A question regarding the permissibility of consuming fish oil sourced from Australia, where there are Muslims but no clear types of fish from which the oil is extracted.
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1 Answer
Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sistani (may God protect him):
The permissibility of consuming fish oil depends on the type of fish from which it was extracted. If the fish has scales and was taken from water alive or died in a net or fishing enclosure, it is permissible to eat it and consume its oil. Otherwise, it is not permissible. However, it is allowed to consume fish oil for treating severe illnesses if it is the only available treatment and no other medical alternatives are accessible.
If there is doubt about whether the fish has scales, it is not ruled permissible, and thus the oil should not be consumed.
Source: Official website: 1, 2.
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Khamenei (may God protect him):
Fish oil obtained from a Muslim, provided that the handling of it is conditional upon proper slaughtering (as a precaution), or from the market of Muslims, is ruled as permissible unless it is known to be forbidden or impure. There is no obligation to inquire about it, and it is discouraged to do so. If there is doubt whether it comes from fish with scales or not, it is ruled as permissible unless the contrary is known. However, if it is known that a non-Muslim handled it first, it is not permissible to eat it without ensuring its lawful slaughtering. Slaughtering is confirmed if a person, even a non-Muslim, took it from the water alive and it died outside the water or in the net. It is sufficient to ensure lawful slaughtering if it is possible that the importing Muslim ensured its slaughtering and treated it as lawful as a precaution.
Source: Special Inquiry.
May you be successful in all good.