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Food Containing Alcohol: Lawful?

23 March, 2018
Q As-salamu `alaykum. I have a trouble with eating food; with finding what is halal or haram. Sometimes things contain small alcohol, I don't know how to check, according to some alcohol even used as a solvent is haram since it probably requires the creation and handling of alcohol, but this makes it hard to find food. Any help?

Answer

Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

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In this fatwa:

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1- Alcohol is one of the impermissible intoxicants.

2- If alcohol is added to other food or medicine, then the ruling depends on the percentage added.

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Responding to your question, Dr. Muhammad Salama, PhD  in Islamic Studies in English and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Science, Al-Madinah International University, states:

In general, consuming alcohol is prohibited as it is a kind of intoxicants prohibited by the Qur’an. But if it is mixed with food or medicine, the ruling of the case depends on whether the percentage of alcohol added still has noticeable effect and trace, in which case the food is prohibited, or not, in which case it is lawful to eat.

Questions like these are usually asked by those who are newcomers to non-Muslim lands. You are advised to consult local imams and fellow Muslims who adhere to the teachings of their religion and they will guide you based on their experience.

Allah Almighty knows best.

About Dr. Muhammad Salama
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Salama, HoD, Islamic Studies Department, IOU and a member of the Faculty of Islamic Sciences, MEDIU.