Question: [This is] a question from a man in Europe. He bought a jacket and then it became clear to him that it was from pig skin. So what is the ruling on it? If it is haram, is it permissible for him to gift it to a Christian?
Answer: “This question has two angles. The first angle: is his prayer valid with this skin or not? The second angle, if it is haram, can he gift it to a polytheist or Christian? I say: both affairs are permissible. The prayer is valid and owning this garment which has pig skin [is permissible] because the Messenger of Allah placed a general principle. He (ﷺ) said:
كل إهاب دبغ فقد طهر
Every skin that is tanned, then it has been made pure
and
أيما إهاب دبغ فقد طهر
Any skin tanned, then it has been made pure
[Saheeh Tirmidhi no. 1728]
Pig skin enters into that and this from the instances of dispute [in fiqh]. Following this and what is more deserving is also dog skin. This is because this is from the differences of opinion and also fox skin, tiger skin, lion skin, etc. As long as this skin is tanned, then it is pure, especially since the art of tanning in this current time is more refined, superior, purer, and cleaner by a lot than tanning using Acacia tree and salt and the likes of that from the primitive, natural means. So like that, this skin from which a jacket is made or something else, it is pure and it is permissible to wear and it is permissible to pray in. It is permissible to give it to disbeliever”.
[Silsiltul-Huda wan-Nur no.231]
Translator’s Note:
Likewise, pig hair is pure according to the stronger opinion.
Shaikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “The most correct opinion is the purity of all hairs: dogs or pigs and other than them. Unlike [their] saliva. Based on this, if the hair of a dog is wet and it touches the cloth of a person, then there is not anything upon him. As is the mathahb of the majority of the jurists: Abu Hanifa, Malik, Ahmad in one of the two reports from him. That is because the origin of things is permissibility and it is not allowed to declare something impure nor make it unlawful without an evidence as He, the Exalted said:
وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُمْ مَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ
While He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except under compulsion of necessity? [6:119]
And:
وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِلَّ قَوْمًا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَاهُمْ حَتَّى يُبَيِّنَ لَهُمْ مَا يَتَّقُونَ
And Allah will never lead a people astray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them as to what they should avoid [9:115]
The Prophet (ﷺ) in the Saheeh Hadith:
أَعْظَمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ جُرْمًا مَنْ سَأَلَ عَنْ أَمْرٍ لَمْ يُحَرَّمْ فَحُرِّمَ عَلَى النَّاسِ مِنْ أَجْلِ مَسْأَلَتِهِ
The greatest sinner of the Muslims amongst Muslims is one who asked about a certain thing which had not been prohibited and it was prohibited because of his asking about it [Saheeh Muslim no. 2358]
And in the Sunan from Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) marfoo’ and some have made it Mawqoof that he said:
الْحَلاَلُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَالْحَرَامُ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَمَا سَكَتَ عَنْهُ فَهُوَ مِمَّا عَفَا عَنْهُ
What is lawful is that which Allah has permitted, in His Book and what is unlawful is that which Allah has forbidden in His Book. What He remained silent about is what is pardoned [Saheeh Ibn Majah no. 2731]
[Majmoo’ Fatawa (21/617)]
Translated by
Faisal bin Abdul Qaadir bin Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
