Question:

There is a natural medicine called Glucosamine which has been shown to have small benefit for people with osteoarthritis in the knee. It is made from shellfish. Shellfish includes some haram things like oysters/lobsters and some halal things like shrimp and prawn.

There is another medication used for the same purpose called Chondroitin. This is made from the cartilage of various animals. When a person buys these pills, they would not be able to know from which animal they are made, because each brand is a different mix and could have parts of cartilage of different animals.

What would be the ruling on these?

Answer:

If in the process of making, it transforms chemically to another substance and/or if their treatment is only limited to that, then its okay. Otherwise they should avoid it.

Answered by: Sheikh Mansour Leghaei