SPOTLIGHT HALAL: Sushi (寿司)

SPOTLIGHT HALAL Magazine provides North American Muslims with practical information about food choices. Please ChipIn your support using the widget on the right side of the screen. Shukran.

	ALCOHOL (?)
	Sake and mirin, both Japanese rice wines, are common ingredients in sushi rice. Try our recipe for gravlax, Swedish salt-cured salmon!

WHAT IS IT?
Sushi (寿司) is a Japanese dish of vinegared rice topped with other ingredients, noteably raw fish, seafood and/or vegetables.

There are various types of sushi. In America, the most familiar kinds are maki rolls (makizushi) which are rolled in sheets of nori (dried, pressed seaweed), and nigirizushi which are clumps of hand-formed sushi rice topped with fish, seafood, fresh vegetables and/or egg. Sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi, not sushi.

Common toppings for sushi are: saltwater eel (anago); amberjack (hamachi); mackerel (hikari-mono); tuna (kihada); fatty tuna (toro); salmon (sake); avocado; cucumber; cod (tara); shrimp (ebi); octopus (tako); squid (ika); sweet egg (tamago), and freshwater eel (unagi).

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HOW IS IT MADE?
Sushi is made with sushi rice — white, short-grained, Japanese rice mixed with a dressing made of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Commonly sake (酒) (pronounced: sa-ki), a traditional Japanese rice wine, or mirin (みりん), a sweet Japanese cooking wine, are added to the sushi rice. Sushi rice is served topped with fresh fish, seafood, egg, fresh vegetables or pickles and served alongside slices of tender pickled ginger, wasabi paste and soy sauce.

Sake is a traditional Japanese rice wine. Its color is clear to white. Sake has an alcohol content of 18-20%, compared to an alcohol content of 12% for typical grape wines. Mirin is a rice wine similar to sake, but very sweet. Mirin has an alcohol content of 14%. When called for, the typical sushi rice recipe uses ¼ cup of sake or mirin. Mirin and sake are stirred to the rice after cooking.

-- Love smoked salmon, but hate the price? Try our Swedish gravlax (cured salmon) recipe. Make it at home and save a bundle! --

WARNING LEVEL: HIGH 
Seafood dishes are often ordered by Muslims who want to avoid eating non-zabiha meat. However, Muslims unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine may not be aware that sushi rice is commonly made with sake or mirin — both Japanese rice wines.

As we have learned in previous issues of Spotlight Halal, Muslims should not automatically assume seafood dishes to be halal. Clam Chowder often contains pork fat, and Shrimp Scampi is made with white wine.

AMNA RECOMMENDS:
Before ordering, ask your waiter to check if that restaurant uses sake or mirin in their sushi rice. Sake is almost never listed as an ingredient of sushi on restaurant menus.

AVOID sushi with deep-fried toppings such as deep fried soft shell crab ('spider roll'), fried tempura shrimp roll ('crunchy roll,' ebifurai-maki), and fried oyster rolls. These are likely deep-fried in the same fryer oil as tonkatsu — deep-fried, breaded pork chops.

SPECIAL NOTE: ALCOHOL & COOKING
AMNA classifies any food that is usually, but not always, made with an alcoholic product as ALCOHOL(?), even if it has been sautéed, simmered, baked or set on fire. The conventional wisdom accepted by just about everyone is that all the alcohol you add to a dish evaporates during cooking. It’s wrong.

In fact, according to a study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Data Laboratory, you have to cook something for a good three hours to remove virtually all traces of alcohol.

[ Learn about Alcohol Cook Off Rates ]

SPECIAL NOTE: ARE SHRIMP, OCTOPUS & SQUID HALAL?
Sunni: These foods are halal food in the Malaki, Hanbali and Shafa'i Schools. Within the Hanafi School, there are varying opinions. Shi'a: These foods are not halal in the Jafari School.

WHAT DOES ALCOHOL(?) MEAN?
ALCOHOL(?) is the rating that we give to any food that likely, but not always, contains alcohol or an alcohol-derived product. The "?" next to the wineglass on the icon prompts you to take a second look at foods that you otherwise may not have suspected. Ask informed questions of your waiter when dining out. Take a closer look at the Ingredients list on food packaging. We rate Sushi as ALCOHOL(?) because sake and mirin are common, traditional ingredients in sushi rice.

At SPOTLIGHT HALAL, our Guiding Principle is to provide the diverse Muslim communities living in Western countries with practical information about the wide range of food choices they face on a daily basis, but from an Islamic perspective. We don’t say a food is haram or halal; we say: "This food is made with alcohol and pork," or, "That food normally contains chicken." Whether or not you observe zabihah, our flexible and informative approach allows you to make informed decisions on what to buy and eat.

