Ruling on using blood meal fertiliser or derivatives thereof

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

Your question may refer to two types of fertiliser, not just one type.

The first type is dried blood, which is known as blood meal. It is an inert powder made from the blood of animals, such as cattle, or also of pigs. Some substances are added to it, so that it may be used as an organic fertiliser that is rich in nitrogen. People use it in their home gardens, by adding it to poor soil that has been exhausted as a result of repeated planting. This fertiliser helps plants to grow quickly and vigorously, and it nourishes them with the nutrients that they need.

There follow some scientific references that explain the composition of this type of fertiliser:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_meal

https://wqww.feedipedia.ord/node/221

https://ar.wikipedia.ord/wiki/%D%8AF%D85%9_%D%85%9D%8AC%D%81%9D81%9

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to-/soil-fertilizers/blood-meal-fertilizer.htm

The second type is called CHASE ORGANIC TOMATO FEED.

This is a fertiliser that is made by one particular company, and is used to accelerate the growth of tomatoes. It is made of permissible organic compounds: seaweed, sugar, and amino acids extracted from dried blood by means of hydrolysis.

This fertiliser is not actual dried blood; rather it contains amino acids extracted from dried blood through a specific chemical process called hydrolysis. This becomes clear by reading the details mentioned on the following link:

http://www.organiccatalogue.com/p1229/CHASE-ORGANIC-TOMATO-FEED-5Litres/product_info.html

There follows the link for a master’s thesis about this type of amino acids:

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/53924/2142/studyofaminoacid00marq.pdf?sequence=2

Secondly:

The fuqaha’ differed concerning the ruling on irrigating crops with impure (najis) water, or using impurities (such as dung or other impurities) to fertilize the soil and make it suitable for agriculture. There are two views:

The first view is that there is nothing wrong with fertilising plants using impurities or impure water, and the crops will still be wholesome, permissible and pure. This is the view of the majority of Hanafi, Maaliki and Shaafa‘i fuqaha’.

It says in Haashiyat Ibn ‘Aabideen (6/340):

In Abu’s-Su‘ood it says: Crops irrigated with impurities are not haraam or makrooh according to most of the fuqaha’.

Al-Khurashi al-Maaliki (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Among the things that are pure are crops that are irrigated with impure water.

What may be meant is crops that are in contact with impurities (for the purpose of fertilisation).

We stated above that Ibn al-Qaasim regarded it as permissible to irrigate crops with impure water, which indicates that the crops are pure, because if they were to be deemed impure because of the water, he would not have permitted any of that. End quote. From this is derived the ruling that it is permissible to irrigate crops with impure water.

End quote from Sharh Mukhtasar Khaleel by al-Khurashi (1/88)

Imam an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

It is permissible to fertilise the soil with dung, which is impure. Imam al-Haramayn said: No one disallowed it.

But in the words of as-Saydalaani there is something that may indicate otherwise.

The correct view is that it is definitively permissible, although it is makrooh.

End quote from al-Majmoo‘ Sharh al-Muhadhdhab (4/448)

The second view:

Is that crops that have been irrigated with impure water or fertilised with impure fertiliser are haraam, and the ruling is that the crops are impure too. This is the view of the Hanbalis.

Al-Bahooti (may Allah have mercy on him) says:

Whatever crops or fruits are irrigated with something impure, or fertilised with something impure, which is usually used to help the crops grow, whether it is in the form of dust or dung, are haraam and become impure as a result of that.

That is because of the report narrated by Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: We used to rent out the land of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to others (for something in return), and we would stipulate that they should not fertilise it with human excrement. Were it not for the fact that the produce becomes haraam as a result of that, there would be no reason for stipulating this condition.

And because the different parts of the plants would be nourished by impurity and the transformation process does not purify, in our view.

But if the fruits or crops are watered – after having being irrigated or fertilised with impure substances – with something that is pure and removes the impure substance, then they become pure and halaal.

End quote from Kashshaaf al-Qinaa‘ (6/194)

Al-Murdawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Crops and fruits that are irrigated with impure water are prohibited and become impure as a result of that. This is our view, as was stated by the majority of our companions.

Ibn ‘Aqeel said: It is not impure or prohibited; rather it becomes pure by means of the process of transformation. This was confirmed in at-Tabsirah.

End quote from al-Insaaf (10/368)

Previously on our website we have favoured the view of the majority of scholars, which is that it is permissible to fertilise crops with manure and similar substances that are beneficial to the soil and the crops, whether these things are impure in and of themselves, or became impure as a result of being mixed with something else, or are pure.

Thirdly:

Thus it is known that there is nothing wrong with using dried blood or fertiliser that contains substances derived from dried blood, because the most that can be said concerning these fertilisers is that they are impure, and fertilising the soil with impure fertilisers is permissible according to the majority of scholars.

However it is essential to adhere to health guidelines and regulations that control such matters, so that this will not result in any harm to people.

Having said that, it is more appropriate to rule that it is permissible to use this fertiliser, when we know that it goes through a process of transformation and production processes that change its components and essence, thus it is transformed from impure to pure.

And Allah knows best.