(July 8, 2001) Country Style has informed eat-halal.com that their donuts contain whey. The company representative could not confirm whether animal rennet is used in the production of the whey. However, she added that most chances are that the rennet is from animal source. For this reason, we advise Muslims to avoid Country Style donuts. Country Style operates over 350 locations throughout Canada. For more information, contact Country Style at (905) 764-7066.
“I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature, but He has a grasp of its forelock. Verily, my Lord is on the straight path. (The truth)”
(11:55-56)
>>>According to hanifi fiqh we can eat animal rennet as long as the animal is not a pig.<<<
Rennin doesn't come from pigs. The usual sources are cows and sheep.
By definition rennin is found in the gastric juice of the fourth stomach of any young ruminant-a ruminant being 'any of various hoofed, even-toed, usually horned mammals of the suborder Ruminantia, such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and giraffes, characteristically having a stomach divided into four compartments and chewing a cud consisting of regurgitated, partially digested food.'
I have a question, stemming from the last two replies, although there is nothing wrong with the consumption/use of rennin. Don't you think its important to clarify, whether or not that rennin is 'halaal' ie. obtained from an animal that was slaughtered in the correct manner, and wouldn't it be better for us to avoid products containing rennin when we are doubtful as to its origins?
The reason I specified fiqh Maliki is that there is a tradition, with which I vehemently disagree, that when Imam Malik was asked if the the meat of the Ahle Kitaab (with the obvious exception of species of animals that are haraam) is permissible he replied that at most he considered it makrooh. I have seen a number of otherwise conservative Sunni scholars use this argument too.
As can be seen, rather than accepting the conventional view of the other 3 schools (who I believe are correct in this matter) Imam Malik held that meat of the Ahle Kitab was makrooh and should meat slaughtered by Muslims be available then the Muslim meat should be eaten instead.
I may be incorrect, but by anology would this not mean that rennet from an animal killed by a christian (as long as it is not pig) would be acceptable to the Maliki school should rennet from a muslim source not be available?
Incidentally, as far as my research went, when rennin comes from animals the source is most commonly veal.
[This message has been edited by mAd_ScIeNtIsT (edited July 14, 2001).]