Is Whey Protein Halal?

Halal Whey

There are mixed opinions on whether or not Whey Protein is Halal. The substance itself is halal since it’s a byproduct of cheese fabrication process.

In fact, Whey is a byproduct of cheese fabrication process where milk is curdled by adding an element called ‘Rennet’ or ‘pepsin’.

Rennet is an enzyme derived from stomachs of calves and goats while pepsin is derived from the stomach of swine.

From there we can distinguish two scenarios: 1) The milk is curdled with pepsin, then the obtained whey is haram (illicit). 2) The milk is curdled with rennet, and here we have two other scenarios: a) The rennet is from a ritually slaughtered animal, then the produced whey is halal. b) The rennet is obtained from non slaughtered animals.

In the latter scenario, we have divergence between the different Islamic schools of thought (Fiqh).

2 Opinions on Rennet from Non Slaughtered Animals

Rennet ennzyme

There are four schools of thought (Fiqh) on the matter, and we will delve into each and see if we can’t find an answer to the elusive question: is Whey Protein Halal?

All four schools of thought have no difference of religious opinion, but merely differ in terms of Rennet

1.Rennet is haram (illicit):

For Imams Malik, Shafi’i and according to a version of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal the Rennet produced in stomachs of non slaughtered animals is impure.

Rennet is halal (licit):

For Abu Youssouf and Az-Zuhayli, it is pure if it is still solid and has not gone through the liquidation process. On the other hand, for Abu Hanifa, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi and according to another version of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal – the Rennet is pure without conditions.

It was also reported that The Companions, including Salman al-Farisi (at the time of the Caliphate of ‘Omar ibn Al-Khattab), ate cheeses made by the Zoroastrians who used animal rennet and claimed that it was licit to eat when asked the question.

Furthermore, many scholars of the first generations have asserted the legality of cheeses such as Ibn Taymiyyah (Ferkous, March 2018), Qurtubi (Virtualave, no date specified) and Bukhari (Sahih al-Bukhari: The Early Years of Islam, by Imam al-Bukhari, 2013.)

Related: Is Vinegar Halal?

Are there any halal whey brands?

Halal Whey Brand

Thanks to the growing halal market and the awareness of Muslim consumers and manufacturers alike, there are more and more halal supplement brands hitting the market of which we can cite a few:

Conclusion

Since there are divergent opinions among Suny schools regarding the source of rennet, each Muslim can, therefore, forge its own opinion on the matter.

Whey protein that is Halal will often carry the certification from credible and recognized organisms, and if you are ever in any doubt, try Halal Certified Whey Protein, Egg White Protein Powders, or Vegan protein powders, instead!

What about you? Do you require your Whey protein to be Halal or do you take any Whey protein? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Please, if you find this article helpful or interesting, give it a like or a share.

Houssaine is a fitness enthusiast and passionate about sharing his experience and knowledge on Halal nutrition & supplements subjects.

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This Post Has 23 Comments

  1. Aoa. Your article was very helpful. I want to ask that I have bought
    ‘On whey Isolate’ and I’m hesitant to use it. Is it halal?

    Reply

    1. Assalamo Alaikum Muhammad,

      ON isn’t Halal certified. However, when I asked them about the rennet part, I was told that this enzyme stays with the curd (sold part) and does not end up in the Whey.

      So somehow, it’s still Halal in my opinion. And don’t forget that this question is subject to scholars interpretation.
      And Allah knows better!

      Reply

    1. Sorry, can’t say with confidence as I don’t understand the site’s language. Maybe you should reach out to them and ask them directly.

      Reply

    1. W/salam,

      Never heard of before! is this Eric Favre Slim protéine? If so, it contains too many ingredients to my tasting.
      Better stick with Whey protein with fewer ingredients.

      Salam

      Reply

    1. ON isn’t Halal certified. However, when I asked them about the rennet part, I was told that this enzyme stays with the curd (solid part) and does not end up in the Whey.

      So somehow, it’s still Halal in my opinion. And don’t forget that this question is subject to scholars interpretation.
      And Allah knows better!

      Reply

  6. Pl advise me about appended two products, whether these are halal or not.

    1. Six Star Pro Nutrition 100% whey protein. (Bar code: 6 31656 34109 6)
    2. Diesel New zealand whey protein (Bar code: 6 99097 73005 3)
    3. AllMax All whey classic (Bar code: 6 65553 20045 3)

    Thanks

    Reply

    1. Here are my take on the 3 products:

      1. Six Star Pro Nutrition 100% whey protein is produced using rennet, so refer to my post Is Whey Protein Halal? to make your own decision as there is a diverging opinion among Muslim Scholars.
      2. Diesel New Zealand whey protein is vegetarian but the one I find is flavoured with French vanilla which contains 36% of ethyl alcohol, so it’s not Halal. If you can find it with another flavour (say chocolate) it’s good to go.
      3. AllMax All whey classic fall in the same box as Six Star Pro Nutrition Whey Protein.

      Hope that helps.

      Reply

  7. I was writing to ask about the bodylogix natural whey protein. Is it halal and is any type of on whey protein halal?

    Reply

  8. Asalam o alikum
    Is ON Gold Standard 100% whey is Halal ?because My friend give me one of this and I just drink about a half glass . I am very worry about it is this halal or not?

    Reply

    1. W/Salam,

      ON’s Gold Standard Whey isn’t Halal-certified but if you read my article about this matter you’ll know there’s a divergence among Muslim Scholars regarding this type of product.
      But I’m not a scholar, so you’d have to make your own view on this. As for me I do use the Gold Standard 100% Whey as you can see in this review.

      Reply

  9. Assalam o Alaikum- With Reference to the Questions at the bottom of the this link; https://www.madewithnestle.ca/kit-kat/kit-kat
    I want to inquire if the whey powder source in this KitKat is halal ? Because the one I have as ingredients [Milk chocolate (sugar, milk ingredients, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, whey powder, lactose, soya lecithin, polyglycerol polyricinoleate, natural flavour) ,wheat flour, sugar, modified palm oil, cocoa, sodium bicarbonate, soya lecithin, yeast, natural flavour. ]
    I am worried but their website says it is microbial processed. Please help and reply. JAZAKALLAH

    Reply

    1. W/Salam,

      Here’s what Nestle Canada replied to a customer:

      “Kit Kat is not certified Halal. That being said, none of our confectionery products contain animal products other than from cow’s milk and as for alcohol, the vanilla flavour used in our Kit Kat does contain ethyl alcohol as a carrier, which is removed during processing, therefore there is no alcohol in the finished product”

      Add to this that the microbial process you referenced to is about the fabrication of Whey which is rennet in most cases.

      Hope that help.

      Reply

  10. Assalam o Alaikum
    Do you think ‘Dymatize ISO100 Hydrolyzed Protein Powder, 100% Whey Isolate Protein’ is halal to consume, bought one, but i don’t know if you have any information please?
    —-
    Question asked to the manifacturer on amazon:
    Is this product halal? Does it contain anything made from pork or alcohol?
    Answer:
    We do not use pork or alcohol in this product, however this product is not certified Halal.
    Dym Customer Service
    Manufacturer · December 16, 2019
    —-

    Reply

  11. Asalamo Alekum brother.
    are the muscletech whey products and Dymatize super mass gainers HALAL?

    Reply

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