Gelatin in Halal Pharmceutical Products

Concomitantly, withthe increase of the Muslim population in the world, halalawarenesshas been on the rise.A lot ofhalal industries have emerged nowadays, and among them are halalpharmaceuticals. However, with the advancement of technology, gelatin-based products have been widely developed and are being used in the pharmaceutical industry.Its halalstatus can thusbe questionable (mashbooh).This paper aims to study the Islamic perspective on gelatin-based products in pharmaceuticals. The study uses a qualitative method which involves literature review from al-Quran, as-Sunnah, articlesinjournals, and other references from the internet that can be trusted as credible data sources. In addition, the methodology of this study includesresearching the istihalah method and fatwain Malaysia to determine the halalstatus of gelatin in pharmaceutical products. This paper also focuses on the Malaysian Standard of Halal Pharmaceuticals-General Requirements (MS 2424:2019) and the Malaysian Halal Certification Procedure Manual-Domestic 2020 (MPPHM 2020). The findingsof this study show that gelatin mostly originatefrom animal sources. Therefore, its halalstatus can be questionable even if it comes from permitted animals such as cows or chickens. This is because the animals are only considered halalif they areslaughtered according tothe precepts ofIslamic law. In order to addresssuch religious concerns, there havebeena lot of research on the alternatives to animal gelatin such as from marine sources and plant-based sources. From the Islamic perspective, the use of gelatin from marine sources and animals that have been slaughtered according to Islamic rules is halal. However, gelatin which are sourced frompork and its derivatives are still haramafter going the process of istihalah because its chemical substances remain the same and unchanged even after istihalah. Nevertheless, during an emergency, it may bepermissible to consumemedication containing pork gelatinif there is no replacement or alternative for pork gelatin even if it is from haramsources.