Can I Consume the Liquid Inside a Soft Gel Capsule?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I have soft gel supplements with a gelatin outer shell and halal inner liquid. I cut the supplement to drink only the liquid, without the gelatin layer. Is this permissible?

Answer

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

Softgel capsules are usually made from gelatin, water, and other ingredients that keep them soft. If the gelatin comes from non-halal animals, or from animals that were not slaughtered according to shariah (dhabiha), the capsule is not halal.

Because the liquid inside the capsule comes into contact with the capsule all the time, some of the gelatin can mix with the liquid.

Therefore, even if you open the capsule and take only the liquid, it would still not be halal. However, if the capsule is made from plant-based ingredients or fish collagen, it would be considered halal.

Soft Gel Capsules

Softgels are generally produced from animal gelatin, which is extracted from bovine, porcine, or fish collagen, or from plant-based options such as modified cellulose and starch, making them suitable for vegetarians.

The shell typically includes plasticizers such as glycerin or sorbitol, along with water to maintain flexibility, with optional colorants or opacifiers added.

What About Hard Gel Capsules?

Hard capsules are made separately and filled later. Even if made from non-dhabiha gelatin, the medication inside can be taken if removed from the capsule. Consult a doctor first and ask for non-capsulated options if available.

Allah Most High says: “O mankind: Eat of all that is on earth, lawful and delicious, and follow not eagerly the steps of the Devil; Verily he is your open foe.” [Quran 2:168; Keller, The Quran Beheld]

Principle of Transfer of Impurity

Impurity (najasa) transfers through contact with moisture in either the impure substance or the object touched.

If the impurity is moist and contacts a dry object, or vice versa, it transfers. But if both are dry, contact alone doesn’t transfer impurity. [Al-Ushi al-Farghani, Al-Fatawa al-Sirajiyya; Walwaliji,Al-Fatawa al-Walijiyya]

Gelatin Capsules

One should always explore alternative gelatin capsules made from seaweed or fish.

If a Muslim doctor advises that not taking the medication will be detrimental to one’s health and that the only option is a gelatinized medicine derived from pork or non-Shariah-slaughtered (dhabiha) animals, then one may take the gelatin capsule.

And Allah knows best.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Related Answers

• What’s the difference between soft and hard Gelatin Explains the sources and manufacturing processes of soft and hard gelatin, and their implications for halal consumption.
• Is It Permissible to Take Medicine That Contains Gelatin? — the contemporary Hanafi position and the necessary conditions.

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.

الكلب إذا أخذ عضو إنسان أو ثوب إنسان إن أخذ في حالة الغضب لا ينجس لأنه يأخذه بالأسنان لا رطوبة فيها وإن أخذ في حالة المزاح ينجس لأنه يأخذه بالأسنان والشفتين وشفتاه رطبة فيتنجس … رجل أصابه طين أو مشى في الطين ولم يغسل قدميه وصلى يجيزه ما لم يكن فيه أثر النجاسة لأن المانع هو النجاسة ولم يوجد إلا أن يحتاط… حصير أصابته النجاسة إن كانت النجاسة يابسة لا بد من الدلك حتى تلين فتزول النجاسة بالغسل وإن كانت رطبة يجري عليها الماء إلا أن يتوهم زوالها لأنه لا طريق لزوالها سوى ذلك وإجراء الماء قد يقام العصر لما قلنا من قبل

الفتاوى الولوالجية، كتاب الطهارة

رجل توضأ ووضع رجليه على أرض نجسة، إن كانت الأرض صلبة وهي يابسة ولم يقف عليها لا شيء عليه، وإن كان موضع قدميه رطبا والرجل يابسة فظهرت الرطوبة في قدميه عليه أن يغسلهما
الفتاوى السراجية، كتاب الطهارة، باب الأنجاس