Ruling on working in a pharmacy in which some of the medicines contain haraam ingredients
Question

                Is it permissible to work in pharmacies? I do not know if the medicines contain halaal or haraam substances, but in most cases they contain some haraam substances, because I live in the United Kingdom. I hope that you can explain to me whether my working in pharmacies is permissible or prohibited?
Praise be to Allah.
	Firstly:

	The basic 
	principle is that it is permissible to sell medicines that are not known to 
	be haraam, because the basic principle is that selling or trading is 
	permissible, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the 
	meaning):

	“But 
	Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest”

	[al-Baqarah 
	2:275].

	Things do not 
	become haraam on the basis of mere uncertainty.

	Secondly:

	Medicines may 
	contain substances that it is haraam to consume, such as alcohol, yet 
	despite that it may still be permissible to sell them, because it is a small 
	amount that is fully absorbed into the medicine in such a way that if a 
	person were to drink a lot of this medicine, he would not become 
	intoxicated.

	It says in 
	Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (22/297): Some medicines and sweets are 
	sold in the marketplace that contain a tiny amount of alcohol. Is it 
	permissible for us to consume them? Please note that if a person were to eat 
	the sweets and have his fill of them, he would never reach the point of 
	intoxication.

	Answer: If the 
	alcohol in the sweet or medicine is of a very tiny amount, such that eating 
	or drinking a lot of that thing would not lead to intoxication, then it is 
	permissible to consume it and to sell it, because it does not have any 
	effect on the taste, colour or smell, because it has been absorbed into the 
	pure and permissible components. But it is not permissible for the Muslim to 
	make anything like that or to add it to the food of Muslims, or to help 
	someone else in doing that. End quote.  

	Statements and 
	fatwas on the permissibility of using medicines containing a tiny amount of 
	intoxicant alcohol have been issued by Islamic fiqh councils, and 
	fatwa-issuing councils and bodies in the Muslim world, whilst noting that it 
	is preferable to avoid adding alcohol to any medicines, so as to avoid 
	dubious matters.

	It says in a 
	statement of the Islamic Fiqh Council belonging to the Organization of the 
	Islamic Conference, no. 23(11/3) in response to enquiries from the 
	International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) in Washington:

	Question no. 12:

	There are many 
	medicines that contain varying amounts of alcohol, between 0.01% and 25%. 
	Most of these medicines are remedies for colds, sore throats, coughs and 
	other common ailments. These alcohol-containing medicines constitute nearly 
	95% of the medicines for such ailments, which makes it very difficult or 
	even impossible to obtain medicines that are free of alcohol. What is the 
	ruling on taking these medicines?

	Answer: The 
	Muslim patient may take medicine containing a small amount of alcohol if 
	alcohol-free medicine is not available, and that medicine has been 
	prescribed by a trustworthy doctor.

	End quote from
	Majallat al-Majma‘, issue no. 3, vol. 3, p. 1087

	In a statement 
	issued by the Islamic Fiqh Council belonging to the Muslim World League, it 
	says: It is permissible to use medicines containing alcohol in small amounts 
	that are fully absorbed, that is dictated by the way in which the medicine 
	is made, when there is no alternative to it, on condition that it be 
	prescribed by a doctor of good character

	It is also 
	permissible to use alcohol for external cleansing purposes, to clean wounds 
	and kill germs, and to use it in creams and lotions that are used 
	externally.

	End quote from
	Qaraaraat al-Majma‘ al-Fiqhi al-Islami bi Makkah al-Mukarramah, p. 
	341 

	Thirdly:

	What was said 
	about alcohol may also be said about some other haraam derivatives, such as 
	those that are taken from meat that was not slaughtered in the prescribed 
	manner, or from pork. If they are in small amounts that are fully absorbed, 
	or have undergone a process of chemical transformation (istihaalah) that has 
	changed their nature completely, in the sense that they have turned into a 
	new, pure substance, then they may be overlooked and it is permissible to 
	use medicines and cosmetic products that contain them, and it is permissible 
	to sell such products.

	This has been 
	discussed in detail in the answer to question no. 97541.

	To sum up: 
	medicines and products may contain haraam substances, but it may be 
	permissible to consume them and sell them.

	Fourthly:

	If there is a 
	medicine or product that would cause intoxication if drunk in large amounts, 
	or it contains lard (pig fat), for example, that has not been transformed (istihaalah), 
	then it is not permissible to consume it or sell it.

	The one who 
	works in the pharmacy must avoid that.  

	Thus you will 
	know that the basic principle is 
	that it is permissible to work in pharmacies, and that most 
	types of medicine are permissible.

	If it becomes 
	clear that there is a medicine that it is haraam to consume, then it is not 
	permissible to sell it, but there is nothing wrong with continuing to work 
	there whilst avoiding selling that which is haraam.

	And Allah knows 
	best.