SPOTLIGHT HALAL: Chowder

SPOTLIGHT HALAL Magazine provides North American Muslims with practical information about food choices. Please ChipIn your support. Shukran.

	PORK / ALCOHOL (?)
	Chowders are traditionally prepared with salt pork or bacon. Some canned products contain alcohol. View our halal recipe for Authentic Seafood Chowder.

WHAT IS IT?
Chowder is a type of soup popular in New England and Atlantic Canada. Although the word chowder commonly refers to clam chowder, it can be any variety of the rich, chunky and usually creamy soup. Common chowders include corn chowder, seafood chowder and fish chowder. Of the clam chowders, thick and creamy New England Clam Chowder is the most popular variety. Other varieties of clam chowder include the brothy Rhode Island Clam Chowder, milky Maine Clam Chowder and tomato-based Manhattan Clam Chowder.

The word "chowder" was introduced to New England by French-speaking Breton fishermen from Newfoundland, Canada. The fishermen would throw portions of the day's catch and other available foods into a large pot, called a 'chaudron' (a cauldron). In New England, Manhattan clam chowder is considered inferior to the creamy and clear varieties. The tomato-based chowder was a contribution from Portuguese immigrants in Rhode Island. Scornful New Englanders called this modified version "Manhattan-style" clam chowder because in New England calling someone a New Yorker is considered to be an insult.

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HOW IS IT MADE?
Chowder is made by first frying onions and diced potatoes in salt pork or bacon and then cooking these further in a fish or seafood broth or clam juice. Sometimes corn or celery is added. Towards the end of cooking, milk, evaporated milk or cream is added, and then finally fresh chopped clams or other seafood.

Salt pork is the salted, preserved belly fat of pigs. It is used to flavor many traditional American dishes including chowders and Boston baked beans. Salt pork is similar to bacon, but unsmoked and much fattier and saltier. Unlike with bacon, it is the fat of salt pork that is used as a flavoring, but the small amount of attached pork meat is not. Some modern recipes call for bacon to impart a mildly smokey flavor. Butter can be used in place of either.

WARNING LEVEL: HIGH 
Clam Chowder is a very popular soup with Muslims who order seafood dishes to avoid eating meat. Because salt pork is a fat, not a meat, it is impossible to see it in the chowder. Salt pork is almost never listed as an ingredient on restaurant menus. Chowders containing bacon are easier to detect. These chowders have small pink bits floating in the soup.

Some canned varieties of chowder may not contain pork, but will list an alcoholic beverage like sherry, brandy or a wine like chablis in its ingredients.

Homemade Clam Chowder. Yum!

AMNA RECOMMENDS
No matter what kind of chowder you're buying—clam, fish, corn or chicken, Manhattan or New England style—check the ingredients. If the chowder contains 'bacon', 'salt pork', 'sherry', 'brandy' or 'chablis', skip it. When eating out, ask your waiter if that restaurant uses salt pork or bacon in their clam chowder recipe.

A big pot of tasty, satisfying New England clam chowder is easy to make at home for under $15. Try our authentic New England recipe. If that doesn't work for you, see our SPOTLIGHT REVIEW of popular chowder brands.

SPOTLIGHT REVIEW: CHOWDER
Click on any of the chowder products below to see a listing of brands, their products and SPOTLIGHT HALAL's rating on each. To know how we did it, read our methodology (next section).

Canned Chowders

BRAND	VARIETY	CONTAINS...	RATING
Bar Harbor®	Cherrystone Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Corn Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Fish Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Lobster Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Manhattan-Style Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Salmon Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
Campbell's®	Chunky Healthy Request Soup, New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Chunky Healthy Request Soup, Chicken Corn Chowder	Artificial bacon flavor (from soy). Contains chicken.
	Chunky Soup, New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Chunky Soup, Chicken Corn Chowder	Bacon
	Condensed Manhattan Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Condensed New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Select Harvest, New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
Kettle Cuisine®	Clam Chowder, New England (box)	Salt Pork
Natural Sea®	Clam Chowder, New England Style	no pork or alcohol products.
New England Country Soup®	New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Chicken Corn Chowder	no pork or alcohol products. Contains chicken.
Phillips®	New England Style Clam Chowder (box)	Bacon
	Crab & Corn Chowder	White Wine, chicken
	Crab & Shrimp Chowder	White Wine, chicken
	Cream of Crab Soup	Sherry, chicken
Progresso®	Rich & Hearty New England Clam Chowder	Chablis Wine, Brandy
	Rich & Hearty Chicken Corn Chowder	Bacon
	Traditional 99% Fat Free New England Clam Chowder	Chablis Wine, Brandy
	Traditional Manhattan Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Traditional New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
Taste Adventure®	Sweet Corn Chowder (pouch)	no pork or alcohol products.
Wolfgang Puck's®	Organic Corn Chowder	Alcohol
	This list was compiled & published by SPOTLIGHT HALAL Magazine.

