The Official Website of the Office of His Eminence Al-Sayyid Ali Al-Husseini Al-Sistani

Question & Answer » Leather Products

1 Question: If I pray with a leather belt or a wallet made from leather of a mayta and realize it during the salat or after finishing it but before the end of its time span or after the ending of its time span-what would become of that prayer?
Answer: The prayer with a wallet made from leather of a Mayta is valid just as it is acceptable to pray with a belt made from such a leather, provided that the probability of it being from an animal Islamically slaughtered is not a very low probability that would be ignored by sensible people.
In the second case [of very low probability], if he was ignorant [of this rule] and realized during prayer, he should take it off immediately and his prayer would be valid. The same rule would apply if he forgot [that he had the wallet or the belt on him] and remembered during prayer, provided that his forgetfulness was not a result of carelessness and indifference. In other cases, he will have to repeat prayer within the allocated time period or Qadha as a matter of obligatory precaution.
sistani.org/15138
2 Question: One of the famous trousers these days is the one known as jeans. It is made in non-Muslim countries. It has a piece of leather used as a label. It is not known whether the leather is that of an animal slaughtered Islamically or non-Islamically-is it permissible to say salat with these trousers?
Answer: Yes, it is permissible.
sistani.org/15139
3 Question: Clothing products in the West are made in many countries (China, India, etc…) and many leather products do not specify what kind of leather it is. In this case, what is the ruling on wearing such products?
Answer: If you are not certain that the leather is natural, the leather product is treated as pure and it is not necessary to investigate. And if you are certain the leather product is natural and you do not consider it probable that it may have been imported from an Islamic country or made from the hide of an Islamically - slaughtered animal, the leather is treated as impure and prayer in it is not permissible. In cases other than the ones mentioned above, the leather is pure and prayer in it is permissible.
sistani.org/15502
4 Question: What is your ruling on buying and using leather products in non-Muslim countries?
Answer: Leather products are impure (Najis) and prayer (Salat) in them is not permissible, if we know that they have been made from the hide of an animal not slaughtered according to Islamic laws. Such products are considered pure and prayer with them is permissible, if there is a probability that they were made from skin of an animal that is essentially Halãl and was slaughtered according to Islamic laws.
sistani.org/15140
5 Question: We Muslims in Europe buy shoes, belts and other clothing items made of leather which may come from animals killed in non-Islamic way. At times such items are imported from Muslim countries or obtained from Muslim abattoirs here (since there are a few Muslim abattoirs in the U.K. for example). Can we consider such leather to be pure (tãhir) in the probability that it might have been imported from Muslim countries or obtained from abattoirs adopting Islamic way of slaughtering, even if such a probability is very weak?
Answer: If the probability is so weak that the opposite is more likely (for example, 2%), it should not even be considered. Otherwise [if the probability is high], there is no problem in considering it to be pure (Tãhir).
sistani.org/15422
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