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Is Nutmeg Haram?

08 February, 2025
Q Recently I've come to know that nutmeg and mace are haram. But it's very widespread in our country. It's really difficult to avoid it completely. Yesterday I was about to eat nutmeg by mistake which was mixed with rice I threw it but ate the rest of the rice now I'm confused was it the right thing to do?

Answer

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.


In this fatwa:

Is Nutmeg Haram? Key Islamic Rulings

  • Large amounts of nutmeg are forbidden as they cause feebleness.
  • Small amounts, especially in food or medicine, are generally permissible.
  • Some scholars differentiate between intoxication and feebleness.
  • It is recommended to avoid nutmeg to stay on the safe side.

Answering your question, the Fatwa Center at IslamWeb, states:

Why Is Nutmeg Considered Haram by Some Scholars?

Eating nutmeg is haram because it causes feebleness and not because it causes intoxication.

Since it causes feebleness and not intoxication, a group of jurists are of the view that it is permissible to eat a little of it that does not reach the level of intoxication, especially if it is mixed with something else, this is because the prohibition of a little amount of something was reported about intoxicants and not about something that causes feebleness as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not say that if much of something causes feebleness, then a little of it is forbidden.

What Do Scholars from Different Madhabs Say about Nutmeg?

Ar-Ramli, from the Shafi`i School of jurisprudence, was asked about eating nutmeg whether or not it is permissible, and he answered:

โ€œYes, it is permissible to eat it if it is little and it is forbidden if it is much.โ€ [End of quote from Fatawa of Ar-Ramli]

Also, Mawahib al-Jalil authored by Al-Hattab, from the Maliki School of jurisprudence, reads:

โ€œAl-Burzulli said, โ€œSome of our Imams are of the view that it is permissible to eat a little of nutmeg to warm the brain, and some of them stipulated that it should be mixed with drugs (medicines), and what is true is that it is permissible whether or not it is mixed with drugs.โ€ [End of quote]

Moreover, the author of `Awn al-Ma`bud said:

โ€œThe nutmeg, mace, and Indian oud: all of these are not intoxicants as well, but some of it causes feebleness, and some of it causes anesthesia.

There is no doubt that if much of something causes intoxication, then little of it is forbidden; whether it is consumed on its own or is mixed with something else, and whether it is able to cause intoxication after it is mixed with something else or it is not able to cause intoxication.

All of these six things are not of the type of intoxicants at all; some of them do not even cause feebleness or intoxication according to the reliable opinion; rather, some of them are among the kinds of things that cause feebleness according to the view of some scholars, and some of them are of the view that they are among the types of what causes harm, so little of it is not forbidden whether it is consumed on its own or is consumed in food or in medicines.

Of course, if one consumes an additional amount that leads to feebleness then it is not permissible to eat it, because the Prophet forbade eating something that causes feebleness, and he did not say that if much of something causes feebleness then little of it is forbidden.โ€ [End of quote]

Should Muslims Avoid Nutmeg in Food?

Therefore, there is no harm on you for eating food that is mixed with nutmeg, but it is more appropriate in the future to avoid mixing it with food in order to be on the safe side.

Review the fatwas below for more comprehensive answers:

Source: Islamweb.net