Works of Abul Baraa Muhamad Amreeki

Q&A Are Handbags and Shoes Made from Crocodile, Snake or Pig Skin Unlawful to Use

All the praises is for Allah the Lord of the Worlds and peace and blessings be upon His Chosen Messenger Muhammad and upon his family and his companions all of them.

   By the Student of Knowledge, Shaykh Abdurrahman Murad هداه الله 

Question:

Are handbags and shoes made from crocodile, snake or pig skin unlawful to use?
Answer:

The Prophet, may Allah praise him, said in response to the Companions who were hesitant in using the skin of a dead sheep, ‘It is only forbidden for one to eat its flesh!’
This rule only holds true for meats that we can eat…in relation to meats that we cannot eat such as pork, all of it is unlawful and Najis (impure), thus a Muslim should stay away from it.
This meaning is further clarified in the prohibition of the Prophet, may Allah praise him, in relation to sitting on ‘carnivorous animal’s skins’.

Sh. Ibn Othaimin, may Allah have mercy on him, said: ‘Animal skins are of three types:
1. Tahir (pure) whether they have been tanned or not [skins of animals lawful to us that are slaughtered properly].

2. Najis (impure) such as the skins of animals that we cannot eat, such as pigs.

3. Skins that become Tahir after being tanned. These are the skins of animals that may be eaten, if they died without being slaughtered properly.

Since crocodiles, snakes and pig cannot be eaten, they fall in the second category.
I’m sure if you were to check the insoles of your shoes, you would find that it most likely is pig skin, as this is the common practice among many shoe companies.
As for ‘gator and ‘croc skins, they are easier to avoid, as they are used in higher end products…although they may seem common, they aren’t, as there is a lot of synthetic material made to look like the real thing.
As for snakeskin…I recall my first encounter as I actually bought a few snake-skin wallets from the street merchants in Makkah!