Question:

What do the scholars and experts of shari’ah say regarding the permissibility of using pig hide for people who have suffered burns?

Answer:

All perfect praise is for Allah ﷻ, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah ﷻ, and that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is His Messenger.

It is an accepted fact in the shari’ah that the eating of pig’s meat and using any part of it for other reasons is forbidden. Allah ﷻ has clearly mentioned this in the Holy Qur’an:

“Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the meat of swine.” (Surah al-Ma’idah:3)

The word used in the Qur’an is ‘Lahm’ which includes the meat, fat, and skin of the pig. From this we can deduce that using the hide of a pig will principally not be allowed, even for medical treatment. The only time using the hide of a pig will be permissible is when no other alternative is available. In that situation care should be taken in the amount used.

This exception is based on the legal maxim: Necessities make the impermissible permissible. However, this will still be governed by the actual need not one’s personal choice.

And Allah ﷻ knows best.

This fatwa is written by Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Munir Al-Azhari