RESTAURANT Chowders

RESTAURANT	VARIETY	CONTAINS...	RATING
Friendly's Restaurants (New York, New England)	Homestyle Clam Chowder	bacon bits
Legal Sea Foods[1] (New England, NY/NJ, Mid-Atlantic states, GA, FL)	Legal Seafood Clam Chowder	salt pork
	Legal's Inaugural Fish Chowder	monterey jack cheese
Phillips Seafood (NY/NJ, Mid-Atlantic states, GA)	New England Style Clam Chowder	bacon
	for other Phillips Seafood chowder varieties, see above
	This list was compiled & published by SPOTLIGHT HALAL Magazine.

HOW WE DID IT:
Our goal was to compile as thorough a list of chowder brands  as possible, identifying which are made with pork products like bacon or salt pork and/or alcohol. Information for each product was taken off of the products' Ingredients lists, or in the case of restaurant foods, off the restaurant's web site or published cookbook. All ingredients listed are current as of the date of this article's publication. Because product recipes and ingredients change, be sure to check a product's Ingredient list at the time of purchase.

SPECIAL NOTE: ARE CLAMS HALAL?
Sunni: Clams are halal food in the Malaki, Hanbali and Shafa'i Schools. Within the Hanafi School, there are varying opinions.

Shi'a: Jafaris do not consider clams to be halal.
And the two seas are not alike―the one palatable, sweet, and pleasant to drink, and the other salty and bitter.  Yet from each (kind of water) do ye eat flesh fresh and tender and ye extract ornaments to wear; and thou seest the ships therein that plough the waves, that ye may seek (thus) of the Bounty of Allah that ye may be grateful.
—The Qur'an. Suratu Faatir: 12

CAN MUSLIMS USE KOSHER SYMBOLS TO KNOW IF CHOWDER IS HALAL?
NO. Clams, shrimp and other mollusks and cephalopods (squid, octopus, etc.) are not kosher.[2] Chicken chowder can not be kosher because it goes against the halachic prohibition against mixing meat and dairy (milk, cream, etc.) in the same meal. This means that you won't find a kosher symbol on a can of clam, seafood or chicken chowder even if it doesn't contain a pig product like pork fat or bacon. You need to turn the can around to look at the ingredients list.

SPECIAL NOTE: ALCOHOL AND COOKING
AMNA classifies any food that has been made with an alcoholic product as ALCOHOL, even if it has been sautéed, simmered, baked or set on fire. The conventional wisdom accepted by just about everyone is that all the alcohol you add to a dish evaporates during cooking. It’s wrong.

In fact, according to a study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Data Laboratory, you have to cook something for a good three hours to remove virtually all traces of alcohol. After it has simmered for 15 minutes, 40% of the alcohol remains in the canned chowder.

-- Learn more about Alcohol cook-off times at: http://www.isitharam.com/halal_info/prohibited/alcohol_cooking.jsp --

		PORK is the rating that we give to any food that always contains pork or a pig-derived product.
		ALCOHOL is the rating that we give to any food that always contains alcohol, even if it has been cooked.
		HALAL(?) is the rating that we give to food that 1). Commonly contains meat from a halal animal that may not have been zabiha-slaughtered; 2). To food containing cheese possibly made with animal rennet; 3). Certain seafood whose permissibility varies according to methhab.
		HALAL is the rating that we give to food that is always halal. In line with the Quran and Sunna, IsItHaram.com and SPOTLIGHT HALAL includes all seafood in this rating.

At SPOTLIGHT HALAL, our Guiding Principle is to provide the diverse Muslim communities living in Western countries with practical information about the wide range of food choices they face on a daily basis, but from an Islamic perspective. We don’t say a food is haram or halal; we say: "This food is made with alcohol and pork," or, "That food normally contains chicken." Whether or not you observe zabihah, our flexible and informative approach allows you to make informed decisions on what to buy and eat.

