26th February 2020
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
Question: Is using foot cream or any other cosmetics which contains Urea permissible? Urea contains traces of urine so if not permissible then what about soaps that contain animal fat or pig, is that permissible as well or not?
الجواب حامداً و مصلياً
In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer
There are two parts to your query; urea substance and animal fat and pigs used in soaps. Regarding the first part, the cosmetic products and creams that contain urea ingredient are so to maintain the moisture on to the skin. Our body naturally produces and releases urea through sweat as well as through waste compound such as urine. Urea is a natural moisturiser for our skin that keeps the skin hydrated and healthy. People suffering from skin conditions such as dry skin and eczema do so because of the skin tissue breaking up. As a result, the skin surface releases moisture into the air and lacks water causing dryness and itchiness to the skin. Using emollient creams containing urea compensate for this predicament with a temporary solution by coating the skin surface with an instant moisturiser to rehydrate the skin. By mentioning urea, it gives the obvious impression that the urea ingredient can possibly be derived from animal urine. However, this is not always the case in cosmetic products as urea found in them is synthetically made in laboratories, using raw materials such as ammonia and carbon dioxide.[1]
So, from a Shar’ee viewpoint, there is no harm in using such creams containing synthetically formed substances such as urea as all are considered pure provided that no known impure ingredient is added. Should impure ingredients be added then one must see to it whether physical change has occurred or not. This leads onto the second part of your question that certain soaps contain impurity such as animal fat. If physical change has occurred whereby the traces of the impurity no longer exists then according to the view of Imām Muhammad rahimahullah, one of Imām Abu Haneefah’s rahimahullah senior students, the soap will be ruled as pure. Most Hanafi scholars have adopted this view due to public predicament.[2] This also applies to pig fat that when physical change occurs then the soap is permissible to use.[3]
[Allãh Knows Best]
Written and Researched by (Mufti) Abdul Waheed
Answer Attested by Shaykh Mufti Saiful Islam
JKN Fatawa Department
[1] Some useful links on the topic
https://thenakedchemist.com/what-is-urea-and-its-benefits-in-skincare/
https://www.skin-remedies.com/urea-cream.html
[2] Ibn Humām, Fathul Qadeer, Kitāb at-Tahārah, Bāb al-Anjas wa Tatheer, vol 1 p. 202
وَكَذَا الْحِمَارُ إذَا مَاتَ فِي مُمْلِحَةٍ لَا يُؤْكَلُ الْمِلْحُ، وَهَذَا كُلُّهُ قَوْلُ أَبِي يُوسُفَ خِلَافًا لِمُحَمَّدٍ لِأَنَّ الرَّمَادَ أَجْزَاءٌ لِتِلْكَ النَّجَاسَةِ فَتَبْقَى النَّجَاسَةُ مِنْ وَجْهٍ فَالْتُحِقَتْ بِالنَّجِسِ مِنْ كُلِّ وَجْهٍ احْتِيَاطًا انْتَهَى.
وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْ الْمَشَايِخِ اخْتَارُوا قَوْلَ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَهُوَ الْمُخْتَارُ لِأَنَّ الشَّرْعَ رَتَّبَ وَصْفَ النَّجَاسَةِ عَلَى تِلْكَ الْحَقِيقَةِ، وَتَنْتَفِي الْحَقِيقَةُ بِانْتِفَاءِ بَعْضِ أَجْزَاءِ مَفْهُومِهَا فَكَيْفَ بِالْكُلِّ، فَإِنَّ الْمِلْحَ غَيْرُ الْعَظْمِ وَاللَّحْمِ، فَإِذَا صَارَ مِلْحًا تَرَتَّبَ حُكْمُ الْمِلْحِ وَنَظِيرُهُ فِي الشَّرْعِ النُّطْفَةُ نَجِسَةٌ وَتَصِيرُ عَلَقَةً وَهِيَ نَجِسَةٌ وَتَصِيرُ مُضْغَةً فَتَطْهُرُ، وَالْعَصِيرُ طَاهِرٌ فَيَصِيرُ خَمْرًا فَيَنْجَسُ وَيَصِيرُ خَلًّا فَيَطْهُرُ، فَعَرَفْنَا أَنَّ اسْتِحَالَةَ الْعَيْنِ تَسْتَتْبِعُ زَوَالَ الْوَصْفِ الْمُرَتَّبِ عَلَيْهَا. وَعَلَى قَوْلِ مُحَمَّدٍ فَرَّعُوا الْحُكْمَ بِطَهَارَةِ صَابُونٍ صُنِعَ مِنْ زَيْتٍ نَجِسٍ،
See Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, Jadeed Fiqhi Masail vol 1, p. 121
[3] See Mufti Kifayatullah, Kifayatul Mufti, Kitāb al-Tahārah, fourth Bab of soap, vol 2, p. 277-284
Fatawa Hindiyyah, Kitāb al-Tahārah, vol 1, p. 50
[الْبَابُ السَّابِعُ فِي النَّجَاسَةِ وَأَحْكَامِهَا وَفِيهِ ثَلَاثَةُ فُصُولٍ]
[الْفَصْلُ الْأَوَّلُ فِي تَطْهِيرِ الْأَنْجَاسِ]
الْحِمَارُ أَوْ الْخِنْزِيرُ إذَا وَقَعَ فِي الْمَمْلَحَةِ فَصَارَ مِلْحًا أَوْ بِئْرِ الْبَالُوعَةِ إذَا صَارَ طِينًا يَطْهُرُ عِنْدَهُمَا خِلَافًا لِأَبِي يُوسُفَ – رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ -. كَذَا فِي مُحِيطِ السَّرَخْسِيِّ……….جُعِلَ الدُّهْنُ النَّجِسُ فِي الصَّابُونِ يُفْتَى بِطَهَارَتِهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ تَغَيَّرَ. كَذَا فِي الزَّاهِدِيِّ
Durrul Mukhtār wa hashiyah Ibn Ābideen Shāmi, Kitāb al-Tahārah, Bāb al-Anjas, vol 1 p. 519
ثُمَّ هَذِهِ الْمَسْأَلَةُ قَدْ فَرَّعُوهَا عَلَى قَوْلِ مُحَمَّدٍ بِالطَّهَارَةِ بِانْقِلَابِ الْعَيْنِ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ الْفَتْوَى وَاخْتَارَهُ أَكْثَرُ الْمَشَايِخِ خِلَافًا لِأَبِي يُوسُفَ كَمَا فِي شَرْحِ الْمُنْيَةِ وَالْفَتْحِ وَغَيْرِهِمَا. وَعِبَارَةُ الْمُجْتَبَى: جَعْلُ الدُّهْنِ النَّجِسِ فِي صَابُونٍ يُفْتَى بِطَهَارَتِهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ تَغَيَّرَ وَالتَّغَيُّرُ يُطَهِّرُ عِنْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَيُفْتَى بِهِ لِلْبَلْوَى. اهـ. وَظَاهِرُهُ أَنَّ دُهْنَ الْمَيْتَةِ كَذَلِكَ لِتَعْبِيرِهِ بِالنَّجِسِ دُونَ الْمُتَنَجِّسِ إلَّا أَنْ يُقَالَ هُوَ خَاصٌّ بِالنَّجِسِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْعَادَةَ فِي الصَّابُونِ وَضْعُ الزَّيْتِ دُونَ بَقِيَّةِ الْأَدْهَانِ تَأَمَّلْ، ثُمَّ رَأَيْت فِي شَرْحِ الْمُنْيَةِ مَا يُؤَيِّدُ الْأَوَّلَ حَيْثُ قَالَ: وَعَلَيْهِ يَتَفَرَّعُ مَا لَوْ وَقَعَ إنْسَانٌ أَوْ كَلْبٌ فِي قِدْرِ الصَّابُونِ فَصَارَ صَابُونًا يَكُونُ طَاهِرًا لِتَبَدُّلِ الْحَقِيقَةِ. اهـ. ثُمَّ اعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْعِلَّةَ عِنْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ هِيَ التَّغَيُّرُ وَانْقِلَابُ الْحَقِيقَةِ وَأَنَّهُ يُفْتَى بِهِ لِلْبَلْوَى كَمَا عُلِمَ مِمَّا مَرَّ، وَمُقْتَضَاهُ عَدَمُ اخْتِصَاصِ ذَلِكَ الْحُكْمِ بِالصَّابُونِ، فَيَدْخُلُ فِيهِ كُلُّ مَا كَانَ فِيهِ تَغَيُّرٌ وَانْقِلَابُ حَقِيقَةٍ وَكَانَ فِيهِ بَلْوَى عَامَّةٌ، فَيُقَالُ: كَذَلِكَ فِي الدِّبْسِ الْمَطْبُوخِ إذَا كَانَ زَبِيبُهُ مُتَنَجِّسًا وَلَا سِيَّمَا أَنَّ الْفَأْرَ يَدْخُلُهُ فَيَبُولُ وَيَبْعَرُ فِيهِ وَقَدْ يَمُوتُ فِيهِ، وَقَدْ بَحَثَ كَذَلِكَ بَعْضُ شُيُوخِ مَشَايِخِنَا فَقَالَ: وَعَلَى هَذَا إذَا تَنَجَّسَ السِّمْسِمُ ثُمَّ صَارَ طَحِينَةً يَطْهُرُ، خُصُوصًا وَقَدْ عَمَّتْ بِهِ الْبَلْوَى وَقَاسَهُ عَلَى مَا إذَا وَقَعَ عُصْفُورٌ فِي بِئْرٍ حَتَّى صَارَ طِينًا لَا يَلْزَمُ إخْرَاجُهُ لِاسْتِحَالَتِهِ.