Question 2047: Is Polyethylene Glycol Stearate Pure and Permissible to Use?

Question

The question addresses the permissibility of using products containing a component called 'Polyethylene Glycol Stearate' and whether one should check the ingredients of medicines, cosmetics, and perfumes for impure or animal-derived components. [AR_ID:5766]

Answer 1

Peace be upon you.

Regarding the topic of gelatin, for further insight into its ruling, whether made in an Islamic country or not, you can refer to the following link:

What is the ruling on eating gelatin?

Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Khamenei (may Allah protect him):

Answer 1+2) In the matter of purity and impurity, the default ruling is purity in the eyes of sacred law. As long as there is no certainty of impurity or it has not been established through a valid legal means, things are considered pure even if we suspect their impurity. There is no need to investigate or inquire.

Answer 3) The meats, fats, and other parts of animals sold in the markets of Muslims or in the hands of Muslims are deemed pure (even if they are part of cosmetic products). However, if they are imported from non-Muslim countries and it is confirmed that they were not slaughtered according to Islamic law, they are impure. If there is knowledge or suspicion of proper slaughter, they are pure. If it is suspected that the Muslim importer ensured proper slaughter, it is also permissible to eat their meat.

Source:

Answers to Inquiries, S312 + Fiqh of the Guardian: Rulings on Impurities (1) + Answers to Inquiries - Rulings on Impurities - S288 + Educational Message - Impurities (1) - Clarification of Some Matters Regarding Dead Animals

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Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sistani (may Allah protect him):

Answer 1+2) Anything that is doubted in its impurity, knowing it was previously pure, is considered pure. This also applies if you do not know its previous state (whether it was impure before your doubt or pure). There is no need to investigate what is doubted in its purity or impurity, even if the investigation does not require effort (whether it is part of cosmetic products or not). However, if there is doubt about its purity after knowing it was previously impure, it is ruled as impure.

Answer 3) Meat, fat, and skin taken from the hand of a Muslim, if there is doubt about the slaughter of the animal, are ruled as pure and permissible, provided that the act of taking it is associated with what is appropriate for slaughter. The same ruling applies to what is taken from the markets of Muslims, as long as it is not known that the seller is non-Muslim. There is no difference in the three cases between knowing that a non-Muslim's hand was previously involved or not, as long as it is suspected that the Muslim hand or the item taken from the market of Muslims or produced in a Muslim-dominated land has been properly slaughtered according to Islamic law.

- If the mentioned items are taken from the hands of non-Muslims and it is suspected that they were taken from properly slaughtered animals, they are ruled as pure, and it is permissible to pray with them. However, they cannot be eaten unless it is confirmed that they were taken from properly slaughtered animals, even if it is based on knowledge that they were preceded by one of the three aforementioned conditions.

Source: Selected Issues, Rulings on Purity » What Establishes Purity and Impurity + Minhaj al-Salihin - Vol 1 - Impure Entities - M 397 + 398

May you be successful in all good.