What is the ruling on taking medicines that contain animal derivatives such as "magnesium stearate" and "lactose monohydrate" if complete transformation (istihalah) has not been achieved, given the difficulty of finding alternatives free of them?

It is advisable to be gentle with oneself and avoid obsessive thoughts and excessive rigor, because the religion is easy and built upon alleviation and facilitation, as indicated by sharia texts, such as the Almighty’s saying: "Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship," and the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) saying: "The most beloved religion to Allah is the tolerant, easy Haneefiyyah."

Scholars have established the rule "Hardship brings ease." Therefore, they permitted treatment with impure substances when no pure alternatives are available, because the benefit of health takes precedence, such as treating with alcohol if no other medicine exists.

The Ninth Islamic Medical Jurisprudence Symposium recommended that additives in food and medicine, which originate from impure or forbidden sources, become permissible by sharia through two methods:

1. Transformation (Istihalah): The essence of the impure substance changes into a different substance in name and characteristics. 2. Consumption (Istihlak): A forbidden or impure substance mixes with another pure, permissible, and predominant substance, so that the qualities of the impure substance (taste, color, smell) disappear.

Examples include additional compounds, cholesterol, and porcine enzymes used in very small quantities and consumed within food and medicine.

Therefore, assuming the presence of impure animal substances in medicine does not necessarily mean that its use is forbidden, either due to its consumption within it or due to the allowance for its use when it is difficult to obtain an alternative.