Prohibited Acts (Ḥarām) in Islam and Their Lawful Exceptions (Rukhaṣ – Dispensations)

Islamic law (Sharīʿah) classifies most actions as either obligatory, recommended, neutral, disliked, or prohibited (ḥarām). Below is a practical list of the major acts that are normally strictly prohibited, together with the exceptional circumstances under which the four mainstream schools (Ḥanafī, Mālikī, Shāfiʿī, Ḥanbalī) and sometimes Shia scholars permit them. No. Prohibited Act (normally ḥarām) Exceptional Circumstances when it becomes permissible (or at least not sinful) Main Evidence & Notes 1 Eating pork or any pig-derived product Life-threatening starvation (ḍarūra); no other food available for days Qurʾān 2:173, 6:145, 16:115 – “except when compelled by necessity” 2 Consuming meat not slaughtered Islamically (maytah – carrion) Same as above – starvation with no alternative food Same verses 3 Drinking alcohol or intoxicants Life-saving medical necessity (e.g., only alcohol-based medicine exists and death is imminent) Principle: “Necessity makes the prohibited permissible” (al-ḍarūrāt tubīḥ al-maḥẓūrāt) – widely accepted 4 Eating or drinking anything during fasting hours in Ramaḍān Illness, pregnancy/breast-feeding, travel (safar), extreme old age, coercion, menstruation (for women) Qurʾān 2:184–185, 187 5 Deliberately breaking the fast of Ramaḍān without excuse Same as above + life-threatening labour/work (e.g., miner trapped underground) Fidya or qaḍāʾ required later 6 Usury / Interest (ribā) Absolute necessity recognised only by a tiny minority in modern times; classical scholars almost never allow it Still overwhelmingly prohibited; some modern “Islamic banking” structures are disputed 7 Killing a human being (murder) 1. Legal execution by the state (qiṣāṣ)
2. Just war (jihād declared by legitimate authority)
3. Lawful self-defence or defence of others when death is imminent Qurʾān 5:32, 17:33, 2:191 8 Suicide or intentional self-killing No recognised exception in Sunni or mainstream Shia law Always major sin; no martyrdom status 9 Zinā (adultery / fornication) No exception ever; even under rape the victim is not sinful, but the act itself remains ḥarām for the perpetrator Qurʾān 17:32, 24:2 10 Homosexual intercourse No recognised exception in classical or modern mainstream scholarship Considered ḥarām by all four Sunni madhhabs and Twelver Shia 11 Stealing (sariqah) Extreme starvation (only taking the bare minimum needed to survive, and only if owner is not in same situation) – very rare and disputed Ḥanafī and Mālikī schools accept in theory; must repay later 12 Lying / False testimony 1. To save an innocent life
2. To reconcile two Muslims
3. Between spouses to maintain harmony (white lies) Famous ḥadīth: “Lying is not permitted except in three cases…” (Muslim, Tirmidhī) 13 Backbiting (ghībah) and slander (buhtān) Six cases permitted by scholars: (1) complaining to a judge/ruler, (2) seeking fatwā, (3) warning Muslims about an innovator or open sinner, (4) identifying a person, (5) asking for help to stop evil, (6) seeking medical/religious advice Listed by al-Nawawī and others 14 Eating or drinking with the left hand Physical inability (left hand paralysed, etc.) Ḥadīth: “Eat and drink with your right hand…” (Muslim) 15 Music & musical instruments (controversial) Some scholars allow duff (tambourine) at weddings; most allow nasheed without instruments; medical/psychological treatment in modern fatwās by some Highly disputed; no consensus 16 Looking at non-maḥram of opposite sex with desire Medical examination, court identification, marriage proposal (brief look) Qurʾān 24:30–31 + scholarly consensus 17 Women travelling long distance without maḥram Safety guaranteed (large group, modern secure transport) – opinion of Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, and many contemporary scholars Original ḥadīth applied to pre-modern dangers 18 Delaying prayer beyond its prescribed time Sleep, forgetfulness, life-threatening danger, severe illness Ḥadīth: “Whoever forgets a prayer or sleeps through it…” (Muslim) 19 Eating gold or silver (utensils or pure form) Life-saving medical necessity (e.g., gold nanoparticles in rare treatments) – modern fatwās Ḥadīth prohibition is strong otherwise

Key Legal Maxims That Open These Dispensations

1. Al-ḍarūrāt tubīḥ al-maḥẓūrāt – Necessities make the prohibited permissible.
2. Al-mashaqqah tajlib al-taysīr – Hardship begets ease.
3. Mā jurima li-ḍarūrah yuqaddar bi-qadrihā – Whatever is permitted due to necessity is limited to the extent of that necessity.
4. Lā ḍarar wa lā ḍirār – There should be no harming nor reciprocating harm.

In short, Islam is extremely strict on major sins, but it is also realistic: when life, limb, or the basic functioning of society is genuinely at stake, almost every prohibition (except shirk, murder of innocents, and a few others) can be temporarily lifted to the minimum degree necessary.

If you want detailed fatwās or differences between madhhabs on any specific point, just ask!