Is Rennet permitted? YES!! Let me eat my UK chocolates please :)
Nazir Khaki
You have asked about rennet derived from the animal which was not killed
in Islamic way (zabiha). I had written an article in 1989 and will just
summarize the relevant parts in answer to your question:
Rennet or renin is tahir (pak) and halal even if it is obtained from the
stomach of an animal which has not been slaughtered Islamically.
An animal not slaughtered Islamically is known as maytah. Maytah is one of
the `ayn najis (inherently unclean) things, so how can rennet extracted
from a maytah be considered tahir? It is true that maytah is considered
`ayn najis, but our mujtahids unanimously have declared that certain parts
of the maytah are exempted from the najasat and are to be considered
tahir. One of such parts of a maytah is rennet, known in Arabic as anfaha
or minfaha. (See al-Khu'i, Minhaju 's-Salihiyn, vol. 1, p. 109; masala No.
393 in the chap. on taharat. This is also in the new edition of
as-Sistani. For the view of other mujtahids of our time, see Sayyid Kazim
al-Yazdi at-Tabatabai, al-`Urwatu 'l-Wuthqa, p. 20-21.)
Not only is the anfaha considered tahir, it is also considered halal. (See
Minhaj, vol. 2, p. 336; masalah No. 1691 in the chap. on food and drink.)
This is not a new fatwa or a new mas`alah; our Imams (a.s.) have given
clear guidance on this issue in quite a few ahadith. I will just quote
some parts of a conversation between Qatadah and Imam Muhammad al-Baqir
(a.s.).
Qatadah: Tell me (the law) about cheese.
Imam (a.s.): There is no problem in it.
Qatadah: But sometimes the anfaha (rennet) from a maytah is put into it.
Imam (a.s.): Still there is no problem in it because there are no veins in
it nor any blood or bones; it comes out from between the intenstine and
the blood vessels. The case of anfaha is similar to that of an egg which
comes out of a dead chicken. Would you eat that egg? Qatadah: No; nor
would I tell others to eat it.
Imam (a.s.) And why is that?
Qatadah: Because the egg is from a maytah.
Imam (a.s.): But if you hatch that same egg and a chicken comes out of it,
would you eat it?
Qatadah: Yes.
Imam (a.s.): "Now, what has made the egg haram for you but made the chicken
halal for you?! Similarly, the anfaha is like the egg [from the maytah but
halal]..." (Wasa'ilu 'sh-Shi`ah, vol. 16, p. 364)
Yours in Islam,
Sayyid M. Rizvi
Very important and it's not a joke as you can see from the BBC link. Rennet usually comes from pig's intestines. !!!
Dear all,
All the below Master food Company C hocolate Products (Mars) are no longer Halal. They started using Animal product rennet in it for products that have expiry date after 1st of October 2007.
Check this article from BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/h i /business/6653175.stmAnd this from the Vegetarian Society
http://www.vegsoc.org/new s /2007/mars.html� Bounty
� Celebrations
� Dove Chocolate
� Flyte
� Galaxy
� Kudos ( North America)
� Lockets
� M-Azing ( North America)
� Maltesers
� M&M's
� Mars Bar
� Mars Delight
� Milky Way
� Minstrels ( UK only)
� Mars Planets (newly introduced in UK)
� Skittles
� Snickers (The top-selling candy bar in the United States. Known in the UK as Marathon until 1990.)
� Starburst (Originally Opal Fruits in the UK.)
� 3 Musketeers ( North America)
� Topic
� Twix
� Snicker's Marathon Energy Bar
� Aqua Drops
please forward this message to your friends.
Thanks
Very important and it's not a joke as you can see from the BBC link. Rennet usually comes from pig's intestines. !!!
Dear all,
All the below Master food Company Chocolate Products (Mars) are no longer Halal. They started using Animal product rennet in it for products that have expiry date after 1st of October 2007.
Check this article from BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/h i /business/6653175.stm
And this from the Vegetarian Society
http://www.vegsoc.org/new s /2007/mars.html
� Bounty
� Celebrations
� Dove Chocolate
� Flyte
� Galaxy
� Kudos (North America)
� Lockets
� M-Azing (North America)
� Maltesers
� M&M's
� Mars Bar
� Mars Delight
� Milky Way
� Minstrels (UK only)
� Mars Planets (newly introduced in UK)
� Skittles
� Snickers (The top-selling candy bar in the United States. Known in the UK as Marathon until 1990.)
� Starburst (Originally Opal Fruits in the UK.)
� 3 Musketeers (North America)
� Topic
� Twix
� Snicker's Marathon Energy Bar
� Aqua Drops
please forward this message to your friends.
Thanks
--
"Cold does not exist; it describes the absence of heat.
Darkness does not exist; it describes the absence of light.
Evil does not exist; it describes the absence of faith."