Some people say that if a person is in dire necessity for a forbidden medicine, it is permissible for him by analogy to eating forbidden food in dire necessity. Is this correct?

The Shaykh : Well, some people say that if a person is in dire necessity for a forbidden medicine, it is permissible for him by analogy to eating forbidden food in dire necessity. Is this correct? This is not correct. The common people now say, "When dire necessity occurs, the forbidden things become permissible." By "dire necessity occurs," they mean it descends, and by "the forbidden things become permissible," they mean they are allowed. This is correct, but applying it to what they want is wrong. They say that if a person's cough becomes very severe, the best thing to remove it is to drink donkey milk. They say, "Drink donkey milk and you will be cured." Is this correct or not? If you tell the common people, "This is not permissible," they will say to you with a wide mouth, and because of the width, without teeth, they say: "When dire necessity occurs, the forbidden things become permissible." Yes, we say this is not correct. Why? We say, first, do you need this specific medicine or not? The answer is no, because the illness may be removed by another medicine. Look for the permissible things; there are more permissible things than forbidden ones, praise be to Allah. Second, if you use the forbidden medicine, will the dire necessity be removed and you be cured of the illness with certainty? No. How many people have used a medicine that is a cure for many patients, but one person uses it and does not benefit from it? But if you are hungry and you eat, do you benefit or not? Certainly you benefit with certainty, meaning you do not die. This is a great difference. Then, you do not have only this forbidden food, only this carrion; you have nothing else, and what do you do? You eat, and if you eat, you are saved. But with medicine, you have many permissible medicines. Then, if you take the forbidden medicine, you may be cured, and you may not be cured. Then, what we know, and knowledge is with Allah, is that Allah did not forbid this thing to us except because of its filthiness and harm. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told Abu Talhah to call out on the day of Khaybar: How can Allah prevent us from it in times of abundance and permit it in times of dire necessity? If it were beneficial, it would have been permitted to us. So, we say this is not correct. Medicine with the forbidden is forbidden, and it is not permissible for these two reasons. And Allah knows best.