REFERENCES:

[1] The Legal Seafood Cookbook. Legal Seafoods Clam Chowder.
[2] Torah. Leviticus 11: 9-12

LEGAL
All brands described in this article are registered trademarks of their owners. Bar Harbor® is a registered trademark of Bar Harbor Foods, Inc.; Campbell's® is a registered trademark of Campbell Soup Company; Kettle Cuisine® is a registered trademark of Kettle Cuisine; Natural Sea® is a trademark of Natural Sea; New England Country Soup® is a registered trademark of New England Country Foods, LLC; Phillips® is a registered trademark of Phillips Seafood Restaurants; Progresso® is a registered trademark of Betty Crocker, a General Mills company; Taste Adventure® is a registered trademark of Will-Pak Foods, Inc.; Wolfgang Puck's® is a registered trademark of Country Gourmet Foods, LLC; Legal Sea Foods® is a registered trademark of Legal Sea Foods; Friendly's® is a registered trademark of Friendly Ice Cream Corporation; Phillips® is a registered trademark of Phillips Seafood Restaurants.

Quran & Hadith: Toxins

TOXINS, INTOXICANTS in the Quran

وانفقوا في سبيل الله ولاتلقوا بايديكم الى التهلكة واحسنوا ان الله يحب المحسنين

Give generously for the cause of Allah and do not cast yourselves into destruction by your own hands. Be charitable: Allah loves those who are charitable.
— Quran, Surat Al-Baqarah 2:195

Hadith referencing TOXINS, INTOXICANTS

Although not one-and-the-same, many foods identified as TOXINS are also INTOXICANTS, consumed because of the effects they have on a person's state of being. AMNA has differentiates between ALCOHOL products and INTOXICANTS. The reason for this is simply to provide more precision in our judgements.

Much of the hadith prohibiting intoxicants is the same the ahadith prohibiting alcohol. The explanation being that:

1. First the Prophet (s.a.s.) first prohibited khamr (wine), 
2. Then he extended the meaning of khamr to include the prohibition of all alcoholic beverages, regardless of what they are made from.
3. Finally, he further extended the meaning of khamr to include any substance that intoxicates.

Prohibition against drinking / consuming alcohol 
or other intoxicants in any quantity or strength

Narrated by Ahmed bin al-Musnad:
"Whatever intoxicates in large quantities, a small amount of it is haram.”
— al-Musnad, 2/91, 167, 179; 3/343.

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin:
"I heard the Prophet of Allah (s.a.s.) say: 'Every intoxicant is forbidden; if a faraq ('fraction') of anything causes intoxication, a handful of it is forbidden.'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3679

Prohibition against khamr as medicine
and recognition of it as a disease

Narrated Tariq ibn Suwayd:
"Wa'il said: 'Tariq ibn Suwayd asked the Prophet about wine, but he forbade it. He again asked him, but he forbade him. He said to him: "Prophet of Allah, it is a medicine." The Prophet said: "No it is a disease."'"
— Abu Dawoud

Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet reports that he once said:
"Allah has not placed a cure for your diseases in things that He has forbidden for you.''
— Bukhari on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud.

Abu ad-Darda reported that the Prophet said:
"Allah has sent down both the malady and its remedy. For every disease He has created a cure. So seek medical treatment, but never with something the use of which Allah has prohibited.''
— Abu Dawoud; Sahih Bukhari

Prohibition against buying, selling, transporting, producing alcohol

Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar:
"The Prophet (s.a.s.) said: 'Allah has cursed wine, its drinker, its server, its seller, its buyer, its presser, the one for whom it is pressed, the one who conveys it, and the one to whom it is conveyed.'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3666

Defining word khamr ('wine') to extend to all alcoholic beverages, 
beyond those produced by grapes

Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir:
"The Prophet (s.a.s.) said: 'From grapes wine is made, from dried dates wine is made, from honey wine is made, from wheat wine is made, from barley wine is made.'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3668

Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir: 

"I heard the Prophet of Allah (s.a.s.) say: 'Wine is made from grape-syrup, raisins, dried dates, wheat, barley, millet, and I forbid you from every intoxicant.'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3669

Narrated AbdurRahman ibn Ghanam:
"Malik ibn AbuMaryam said: 'AbdurRahman ibn Ghanam entered upon us and we discussed tila' and he said: "AbuMalik al-Ash'ari told me that he heard the Prophet of Allah (s.a.s.) say: 'Some of my people will assuredly drink wine calling it by another name.'"'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3680

Extending prohibition of khamr (alcoholic beverages) to all intoxicants

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin:
"The Prophet of Allah (s.a.s.) forbade every intoxicant and everything which produces languidness."
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3672

Islamic Schools of Thought

"It is prohibited to have any kind of food or drink that causes harm to the body, such as poison, intoxicants, hashish or tobacco... [the] Quranic verse [above] indicates the prohibition of eating or drinking anything that may cause harm. In addition, there are many other legal proofs that emphasize the prohibition of any kind of food or drink that may be harmful either to one's mind or body."
— Al Fawzan, Dr. Salih (Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence. Member, The Permanent Committee on Fatwa and Research). "A Summary of Islamic Jurisprudence, Vol. 2," Section XI: Food, Chapter 1, p. 652.

