approved by:
Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Mufti Zubair Patel