Question:

What is the ruling of sugar processed with bone char?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Bone char was extensively used in the sugar refining process.  Modern technology has largely replaced bone char decolourisation but it is still used in a few refineries.  Bone char, primarily from cows is used to remove colour from raw cane sugar and whiten it.[1]

Although the use of bone char and the existence of bone char in the final product is questionable, nevertheless, the following rules apply:

1. The body parts of a ḥalāl animal are divided into two:

a)    Those which life enter – Such as the meat and skin.  Slaughtering (dhabh) is a condition for such parts to be ḥalāl for consumption.  All the body parts will be ḥalāl  after slaughter except flowing blood, the penis, testicles, vulva, glands, urinary bladder, gall-bladder.

b)    Those which life does not enter – Such as rennet, horns, hooves, bones, feathers and hair.  These parts will be ḥalāl regardless if the animal was slaughtered according to the Shar`ī principles or not as long as no external impurity is found on them.

2. If the animal is a ḥarām animal, then every part of the animal is ḥarām to consume.  Slaughtering will make the animal ṭāhir (pure) but not ḥalāl.[2]
From the above principles, bone char derived from ḥalāl animals will be ḥalāl even if the animal was not slaughtered according to Shar`ī principles.

Bone char from ḥarām animals will not be ḥalāl for consumption.

And Allah Ta’ālā Knows Best
Mufti Faraz Adam al-Mahmudi,
www.darulfiqh.com