As-salamu alaykum, dear brothers and sisters, Islam is called
the “Deen-ul-Fitrah” or the natural religion of man.
All its injunctions are aimed at preserving the natural state of man.
Alcohol is a deviation from the Natural State for the individual
as well as for society.
Hence, the consumption of alcohol is prohibited in Islam.
Allah says o you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling,
stone alters and divining arrows are but defilement from
the work of Satan.
So avoid it that you may be successful.
Surah Al-Ma'idah verse number 90; but what Islam says about
the consumption of vinegar, literally means sour wine French derivation) and
the use of alcohol in sanitizers as anas (ra)
said that the messenger of Allah cursed 10 people in connection
with wine: the wine-presser, the one who has it pressed, the
who drinks it, the one who conveys it, the one to whom it Is
conveyed, the one who serves it, the one who sells it, the one
who benefits from the price paid for it, the one who buys
it and the one for whom it is bought.
[Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah]
Let's listen to ustad asim khan and mufti menk on that
issue. Jazakallah khair.
Ruling on rice vinegar, then somebody else asked about red
wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar,
So the thing about vinegar is that originally, there was a
fermentation process where you had fruit, which you make
juice from the fruits or grapes and you have grape juice which
is halal and it's fine to drink, then in ferment and
go through this process to become wine, wine is Haram according
to many scholars.
It is also impure
to touch as well, and then that would be fermented further
sometimes by adding some things to it,
And then it would be coming to vinegar....
Now,
It's interesting that the prophet (saw) actually in an authentic
Hadith praised vinegar and said what a fine condiment vinegar
is, what a fine condiment vinegar is and so some of the scholars
like the Maliki Scholars and the hanafi scholars,
They say that vinegar doesn't matter what source it came
from, if it came from wine, if it came from dates, if it came from
Rice like the person asked this is... it's all fine.
Because when it was ...if it was wine in the middle, it gets
changed over into another substance, which is vinegar which
is pure and which is halal.
In fact, it would be a good thing because you're taking wine
which is Haram and dirty and then you're transforming into
something pure and Halal and that's Way they would look at
it. So this is the opinion that I follow as well.
So if it's red wine vinegar, if it's Spirit vinegar, if it's
white wine vinegar, even though it says white wine, the fact
is that it has been changed from wine. it no longer intoxicates
no longer... as.... different properties
And therefore it is halal In sha' Allah. shafi Scholars....
They do have some stipulations about this.
So just be aware that there is difference of opinion, in these
confusing kind of situation,
you're not sure, you just follow a person you trust.
Yeah, ... if you trust in me, if you trust that
I have a little bit of knowledge then on the day of judgment
in sha Allah, you can say look I asked so and so this is the
opinion they told me and you know, I went with that and
in sha Allah on the day of judgment, you know, it will be okay
because this is what we are told to do in the Quran.
So some of the scholars they interpret the verse
Al-Qu'ran 21:7 and 16:43
ask people of dhikir
if you don't know and some interpreted That to me, you know, if you don't
know then ask people of knowledge and that's your responsibility.
So again wine vinegar, is it Halal?
Is it okay to have in a salad; if there was white wine vinegar,
is it about no, yes, not sure, white wine vinegar, Spirit vinegar
rice vinegar.
Well, you know in our times the way the vinegar is formed..
It's no longer that process that was done a long time ago
where they would have to you know physically... get involved
in making it from juice then to wine.. and then to vinegar.. is actually
just chemically done and it's all you know, done in an artificial
way. So in sha Allah, that's even more reason why it would
be Halal and fine to consume; especially rice vinegar because
you know it is... I don't think there's anything such... as such
thing as a rice wine. wallahu a'lam.
as-salam-o-alaikum, my brothers
and sisters intoxicants as you know
Are prohibited to consume in Islam
We're not allowed to consume anything that intoxicates in
large quantities, even if the consumption was a small quantity
of it because the prophet (Saw) says that which a lot
of it in Intoxicates then even a little bit of it is prohibited
to consume, that is the consumption.
So people sometimes ask about alcohol in sanitizers, alcohol
in Perfumes and in some cosmetics and so on
What about that?
Let's understand something.
There are several rulings regarding alcohol, but the term
alcohol is a very broad English term that includes the Arabic
term Khamr and much more than Khamr.
So what is Khamr?
It is generally referred to the wines that are produced from
the fermentation process of either grapes or dates or apples
Etc. So if you have a wine, if you have a beer, if you have
something that intoxicates a drink that was made by fermentation
of the grapes and the dates and the apples According
to some Scholars, then it's not only the consumption that
is prohibited but it is beyond the consumption because it
is considered Najis, Najis means impure to touch.
So if You were to have wine poured all over you
It is impure. it can never ever be pure even if it was to
be put into a sanitizer as a wine, remember this. so the wines
the beers they are not only prohibited to consume but they
are impure to touch as well.
Let me explain these two: one is Haram and Halal and the other
is NAJIS and tahir.
