Is It Permissible to Consume Albumin Containing Porridge for Gastric Study?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question

A gastric-emptying study I need for diagnosis requires eating porridge containing albumin, which I understand to be a protein found in human blood. My appointment is on 6 August. May I eat it?

Answer

You have been facing illness for a long time. You should not have to carry the added worry of a legal ruling into your appointment. Go ahead with the study. You may eat the porridge and have the test done.

There are three points that clarify this, and the first may resolve your concern completely. Albumin is not a single substance, but a group. Albumin from egg white is pure and lawful, with no issue. Recombinant albumin is produced in a laboratory.

Only serum albumin comes from blood. It is best to call the department and ask which type they use. For two of the three, there is no issue at all.

If it is serum albumin, the prohibition is narrower than you think. Allah Most High has made blood unlawful to consume [Quran 5:3; Keller, The Quran Beheld].

But Imam Jassas points out that the general wording is specified by the verse that names “poured-forth blood,” and concludes: “that shows that what is unlawful of blood is the poured-forth blood and not other than it.” [Jassas, Ahkam al-Quran]

Ibn Nujaym then lists ten kinds of blood that are not impure at all. [Ibn Nujaym, al-Ashbah wa’l-Nazair] A purified protein separated from serum does not flow in the blood.

Add to this that our school holds transformation to purify: “substances are purified by transformation, as carrion that becomes salt, filth that becomes earth, and wine that becomes vinegar.” [Mulla Khusraw, Durar al-Hukkam]

And even leaving all of that aside, your medical need settles it.

Our jurists permit treating with the otherwise-unlawful “when it is known that a cure lies in it and no other remedy is known, just as wine was permitted to the man dying of thirst, and this is the position given in fatwa.” [al-Hawi al-Qudsi, cited in Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Mulla Khusraw states the mechanism: “the necessity lifts the prohibition, so he is not one treating himself with the unlawful.” [Mulla Khusraw, Durar al-Hukkam] Diagnosis is part of treatment, and prolonged weight loss with a BMI in the range. Two limits to keep in mind before proceeding, not a preference.

Two limits, and then Go

The general rule is that what is permitted by necessity is limited to what is needed. First, ask if a non-albumin version of the study is available. If a lawful alternative exists and is reasonably available, you should choose that. Second, the dispensation applies only to this study and does not extend beyond it.

If there is no alternative, attend your appointment on 6 August with a heavy heart. Seeking a diagnosis is an act of gratitude for the body Allah has entrusted to you. There is no sin upon you for eating what is needed for your treatment. May Allah grant you a complete cure, and may these months of difficulty be a means of reward for you.

And Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani

Related SeekersGuidance Answers

Is It Permissible to Use Medicine With Haram Ingredients? — Surveys the Hanafi difference and the apparently conflicting hadiths, and sets out the conditions on which the majority permit it: the medicine is reasonably known to be effective and needed, no permissible alternative is reasonably available, and this is established by an expert, upright physician.

Can I Use Medicine Containing Gelatine If My Body Can’t Tolerate Anything Else? — The starting point is to seek permissible alternatives, but where none exist, or the available ones cause real harm or are insufficiently effective, resorting to the impermissible to the extent needed is permitted [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar].

Is it Permissible to Use a Haram Medication if Halal is Ineffective? — A short Hanafi answer on a chronic, non-life-threatening condition: the unlawful medicine becomes permitted only once a qualified expert confirms the need and that no effective, suitable lawful alternative exists.

Can I Prescribe Medication With Gelatin When a Less-Efficacious Alternative Is Available? — Weighs a lawful but less effective option against a better one containing gelatin, and holds that where the difference in outcome is genuine, the better medicine may be used, with the patient informed and given the choice.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is a recognized specialist scholar in the Islamic sciences, having studied under leading scholars from around the world. He is the Founder and Executive Director of SeekersGuidance.

Shaykh Faraz stands as a distinguished figure in Islamic scholarship. His journey in seeking knowledge is marked by dedication and depth. He spent ten years studying under some of the most revered scholars of our times. His initial studies took place in Damascus. He then continued in Amman, Jordan.

In Damascus, he was privileged to learn from the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas. Shaykh Adib al-Kallas was renowned as the foremost theologian of his time. Shaykh Faraz also studied under Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi in Damascus. Shaykh Hassan is recognized as one of the leading Hanafi jurists of our era.

Upon completing his studies, Shaykh Faraz returned to Canada in 2007. His return marked a new chapter in his service to the community. He founded SeekersGuidance. The organization reflects his commitment to spreading Islamic knowledge. It aims to be reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible. This mission addresses both online and on-the-ground needs.

Shaykh Faraz is also an accomplished author. His notable work includes “Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School.” This book, published by White Thread Press in 2004, is a significant contribution to Islamic literature.

His influence extends beyond his immediate community. Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been recognized as one of the 500 most influential Muslims. This recognition comes from the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. It underscores his impact on the global Islamic discourse.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s life and work embody a profound commitment to Islamic scholarship. His teachings continue to enlighten and guide seekers of knowledge worldwide.

«النصوص» · Source-Texts

[الجصاص، أحكام القرآن]
«فلو لم يرد في تحريمه غير هاتين الآيتين لاقتضى ذلك تحريم سائر الدماء قليلها وكثيرها، فلما قال في آية أخرى: {قل لا أجد في ما أوحي إلي محرما على طاعم يطعمه إلا أن يكون ميتة أو دما مسفوحا} دل ذلك على أن المحرم من الدم هو المسفوح دون غيره»

[ابن نجيم، الأشباه والنظائر]
«والدماء كلها نجسة؛ إلا دم الشهيد، والدم الباقي في اللحم المهزول إذا قطع، والباقي في العروق، والباقي في الكبد والطحال، ودم قلب الشاة، وما لم يسيل من بدن الإنسان على المختار، ودم البق ودم البراغيث ودم القمل ودم السمك. فالمستثنى عشرة»

[منلا خسرو، درر الحكام شرح غرر الأحكام — الاستحالة]
«لا رماد قذر ولا ملح كان حمارا فإنهما ليسا بنجسين لتبدل الحقيقة فيهما فإن الأعيان تطهر بالاستحالة كالميتة إذا صارت ملحا، والعذرة إذا صارت ترابا، والخمر خلا ونحو ذلك»

[منلا خسرو، درر الحكام شرح غرر الأحكام — التداوي بالمحرم]
«وفي النهاية أنه يجوز التداوي بالمحرم كالخمر والبول إذا أخبره طبيب مسلم أن فيه شفاء ولم يجد غيره من المباح ما يقوم مقامه والحرمة ترتفع للضرورة فلم يكن متداويا بالحرام»

[الحاوي القدسي، نقلاً في ابن عابدين، رد المحتار — مطلب في التداوي بالمحرم]
«وقيل يرخص كما رخص في شرب الخمر للعطشان وأكل الميتة في المخمصة وهو الفتوى… قوله (ولم يعلم دواء آخر) هذا المصرح به في عبارة النهاية»

[مجلة الأحكام العدلية، المادة ٢٢ — ومعها المنهاج الوجيز]
«الضرورات تقدر بقدرها… فإذا اضطر الإنسان لمحظور فليس له أن يتوسع في المحظور، بل يقتصر منه على قدر ما تندفع به الضرورة»