and burn it in lamps, and that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—approved of their doing so. He only prohibited them from taking payment for it. For this reason, those who do not consider the hides of dead animals to be purified by tanning nevertheless permit their use for dry materials, according to the more correct of the two views, and for liquids that the hides do not render impure.

He was asked:

Is using wine, pork, and other prohibited substances for medical treatment permissible out of necessity? Does the following verse permit what has been mentioned, or not?

“He has already explained to you what He has forbidden you, except that to which you are compelled by necessity.”

He replied:

Using these substances for medical treatment is not permissible. Indeed, it is established in the Sahīh:

“The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was asked about using wine for medical treatment. He said: ‘It is a disease, not a remedy.’”

And in the Sunan collections:

“He forbade treatment with unclean substances and said: ‘Allah has not placed my community’s cure in what He has forbidden them.’”

This is not a case of necessity, since recovery through such substances is not certain, whereas satisfying hunger by eating prohibited meat is certain. Moreover, recovery is not confined to a single means; rather, it can be achieved through various kinds