Bismihi Ta`ala
‘HARAAM NON ALCOHOLIC WINE, BEER AND SIMILAR LIQOUR BEVERAGES’
First of all, Allah Ta’ala has made wine, sherry, champagne, cognac, beer, brandy, whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, daroo, etc. haraam. These liqour beverages are haraam, impermissible and note they have also been declared as najis (impure).
Allah Ta`ala says in ayah 90 of surah 5 that wine is impure and that we should avoid it absolutely:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنْصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
تفسير القرطبي – ()
وقالوا حرمت الخمر، وجعلت عدلا للشرك، يعني أنه قرنها بالذبح للأنصاب وذلك شرك. ثم علق” لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ” فعلق الفلاح بالأمر، وذلك يدل على تأكيد الوجوب. والله أعلم. السادسة- فهم الجمهور من تحريم الخمر، واستخباث الشرع لها، وإطلاق الرجس عليها، والامر باجتنابها، الحكم بنجاستها
Imaam Qurtubi r.a. highlighted under the above ayah the reason why the Fuqaha classify intoxicating beverages as haraam and impure(Tafseer Qurtubi).
صحيح البخاري)
عن الشعبي عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال خطب عمر على منبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال
إنه قد نزل تحريم الخمر وهي من خمسة أشياء العنب والتمر والحنطة والشعير والعسل والخمر ما خامر العقل
Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam said: ‘’Wine is whatever drink that intoxicates.’’(Bukhari)
Hence there are two factors which render wine and other such liqour beverages impermissible:
- Intoxication
- and Impurity.
In the past, wine used to be clearly labelled as just ‘WINE’ itself. So Muslims would simply avoid such liqour beverages. But nowadays, unfortunately these liqour beverages are creeping in our stores and Muslim homes through the banner of “non-alcoholic beverages”. I am not talking of cold drinks, but rather of processed wines/beers/liqour beverages that have had their alcohol reduced to entertain the bare legal amount of 0.5% of alcohol so that they can be labelled as “non-alcoholic beer/wine”. The process that make this haraam is that it was first a wine, beer, liqour beverage and then the intoxicating element of alcohol was removed and the product is left with a minute amount of alcohol that does not intoxicate and also the remnants of the wine/beer/liqour liquid. This liquid remains impure even after alcohol evaporation. Hence the so called “non-alcoholic wine/beer/liqour” is still impure and najis and cannot be consumed by Muslims.
The falsely labelled “non-alcoholic wine/beer/liqour” has been prophesized by our beloved Prophet Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam:
سنن أبى داود – (
قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُد حَدَّثَنَا شَيْخٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ وَاسِطٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مَنْصُورٍ الْحَارِثُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ سُفْيَانَ الثَّوْرِيَّ
وَسُئِلَ عَنْ الدَّاذِيِّ فَقَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَيَشْرَبَنَّ نَاسٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي الْخَمْرَ يُسَمُّونَهَا بِغَيْرِ اسْمِهَا
Reported in Abu Dawood that Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam said: “There will be a group of people from my ummah who will drink wine, simply (under the cover) by changing its name.”
These so called “non-alcoholic wines/beers/liqours are najis because of the core presence of the original impure liquid and also because a remnant minute amount of alcohol does remain in it.
Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam said: “A beverage that intoxicates in large quantity, then even its small quantity is haraam.’’(Abu Dawood)
سنن أبى داود )
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَعِيلُ يَعْنِي ابْنَ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ بَكْرِ بْنِ أَبِي الْفُرَاتِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُنْكَدِرِ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا أَسْكَرَ كَثِيرُهُ فَقَلِيلُهُ حَرَامٌ
So if it was wine and now, the alcohol has been minimised, then too Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam declared it as haraam. And if one says that it is evaporated completely, then still the core liquid that remains is impure.
Furthermore, know that Rasouloullah Swalallahou Alaihi Wasallam prohibited us to use even those containers and receptacles that are used in the preparation of wine.(Bukhari)
صحيح البخاري -)
ونهاهم عن أربع عن الحنتم والدباء والنقير والمزفت وربما قال المقير وقال احفظوهن وأخبروا بهن من وراءكم
The Fuqaha mentioned two reasons for the prohibition of wine receptacles: the first, because of impurity of the wine. And secondly, because these receptacles remind us of wine. Hence Rasouloullah Swalallahou Alaihi Wasallam prohibited all avenues that may drive us towards wine. This is another reason why SANHA, Halaal Research Committee and other honest halaal committees have prohibited “non-alcoholic wine/beer/liqour beverages”. These drinks are unislamic, impure (najis) and haraam even though they do not intoxicate.
WalillAhil Hamd.
Faqat Wasallaam.
Mufti Mackoojee
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