Quran & Hadith: Index

ياايها الذين امنوا كلوا من طيبات مارزقناكم واشكروا لله ان كنتم اياه تعبدون

"O ye who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you, and be grateful to Allah, if it is Him ye worship."
— Quran. 2:172

ALCOHOL

• ALCOHOL in the Quran
• Hadith referencing ALCOHOL
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

BLOOD

• BLOOD in the Quran
• Hadith referencing BLOOD
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

CARRION (DEAD) الميتة

• CARRION in the Quran
• Hadith referencing CARRION
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

DONKEY & HORSE

• DONKEY & HORSE in the Quran
• Hadith referencing DONKEY & HORSE
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

HALAL

• HALAL in the Quran
• Hadith referencing HALAL
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

HAWWAM
(Insects, Reptiles, Amphibians & Rodents)

• HAWWAM in the Quran
• Hadith referencing HAWWAM
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

HUMAN, PRIMATE

• HUMANS in the Quran
• Hadith referencing HUMANS
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

PORK

• PIGS in the Quran
• Hadith referencing PIGS
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

PREDATORS

• PREDATORS in the Quran
• Hadith referencing PREDATORS
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

SHIRK شرك

• SHIRK in the Quran
• Hadith referencing SHIRK
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

TOXIC / INTOXICANT

• INTOXICANTS in the Quran
• Hadith referencing INTOXICANTS
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

Zabihah ذبيحة

• Zabihah in the Quran
• Hadith referencing Zabihah
• Fiqh: rulings and differences

ALCOHOL Cook Off Rates

MYTH: "All the Alcohol burns off when you cook it."

Foods that have been cooked with alcohol (beer, wine, vodka, etc.), still contain significant amounts of alcohol even if they've been sautéed, simmered, baked or set on fire.

The conventional wisdom accepted by just about everyone in the food world is that all the alcohol you add to a dish evaporates during cooking. It’s wrong. In fact, you have to cook something for a good three hours to removed virtually all traces of alcohol.

It may be that the amount of alcohol in a dish is modest to start with, but the fact that some of the alcohol remains should be of significant concern to Muslims.

A study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Data Laboratory calculated the percentage of alcohol remaining in a dish based on various cooking methods. The results are as follows:

Alcohol that has been...	... has this much ethanol (alcohol) remaining.
added to boiling liquid, then removed from heat	85%
set on fire, flamed, 'flambé'	75%
left uncovered at room temperature, overnight	70%
baked, 25 minutes, alcohol not stirred into mixture	45%
baked/simmered, alcohol stirred into mixture:
for 15 minutes	40%
for 30 minutes	35%
for 1 hour (60 minutes)	25%
for 1.5 hours (90 minutes)	20%
for 2 hours (120 minutes)	10%
for 2.5 hours (150 minutes)	5%

ALCOHOL IN POPULAR DISHES
CHICKEN MARSALA (POLLO AL MARSALA)
Chicken Marsala is an Italian dish of chicken breasts cooked in a sauce of fortified Marsala wine.

SHRIMP SCAMPI
Shrimp Scampi is an Italian dish of shrimp (prawns) cooked in a garlicky, butter-wine sauce served over pasta.

SUSHI
Sake and mirin, both Japanese rice wines, are common ingredients in sushi rice.

RECIPE SUBSTITUTION IDEAS

Recipe calls for: Red Wine	Recipe calls for: White Wine
Used in sauces, desserts and meat dishes.	Used in seafood dishes, sauces
Substitute: Pomegranate Syrup, دبس الرمان , رب أنار	Substitute 1: Verjus, Sour Grape Juice, حصروم , آبغور
Use 1/4 - 1/3 the amount called for.	Substitute 2: Lemon Juice, Lime Juice
	Adjust amount according to taste.
Recipe calls for: Cointreau, Orange Liqueur	Recipe calls for: Vanilla Extract
Used in desserts	Used in desserts
Substitute: Fresh Grated Orange Peel	Substitute: Vanillin, Vanilla Powder, Vanilla Sugar

Quran & Hadith: Alcohol

Includes hadith and fiqh for alcohol-derived vinegars.

