women and children, although deliberately killing them is forbidden. There are many similar examples in Islamic law. And Allah knows best.

He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

A man was prescribed pig fat for an illness he had. Is this permissible for him or not?

He replied:

Treating an illness by consuming pig fat is not permissible. As for applying it to the body as a treatment and then washing it off, this depends on whether direct contact with impure substances outside prayer is permissible. There is a well-known disagreement concerning this, but the correct view is that it is permissible when there is a need, just as a man may use his hand to cleanse himself after relieving himself or to remove an impure substance.

Whatever is permitted on account of need may be used for medical treatment. Thus, wearing silk as a treatment is permissible according to the more correct of the two scholarly views. However, whatever is permitted only out of dire necessity, such as unclean foods, may not be used for medical treatment, just as drinking wine for treatment is not permissible—especially according to those who say that they used to use the fat of dead animals to coat ships and grease hides