Selling Items of Pig Skin
The Dietary Shari‘ah
Question asked by .
Answered by Dr. Shehzad Saleem
Question:

Is it permissible to use items made from pig-skin such as shoes for example .



Answer:

Yes, it is permissible to use items made from pigskin. Only eating pork is prohibited.

We know that the meat of a dead animal is prohibited. Once the Prophet (sws) saw a dead goat rotting at a place. He expressed his wonder and remarked that eating such an animal is definitely prohibited, but using it for some other purpose like tanning its hide for use is perfectly allowed:

A goat was given in charity to Maymūnah’s maid. The goat died. [It so happened that] the Prophet (sws) passed by. [Seeing the dead goat], he said: Would that you had taken its hide, tanned it and then made use of it. People said: It is a dead animal. At this the Prophet declared: Only eating it is forbidden. (Muslim, Kitābu’l-Hayd)

The Prophet’ wife Sawdah reports:

One of our goats died. We tanned its hide. Then we used it for storing nabīdh1 in it until it became a [hard] drinking vessel. (Bukhārī, Kitābu’l-Imān)

 

 

1. An Arabian drink.

   
 
For Questions on Islam, please use our