Is alcohol in food haram?
Is it permissible to consume a small quantity as it is not intoxicating?
It is not allowed to consume alcohol even in small quantities, including confectionery, or in meals that are cooked with alcohol, as the alcohol does not all evaporate, including in dishes which are flambé, as the alcohol remains after it has been set alight.
That which intoxicates in large quantities is prohibited in small quantities. (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
The results of the study carried out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Data Laboratory, published by the Journal of The American Dietetic Association, showed that depending on the cooking method, cooking time and the cooking vessel though some alcohol evaporates, up to 85% remains behind. (See link for details the study.)
Is it permissible to take medicines containing alcohol?
No. Especially if there is a non-alcoholic alternative.
Is it permissible to use products topically containing alcohol?
There are differences of opinion on this matter. Due to the unavoidable presence of alcohol in everyday products (such as creams, deodorants and perfumes etc), and the fact that these are derived from alcohol that is not extracted from grapes, dates, or barley, there are opinions, including in the Hanafi madhab, which make their topical use permissible. (For a more detailed explanation see this link)
Impure (najas)
The alcohol in alcoholic beverages is considered a major impurity. Therefore if it falls on ones clothes, and covers more than the area of a 50 pence coin, one would not be able to pray in them. The clothes would have to be removed and washed thoroughly with running water so that the impurity is washed out.
By contrast, a substance which is a minor impurity would have to fill more than a quarter of one’s clothes for it to make the outfit impure and invalidate salah.
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Related posts:
Where does it say alcohol is haram? (part 1)
why is alcohol prohibited in Islam (part 2)
The concept of gradualism in Islam
Shaykh Haytham Tamim
Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.
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