❖ Shar‘i Rulings on Oils Made from Fat of Dead Animals ❖
✍ Fatwa by: Fadhilat al-Shaykh Abdul Wakeel Nasir ḥafiẓahullāh
Today, various medicinal oils are prepared using fat extracted from dead scorpions, snakes, or similar animals.
Is it permissible to apply such oil to the body?
Is the oil considered impure (najis)?
Can one perform salah (prayer) while it is applied to the body?
Allah ﷻ has provided human beings with multiple resources and means, and Islamic law encourages believers to avoid doubtful and questionable matters.
✔ Shari‘ah instructs us to avoid substances about which there is uncertainty.
✔ Claims about such oils being derived from animal fat are often unverified or speculative.
✔ One should not promote or popularize such oils unless their contents are properly verified.
➤ If such oils are genuinely extracted from the fat of dead animals, and a qualified physician recommends them for external application,
then their topical (external) use is permissible for medical treatment.
➤ Promoting or commercializing such oils as a business is not appropriate.
➤ However, in cases of necessity, it is permissible to manufacture or purchase such oils under the principles of darūrah (necessity) in Shari‘ah.
➤ Declaring any substance impure (najis) requires clear evidence from the Qur’an or Sunnah.
➤ In the case of these medicinal oils, no strong evidence currently exists to declare them definitively impure.
➤ Even if the oil is considered impure, then based on the Qur’anic principle:
"فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ"
“But if one is compelled by necessity—neither desiring it nor exceeding the limit—there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”
(Surah al-Baqarah: 173)
✔ In cases of necessity, using such substances is permissible, based on the Islamic legal maxim:
"الضَّرُورَاتُ تُبِيحُ الْمَحْظُورَاتِ"
“Necessities permit what is otherwise prohibited.”
➤ Its use may be allowed due to medical necessity,
but one must remove it from the body before performing salah.
➤ Then there is no requirement to remove it before prayer.
➤ Salah performed while it is applied to the body is valid and free of objection.
Oils derived from dead animals' fat may be used externally if medically required, but not promoted commercially.
Their impurity is not conclusively established, hence use is permissible in necessity.
If impure, they must be removed before salah; if not impure, prayer is valid without removal.
Shari‘ah encourages caution with doubtful matters while remaining balanced and accommodating in necessity.
✍ Fatwa by: Fadhilat al-Shaykh Abdul Wakeel Nasir ḥafiẓahullāh
◈ Question
Today, various medicinal oils are prepared using fat extracted from dead scorpions, snakes, or similar animals.
Is it permissible to apply such oil to the body?
Is the oil considered impure (najis)?
Can one perform salah (prayer) while it is applied to the body?
◈ General Guidance from Shari‘ah
Allah ﷻ has provided human beings with multiple resources and means, and Islamic law encourages believers to avoid doubtful and questionable matters.
❖ Avoidance of Doubtful Substances
✔ Shari‘ah instructs us to avoid substances about which there is uncertainty.
✔ Claims about such oils being derived from animal fat are often unverified or speculative.
✔ One should not promote or popularize such oils unless their contents are properly verified.
◈ Shar‘i Principles and Rulings
✔ Permissibility of Use
➤ If such oils are genuinely extracted from the fat of dead animals, and a qualified physician recommends them for external application,
then their topical (external) use is permissible for medical treatment.
✔ Trade and Commercial Use
➤ Promoting or commercializing such oils as a business is not appropriate.
➤ However, in cases of necessity, it is permissible to manufacture or purchase such oils under the principles of darūrah (necessity) in Shari‘ah.
◈ Ruling Regarding Impurity (Najāsah)
✔ Clear Evidence Required for Declaring Impurity
➤ Declaring any substance impure (najis) requires clear evidence from the Qur’an or Sunnah.
➤ In the case of these medicinal oils, no strong evidence currently exists to declare them definitively impure.
✔ If Deemed Najis
➤ Even if the oil is considered impure, then based on the Qur’anic principle:
"فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ"
“But if one is compelled by necessity—neither desiring it nor exceeding the limit—there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”
(Surah al-Baqarah: 173)
✔ In cases of necessity, using such substances is permissible, based on the Islamic legal maxim:
"الضَّرُورَاتُ تُبِيحُ الْمَحْظُورَاتِ"
“Necessities permit what is otherwise prohibited.”
◈ Ruling Concerning Salah (Prayer)
✔ If the Oil Is Najis:
➤ Its use may be allowed due to medical necessity,
but one must remove it from the body before performing salah.
✔ If the Oil Is Not Najis:
➤ Then there is no requirement to remove it before prayer.
➤ Salah performed while it is applied to the body is valid and free of objection.
◈ For Further Reference:
- Bidayat al-Mujtahid
- Al-Majmū‘ by Imam Nawawī رحمه الله
◈ Summary
Oils derived from dead animals' fat may be used externally if medically required, but not promoted commercially. Their impurity is not conclusively established, hence use is permissible in necessity. If impure, they must be removed before salah; if not impure, prayer is valid without removal. Shari‘ah encourages caution with doubtful matters while remaining balanced and accommodating in necessity.