So when it comes to the wines that are from a fermentation
process they are both NAJIS which means impure to touch
and Harem which means prohibited to consume. you get it? if
the alcohol was was produced through a synthetic means in
a laboratory and usually it's you know, colorless, SubhanAllah,
that is Haram to consume because of the intoxicating
Factor, but it is pure to touch, so pure that in Fact it is
a disinfectant and it is used to disinfect to remove impurity
from the body. so it can never be Halal to consume.
But if it is fermented and from a fermentation process, then
the chances are it will be NAJIS as well, unanimously when
it comes to Grape and dates and even apples and so on.
It is NAJIS as well from the fermentation process.
But if it is the the lab process and the Synthetic alcohol
where this alcohol actually drips down as a pure, you know
liquid ... pure meaning colorless.
Subhanallah,
It is Haram to consume because of the intoxicating Factor,
but it is not khamr,
It is not khamr,
It is alcohol, which is a term broader than the word khamr..
So yes because of its intoxicating Factor, we won't consume
it but it is not NAJIS, it is tahir and this is why For many
years. I've always said that the alcohol in perfumes
There's no question about it being tahir
It's not NAJIS, because it's not the wine
It's not from a fermentation process.
It is actually derived from a totally different means and
what we need to understand is nowadays
They use it even in some cosmetics and we know with the sanitizers
today people are arguing alcohol and sanitizers.
It's not like they put beer in the sanitizer.
It's not like they put wine in the
Sanitizer, no, if they did that we would say don't ever use
it. It's impure from an Islamic perspective.
But this is alcohol that is beyond the process of the wines
and the beers that are fermented.
So I hope that clarifies it completely. it's quite simple
to understand, you know, the the alcohol they use in the
swabs, the alcohol that they use in the perfumes or in the
sanitizers, in the Cosmetics is not the NAJIS: fermented wines
or beers.
Let's get that straight.
So therefore if it is intoxicating and it is although it's
very dangerous to consume that pure alcohol from .....
from a lab process.
It probably would burn your insights.
But some people mix it with other liquids and then consume
it is still totally prohibited to consume but when it comes
to touching it, when it Comes to the tahara and Nagisa it
is tahir.
There are so many things in Islam that are Haram to consume
but Tahir to touch.
I mean you want to consume let's look at plastic for example,
because it's harmful to the body.
It's Haram to consume but it's Halal to touch. you can touch
it. It's tahir.
It's pure and there are certain things when they are NAJIS
they will always be impure to eat.
So when something is Haram and NAJIS which means it's prohibited
to consume and impure to touch then it's sale and its sale
becomes prohibited, its Transportation becomes prohibited
and various other, you know to Aid someone to actually consume
it or use it or buy it or sell it would also be prohibited
according to the majority of Scholars.
So, I hope that clarifies the issue at hand, my brothers and
sisters. Don't mix the two up one is tahara and najasha
which Purity and impurity to touch and two is halal and Haram
when it comes to consumption. may Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala
Grant ease.
So to conclude sanitizers with alcohol are fine.
They probably would render your hands clean and disinfect
them. the same applies to alcohol swabs, the same applies to
alcohol and perfumes, the same applies to alcohol and cosmetics.
It is not the khamr and it is not that NAJIS. it is not
the NAJIS : wines or beers.
and when it comes to that which was created from a fermentation
process, the wines and the beers then we would say that that
is not only prohibited to consume because of the intoxicating
Factor, but it is also prohibited to touch. it would be considered
impure if it were to be touched.
Now the last thing I want to actually also say my beloved
brothers and sisters is when it comes to dead animals, for
example, that is The the consumption of it is obviously prohibited
as carrion and when it comes to the touching of it, you would
be allowed to take the hide/ the skin and to tan it and to
consider that hide pure. I hope we've understood this.
So this is just something very interesting that we ..that I
thought would be relevant right now with this whole debate
going on and people are saying how could you have alcohol
in Sanitizers and then read Salah?
How could you have alcohol in your perfume and then read
Salah? and I heard someone say well, you know, the alcohol
evaporates all no, no.
No that's not part of the debate.
Even if it doesn't. it is actually tahir but Haram to consume
and I don't want to confuse you when it comes to the beers
and the wines and that which was fermented in that
particular case;
It is both Haram as well as najis. You know the example of
alcohol ....the example of vinegar is given as well where
there is a time in the processing of vinegar when it is alcohol
and beyond that it is processed further.
So the intoxicating Factor departs and it becomes vinegar.
So this is why they vinegar sometimes, you know, the... in the
process of it you will find it is alcoholic at some point....
if there is an intoxicating factor, and it has not yet been
fully processed.
it would still be prohibited to consume.
But ..... if it has been processed to the next level
the vinegar, although it was alcohol at one stage.
It actually becomes permissible to consume and the prophet (Saw)
enjoyed it as a condiment.
He praised it and he says what a great condiment is vinegar.
May Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala bless you all.
I hope you benefited and I really don't mind people holding
other opinions, but I thought I would clarify this and I've
been holding this opinion
For the last 20 years, alhamdulillah. may Allah Grant you
guys ease. wallahu a'lam.