Short Answer

All ingredients derived from a pig such as gelatin are forbidden to consume. However, when there is a medical need, then porcine-derived components (such as porcine gelatin or porcine heparin) are allowed only if: 1) there is no alternative medicine easily available 2) the illness is causing severe discomfort or disfunction in your body 3) it is not an experimental medicine which is unsure to work.

What the Scholars Said

Imam Ibn ‘Abidin in Radd ul-Muhtar ‘ala ad-Durr ul-Mukhtar: “Scholars differed regarding seeking medical treatment with prohibited things. The apparent view of the school was prohibition… However, it is cited in the Fatāwā from several scholars that it is permissible if it is known that it contains a cure and no other alternative medicine is found…This was affirmed in al-Hidayah and others, and adopted by many of the later jurists.”

Advice

If an equally effective alternative is available you must get it instead. It is fairly easy to find vegetarian capsules on common medications such as multivitamins, Ibuprofin, etc. Other rare medications are very difficult to find, so they are excused.

Version 0.5 | [Shaykh] Mustafa Umar | 9-8-2026