Do I Need to Contact the Shoe Factory and Inquire about the Material of My Shoe?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I asked Nike about pig materials in their shoes. They said, “Some of our products can contain leather from some animals; they may incorporate leather elements. But most of the styles are free of animal products. They are made of textile material (mesh, fly knit, Dri-FIT, etc.) and synthetic leather.” I asked whether the shoes contained pig material. He said, “There are no pigs mentioned in the info. However, they are mostly cow leather and some other animals.” He was then asked, “You are unsure if a pig by-product is used?” He responded, “ You can contact our Corporate team at 1-800-344-6453, Monday-Friday 7 am-4 pm PT.”
Do I need to call them? Can I wear the shoe, or are they impure (Najis)?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health.
According to your research, most of Nike’s styles are made from non-pig skin and other materials, as mentioned in the link below. However, contacting the customer helpline will be safe and cautious if one cannot identify the type of leather used. Also, it will be peace of mind for you and will remove any doubts.
Many companies are willing to inform their customers about the type of leather used in their products. In this way, one can refrain from using leather made from pigskin.
In general, the Hanafi jurists have written skin and leather of impermissible birds and animals cannot be utilized even after tanning. However, modern tanning methods make all skin and leather permissible except for humans and pigskin. [al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya; Sayfullah Rahmani, Qamus al-Fiqh; Rada al-Haq, Fatawa Darul Ulum Zakariyya]
How to Identify Pigskin
Lookout for the small ‘dimples’ on the surface of the leather. Pigskin is known for its 3-dots pattern – randomly scattered, slanting, and see-through. The spots, too, appear knobby and grainy on the leather surface. Pigskin suede is also softer to the touch than cow suede.
Lookout for the Label and Place of Manufacture
Some companies have unique labels indicating that the product is made with pigskin, so labels should be looked out for on the product. Some words that indicate pig skin are Pigskin, Peccary Leather, Pig Suede, Pork Suede, etc. Also, see if they are made in China, as China, unlike Europe or South America, has more pigs than any other animals, and that is why 90% of shoes made in China use pig leather to line the shoes instead of cow, sheep, or goat.
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