ALCOHOL in the Quran
Intoxicants were forbidden in the Quran through several separate verses revealed at different times over a period of years. At first, it was forbidden for Muslims to attend to prayers while intoxicated:

ياايها الذين امنوا لاتقربوا الصلاة وانتم سكارى حتى تعلموا ماتقولون ولاجنبا الا عابري سبيل حتى تغتسلوا وان كنتم مرضى او على سفر او جاء احد منكم من الغائط او لامستم النساء فلم تجدوا ماء فتيمموا صعيدا طيبا فامسحوا بوجوهكم وايديكم ان الله كان عفوا غفورا

O believers! Do not offer your Salah when you are drunk until you know what you are saying; nor in a state of janaba, except when you are travelling, unless you wash your whole body. If you are sick, or on a journey, or one of you has used the toilet, or has had (sexual) contact with women and can find no water, then make Tayammum: take some clean earth and rub your faces and hands with it. Allah is Lenient, Forgiving.

— Quran, Surat al-Nisaa 4:43

Then a later verse was revealed which said that alcohol contains some good and some evil, but the evil is greater than the good:

يسألونك عن الخمر والميسر قل فيها اثم كبير ومنافع للناس واثمهما اكبر من نفعهما ويسألونك ماذا ينفقون قل العفو كذلك يبين الله لكم الايات لعلكم تتفكرون

They ask you about drinking and gambling. Tell them: "There is great sin in both, although they may have some benefit for men; but the sin is greater than the benefit." They ask you what they should spend; tell them: "Whatever you can." Thus Allah makes His revelations clear to you, so that you may reflect upon [them].

— Quran, Surat al-Baqarah 2:219

This was the next step in turning people away from consumption of it. Finally, Muslims were ordered to abstain:

٩٠ ياايها الذين امنوا انما الخمر والميسر والانصاب والازلام رجس من عمل الشيطان فاجتنبوه لعلكم تفلحون ٩١ انما يريد الشيطان ان يوقع بينكم العداوة والبغضاء في الخمر والميسر ويصدكم عن ذكر الله وعن الصلاة فهل انتم منتهون

O you who believe, intoxicants, and gambling, and the altars of idols, and games of chance are abominations of Shaitan; you shall avoid them, that you may succeed. Shaitan wants to provoke animosity and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and to distract you from remembering Allah, and from observing Salat. Will you then refrain?

— Quran, Surat al-Ma'ida 5:90-91

Hadith referencing ALCOHOL
Prohibition against drinking / consuming alcohol.

Narrated by Anas ibn Malik:
"I was serving wine to the people in the house of AbuTalhah when it was prohibited and that day our wine was made from unripe dates. A man entered upon us and said: 'The wine has been prohibited, and the herald of the Prophet of Allah (s.a.s.) made an announcement.' We then said: 'This is the herald of the Prophet of Allah (s.a.s.).'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3665

Narrated Daylam al-Himyari:
"I asked the Prophet (s.a.s.) and said: 'Prophet of Allah! We live in a cold land in which we do heavy work and we make a liquor from wheat to get strength from it for our work and to stand the cold of our country.' He asked: 'Is it intoxicating?' I replied: 'Yes.' He said: 'You must avoid it.' I said: 'The people will not abandon it.' He said: 'If they do not abandon it, fight with them.'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3675

Narrated AbuHurayrah:
"I knew that the Prophet of Allah (s.a.s.) used to keep fast. I waited for the day when he did not fast to present him the drink (nabidh) which I made in a pumpkin. I then brought it to him while it fermented. He said: 'Throw it to this wall, for this is a drink of the one who does not believe in Allah and the Last Day.'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3707

Prohibition against drinking / consuming alcohol or other intoxicants in any quantity or strength.
Narrated by Ahmed bin al-Musnad:
"Whatever intoxicates in large quantities, a small amount of it is haram.”
— al-Musnad, 2/91, 167, 179; 3/343.

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin:
"I heard the Prophet of Allah (s.a.s.) say: 'Every intoxicant is forbidden; if a faraq ('fraction') of anything causes intoxication, a handful of it is forbidden.'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3679

Prohibition against khamr (alcohol) as medicine and recognition of it as a disease.
Narrated Tariq ibn Suwayd:
"Wa'il said: 'Tariq ibn Suwayd asked the Prophet about wine, but he forbade it. He again asked him, but he forbade him. He said to him: "Prophet of Allah, it is a medicine." The Prophet said: "No it is a disease."'"
— Abu Dawoud

Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet reports that he once said:
"Allah has not placed a cure for your diseases in things that He has forbidden for you.''
— Bukhari on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud.

