Ruling on medicines that are derived from dead meat

Praise be to Allah.

It is not permissible to use dead meat for purposes of medication, because it was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has not put the cure for my ummah in something that He has forbidden to them.” 

Ibn al-Qayyim said: Treating disease with haraam things is offensive from the point of view both of common sense and sharee’ah. With regard to the sharee’ah, this is because of the hadeeth quoted above. With regard to common sense, it is because Allaah has forbidden it because of its abhorrent nature. He would not forbid anything good to this ummah as a punishment, as he forbade things to the Children of Israel when He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“For the wrongdoing of the Jews, We made unlawful for them certain good foods which had been lawful for them” [al-Nisaa’ 4:160]

Rather, Allaah has forbidden what He has forbidden for this ummah because it is bad, and He has forbidden it as a protection for them. So it is not right to use it for healing disease and sickness. Even if it has some effect in removing the sickness, it will be followed by an even greater poison in the heart, because of the strength of the evil contained in it. Using it as medicine leads to replacing the disease in the body with disease in the heart (i.e., spiritual disease)