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(F 46) I would like to know your opinion regarding sweets or vitamins for children that contain gelatin, which is mostly made in America from pigs. From what I have read, there is a minority of scholars that considers it permissible, as gelatin is chemically processed from parts of the pig, especially fats and bones, and is transformed into another substance, gelatin. Therefore, they say it is halal because it has been processed and transformed into another substance. However, the majority of scholars consider it haram because it is made from pigs, whether it is chemically processed or not.


Any prohibited substance that has been processed to the extent that it has become a new substance that cannot be reverted to its original form is considered pure and has a new ruling. Examples of such substances include wine that has turned into vinegar and a dead animal that has turned into ash. This is the opinion of the majority of Ḥanafiys, Mālikiys, Ẓāhiriys, and a narration from ʼAḥmad, and it is also the opinion of Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him. This is our opinion regarding the question as well. When you hold such candy, you cannot find any trace of gelatin, and you cannot separate it from the candy and revert it to its original state. Therefore, there is no objection to eating and drinking what is described in this way.
Fatwa by Dr. Khālid Naṣr