Abu ad-Darda reported that the Prophet said:
"Allah has sent down both the malady and its remedy. For every disease He has created a cure. So seek medical treatment, but never with something the use of which Allah has prohibited.''
— Abu Dawoud; Sahih Bukhari

Prohibition against buying, selling, transporting, producing alcohol.
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar:
"The Prophet (s.a.s.) said: 'Allah has cursed wine, its drinker, its server, its seller, its buyer, its presser, the one for whom it is pressed, the one who conveys it, and the one to whom it is conveyed.'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3666

Narrated Jabir ibn Abd Allah:
"The Messenger of Allah said, 'Verily, Allah and His Messenger have prohibited the sale of alcohol, dead animals, swine and idols.'"
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Muslim

Defining word khamr to extend to all alcoholic beverages, beyond those produced by grapes.
Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir:
"The Prophet (s.a.s.) said: 'From grapes wine is made, from dried dates wine is made, from honey wine is made, from wheat wine is made, from barley wine is made.'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3668

Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir:
"I heard the Prophet of Allah (s.a.s.) say: 'Wine is made from grape-syrup, raisins, dried dates, wheat, barley, millet, and I forbid you from every intoxicant.'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3669

Narrated AbdurRahman ibn Ghanam:
"Malik ibn AbuMaryam said: 'AbdurRahman ibn Ghanam entered upon us and we discussed tila' and he said: "AbuMalik al-Ash'ari told me that he heard the Prophet of Allah (s.a.s.) say: 'Some of my people will assuredly drink wine calling it by another name.'"'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3680

Extending prohibition of khamr (alcoholic beverages) to all intoxicants.
Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin: "The Prophet of Allah (s.a.s.) forbade every intoxicant and everything which produces languidness."
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3672

'Rewards' of those who die without repenting and abstaining from alcohol.
Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
"Allah's Messenger said: 'Every intoxicant is khamr and every intoxicant is forbidden. He who drinks wine in this world and dies while he is addicted to it, not having repented, will not be given a drink in the Hereafter.'"
— Muslim. #4963

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Abbas:
"The Prophet of Allah (s.a.s.) said: 'Every intoxicant is khamr (wine) and every intoxicant is forbidden. If anyone drinks khamr, Allah will not accept prayer from him for forty days, but if he repents, Allah will accept his repentance. If he repeats it a fourth time, it is binding on Allah that He will give him tinat al-khabal to drink.'
"He was asked: 'What is tinat al-khabal, Apostle of Allah?'
He replied: 'Discharge of wounds, flowing from the inhabitants of Hell. If anyone serves it to a minor who does not distinguish between the lawful and the unlawful, it is binding on Allah that He will give him to drink the discharge of wounds, flowing from the inhabitants of Hell.'"
— Abu Dawoud. Book 26, Number 3672

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar ; Abdullah ibn Amr:
"Allah's Messenger said, 'If anyone drinks khamr Allah will not accept prayer from him for forty days, but if he repents Allah will forgive him. If he repeats the offence Allah will not accept prayer from him for forty days, but if he repents Allah will forgive him. If he again repeats the offence Allah will not accept prayer from him for forty days, but if he repents Allah will forgive him. If he repeats it a fourth time Allah will not accept prayer from him for forty days, and if he repents Allah will not forgive him, but will give him to drink of the river of the fluid flowing from the inhabitants of Hell.'"
— Al-Tirmidhi #3643. Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it on the authority of Abdullah ibn Amr]

Punishment / treatment for those who are intoxicated.
Narrated 'Uqba bin Al-Harith:
"When An-Nuaman or his son was brought in a state of drunkenness, Allah's Prophet ordered all those who were present in the house to beat him. I was one of those who beat him. We beat him with shoes and palm-leaf stalks."
— Bukhari. 3:509

Narrated Anas bin Malik:
"The Prophet beat a drunk with palm-leaf stalks and shoes. And Abu Bakr gave forty lashes."
— Bukhari 8:764

Narrated Abu Salama:
"Abu Huraira said, 'A man who drank wine was brought to the Prophet . The Prophet said, "Beat him!"' Abu Huraira added, 'So some of us beat him with our hands, and some with their shoes, and some with their garments (by twisting it) like a lash, and then when we finished, someone said to him, "May Allah disgrace you!" On that the Prophet said, "Do not say so, for you are helping Satan to overpower him."'"
— Bukhari 8:768

Hadith referencing VINEGAR
Narrated by Jaabir (r.a.) -
"The Prophet (s.a.s.) said: 'What a good food is vinegar.'"
— Muslim, 3/1623

