'A person who wishes to comment on certain issues need to have knowledge on the matter.'

That was the opinion voiced by Perlis ex-Mufti, Prof Madya Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin on Monday in answering Ustaz Kazim Elias’s argument who rejected Dr Yusuf Al-Qaradawi's statement which stated that animal gelatine including pigs is halal to be used if it is transformed into other materials.

In a statement posted on his Facebook account, Dr Asri said the argument on the issue is not about a Muslim who wants to eat pork but it is about the changes of chemical content in the product.

“All sects in Islam say it is haram for us to eat pork. Everyone knows that and that is not the issue. The issue discussed here is on ‘Istihalah’,” he said.

Istihalah is a transformation and change from one thing to another which covers the exchange of a fact and nature of the material.

When something dirty has gone through a process that cleanses it from its original nature, it will not be evaluated because it has transformed into something else.

To read Dr Asri’s full article, click here.