Today it is quite often hard to find for example candy that is halaal for us to eat. Especially here in the western countries، a lot of the candy contains gelatine. But there is also another substance that is used to make the candy get the colour they have، and it is called carmine، which is the red colour (which they use in candy and more)and they get it from female lice.
Some moslims are not aware of this and I would appreciate if you could explain if this is allowed for us to eat or not?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Some types of gelatin are of vegetable origin, and there is
nothing wrong with using this or eating foods that contain it.
Some types of gelatin are of animal origin, and this is
subject to further discussion. Whatever the case, there is nothing wrong
with eating foods that contain it because even if it comes from animals that
have not been slaughtered properly or other haraam sources, it has been
transformed into another substance that has different characteristics.
See the answer to question no.
97541.
Secondly:
We have not been able to find out whether what you say is
true about carmine and its being derived from female ants. If we assume that
it is indeed the case, if the sweet is not harmful then there is nothing
wrong with eating it, because of what was mentioned above about the haraam
substance being transformed into a different substance.
With regard to lice, there is a difference of opinion as to
whether they are naajis. Some of the fuqaha’ say that they are naajis
(impure) because they contain blood and their food is blood. Some of them
say that they are taahir (pure) because they are likened to flies. But there
is consensus that it is haraam to eat them.
Al-Duraymi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is haraam
to eat lice according to consensus. End quote from Hayaat al-Haywaan
al-Kubra, 2/118.
It is haraam to eat lice just as it is haraam to eat maytah
(meat that was not slaughtered properly) or drink alcohol. But if they have
been turned into another substance by means of some treatment, then there is
nothing wrong with eating that substance, as explained above.
It should be noted that the basic principle with regard to
these foods and drinks is that they are permissible, because it cannot be
said that any of them are haraam on the basis of speculation. Similarly it
cannot be said that most of the sweets contain gelatin, because this is
contrary to reality. If a person wants to avoid things containing gelatin or
carmine, he will find plenty of other alternatives in other types of
sweets.
And Allah knows best.
