Utilizing honey in which a dead mouse fell

21-1-2014 | IslamWeb

Question:

I am a honey producer. Once I left the honey vessel open and a dead mouse fell into it from the roof. Taking into consideration that the mouse was already dead for a long time before it fell into the honey, is it permissible to eat this honey? Please advise. May Allaah Reward you.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

If the honey is solid, then you should throw away the mouse as well as the surrounding area which you mostly believe was affected and benefit from the rest of the honey. If the honey is liquid, you should not utilize it and you have to discard it. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars. Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah however, is of the view that it is permissible to utilize honey in this state unless it changes. Nevertheless, it is better and more cautious to adopt the opinion of the majority of scholars.     

Allaah Knows best.