Narrated by Anas ibn Malik (r.a.) -
"The Messenger of Allah (s.a.s.) was asked whether wine could be changed to be used as vinegar. He said, 'No.'"
— Muslim

Narrated by Abu Talhah (r.a.) -
"The Prophet (s.a.s.) was asked about some orphans who had inherited some wine. He said, 'Pour it away.' He was asked, 'Could they not make it into vinegar?' He said, 'No.'"
— Muslim

‘Umar (r.a.) said:
“There is nothing wrong with a man buying vinegar from the People of the Book [Christians, Jews], if they sell it, so long as he knows that they did not deliberately process it from wine. And Allah knows best."
— Bidaayat al-Mujtahid li Ibn Rushd, 1/461; Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’ li’l-Bahwati, 1/187; Fath al-Qadeer li Ibn al-Hammaam, 8/166; al-Majmoo’ li’l-Nawawi, 1/225; al-Mughni li Ibn Qudaamah, 8/319

ISLAMIC SCHOOLS of THOUGHT
ALCOHOL
There is no difference within the Four mathahib regarding the consumption of alcohol.

VINEGAR
When wine turns to vinegar by itself, without any deliberate treatment needed for it to be changed, it is permissible to eat, drink and handle it, according to the consensus of the scholars, because of the hadeeth quoted above (Jaabir). But if the wine has become vinegar because of deliberate treatment, by adding vinegar, onions, salt etc., or by any other process, then the majority view holds that it is impermissible (haram).

The Shafi'i, Hanbali and Maliki Schools of fiqh:
The Shafi’is, Hanbalis and some of the Maalikis say that it is not permissible to deliberately change wine to vinegar because then it is not pure, citing the hadith of Anas ibn Malik and of Abu Talhah referenced above.

"Wine that becomes vinegar without anything having been introduced into it is pure, as are the sides of the container it touched when it splashed or boiled. But if anything was introduced into the wine before it became vinegar, then turning to vinegar does not purify it."
— Reliance of the Traveler. e14.6

The Hanafi School of fiqh states:
In the Hanafi School, it is permitted to consume wine vinegar—whether it transformed by itself or through intervention.
— Shaykh al-Islam al-Marghinani, al-Hidaya

Imam Akmal al-Din al-Babarti explains in al-`Inaya, his commentary on al-Hidaya, that the texts that would seem to indicate the prohibition of wine vinegar are understood to be abrogated by later texts establishing permission. The wisdom behind the temporary prohibition was to reinforce the dislike of wine in the hearts of those morally responsible, as the hadith commentators explain.

HARAM: Alcohol

ALCOHOL - The term commonly used to refer to alcoholic beverages — beverages containing ethanol (ethyl alcohol) — or to ethanol alone. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits (vodka, gin, whiskey, etc.). All alcoholic beverages contain the alcohol known as ethanol (ethyl alcohol).

In chemistry the definition of 'alcohol' is much broader and includes many other compounds such as isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and methyl (wood) alcohol; these are highly toxic and are therefore never used in foods. They are not included within AMNA's ALCOHOL classification.

Islamic Prohibition against ALCOHOL:
Islam forbids the handling, promotion, selling and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Muslims are forbidden to drink alcoholic beverages and to consume food items made using alcohol, whether or not they have been cooked. The prohibition against alcohol also extends to foods which were once alcoholic, such as wine vinegar, according to hadith.

[ ALCOHOL in Quran & Hadith ]

AMNA's Criteria for ALCOHOL:
The table below describes our criteria for judging a FOOD as ALCOHOL or as ALCOHOL(?). Helpful icons make it easy to judge foods at a glance.

ICON	CLASS	AMNA JUDGING CRITERIA	SOME EXAMPLES...
	ALCOHOL	Alcoholic beverages; FOODS made with alcohol, ethanol, ethyl alcohol; Alcohol-derived products.	Beer, wine, vodka, whiskey, etc. Tiramisu, vodka rigatoni, flambé. Wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar.
	ALCOHOL(?)	FOODS commonly made with alcohol or alcohol-derived products, but which could be made without either.	Shrimp scampi, sushi, flavor extracts, vinaigrette salad dressings

Related Topics:
Where can I find verses from the Quran, or hadith about drinking ALCOHOL?
What are the food import regulations for countries like Saudi Arabia?
Why are foods cooked with wine or beer labeled ALCOHOL?
Why does AMNA classify wine vinegar as ALCOHOL(?)?
What's the difference between kosher and halal?
Why do we use "?" on some icons? What does it mean?
What if a food contains TWO haram substances?