فَمَنِ ٱضۡطُرَّ فِي مَخۡمَصَةٍ غَيۡرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِّإِثۡمٍ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Verse: "Forbidden to you are carrion... but whoever is forced by severe hunger with no inclination to sin — indeed Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (5:3)
The principle: Carrion is forbidden for its harm — not properly slaughtered, blood retained.
Conditions for necessity that permits it:
- "Makhmasah" (severe hunger): Extreme hunger with fear of death — not ordinary hunger.
- "Not inclining to sin": Must not intend disobedience — one who travelled for a sinful purpose has no concession.
- No lawful alternative: If a permissible alternative exists, there is no necessity.
- Only to the extent needed: No more than what staves off death — when the necessity lifts, it becomes prohibited again.
Jurisprudential principle derived: "Necessities permit the prohibited" — bounded by "necessity is limited to its extent."
Contemporary applications: Medicines containing prohibited substances when necessary, treating illness with prohibited items where no alternative exists — all built on this verse and its equivalents.
Question: What are the conditions of necessity that permit eating carrion? What is the jurisprudential principle derived?
Answer: Severe hunger — no alternative — not intending sin — only to the extent needed. Principle: necessities permit prohibitions, bounded to their extent.