to eat the essential (سَدُّ الرَّمَقِ)
الفقه أصول الفقه
التعريف :
To maintain physical strength and to ensure staying alive.
المعنى الاصطلاحي :
Maintaining the soul and the strength that keeps one alive
الشرح المختصر :
"Sadd-ur-ramaq" (eating the forbidden to stay alive) is what one does to maintain his soul, life, and health for fear of dying out of hunger or thirst by eating something of a forbidden food, a dead animal or swine, to save oneself from starving to death if he finds nothing lawful to eat. It could also be done by drinking something unlawful, like wine or impure water, to drive away thirst or remove a chunk in the throat.