Is WD-40 Permissible if It Contains Animal Fats?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I asked the company of WD-40 about the ingredients, and they stated it contains fatty acids from animal fats (don’t know which animal or specific ingredient). This product is widely used by mechanics, even on door hinges in cars and homes. Lots of people use it.

If this is filthy, it can create hardship for many people. Can I assume “fatty acids” are from pure animal or have istihala?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health.

WD-40 and similar industrial products are widely considered permissible because they are intended for external, non-human items that are neither consumed nor worn.

Additionally, fatty acids used in industrial products like WD-40 are often chemically processed—distilled, hydrogenated, or saponified—to break them down into compounds with new structures.

Esteemed Muftis qualify these types of industrial products as chemical transformation (istihala), necessity, and public predicament (umam al-balwa) since they are widely used in the industry. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; Zayla‘i, Tabyin al-Haqa’iq]

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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.