Is It Permissible to Use a Soap With Cow Urine in It?

Answered by Shaykh Umer Mian

Question: Assalam alaikum,

We have a new brand of ayurvedic soap in India which has cow fat and cow urine in its ingredients in addition to other herbs. Is it permissible to use it ?

Answer: Wa alaikum as-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

It is stated in the relied-upon Hanafi fiqh manual al-Durr al-Mukhtar:

وَبَوْلُ مَأْكُولِ اللَّحْمِ نَجِسٌ
“The urine of animals whose meat is permissible to eat is najis.”

Therefore, cow urine is najis (legally impure) and impermissible to use.

The Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) has been reported to have said:

اسْتَنْزِهُوا مِنَ الْبَوْلِ فَإِنَّ عَامَّةَ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ مِنْهُ
(رواه الدارقطني عن أبي هريرة)
“Keep away from urine, for verily most of the punishment of the grave is due to it.” (Narrated by al-Daraqutni from Abu Hurayrah).

Wassalam,
Umer