Why eating food cooked with alcohol is halal
C J. Ahmed-06.03.2023
There is a doubt that is present by a lot of Muslims across the world is whether cooking or eating food with alcohol is haram in Islam. The truth is, eating food using alcohol is completely halal in Islam because the alcohol evaporates due to the heat and once the alcohol has evaporated; there is nothing wrong in eating the food.
Jabir bin 'Abdullah reported,
“Allah's Messenger (sal) took hold of my hand one day (and led me) to his residence. There was presented to him some pieces of bread, whereupon he said: Is there no condiment? They (the members of his household) said: No, except some vinegar. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Vinegar is a good condiment. Jabir said: I have always loved vinegar since I heard it from Allah's Apostle (sal). Talha said: I have always loved vinegar since I heard about it from Jabir.”
(Sahih Muslim)
Jabir bin 'Abdullah reported that Allah's Apostle (sal) asked his family for condiments. They (the members of his household) said: “We have nothing with us but vinegar. He asked for it, he began to eat it, and then said "Vinegar is a good condiment, vinegar is a good condiment.”
(Sahih Muslim)
The process of alcohol evaporating due to cooking is similar to the intoxicants containing in alcoholic beverages such as in wine and beer disappearing due to the fermentation process in turning them into vinegar. If eating food made using alcohol is haram, then the prophet (sal) would not have eaten vinegar because vinegar is made using alcohol. The biggest confusion among Muslims on alcohol is due to not understanding the difference between alcohol and intoxicants. The below hadith will explain this difference.
Narrated Ibn `Umar:
"I heard `Umar while he was on the pulpit of the Prophet (sal) saying, "Now then O people! The revelation about the prohibition of alcoholic drinks was revealed; and alcoholic drinks are extracted from five things: Grapes, dates, honey, wheat and barley. And the alcoholic drink is that which confuses and stupefies the mind." (Sahih al Bukhari)
From the above hadith is should be understood that alcohol that causes intoxication is what is haram and alcohol that does not qualify to the level of intoxication is not haram. There is a level of alcohol which is non- intoxicant and that level of alcohol is not haram. Banana for an example contains 0.2 g of alcohol per 100 g but this level of alcohol is harmless and only will turn into an intoxicant if it is fermented and turned into wine or some other intoxicant. The other example is eating grapes. Islam never forbade grapes but only forbade intoxicants.
Muslim brothers and sisters should not worry too much in eating food that contains alcohol because the above evidence that were discussed is more than enough to understand why eating food containing alcohol is not haram in Islam.
Let me quote one hadith,
Narrated As-Samma' sister of Abdullah ibn Busr (rali):
“The Prophet (sal) said: Do not fast on Saturday except what has been made obligatory on you; and if one of you can get nothing but a grape skin or a piece of wood from a tree, he should chew it.”
(Abu Dawud-graded Sahih by Albani)
In this hadith the prophet(sal) clearly told to eat grapes because grapes is not haram even though grape fruit contains little alcohol and it is the fermentation that causes the alcohol level to shoot up to the level of intoxication.
There is a doubt that is present by a lot of Muslims across the world is whether cooking or eating food with alcohol is haram in Islam. The truth is, eating food using alcohol is completely halal in Islam because the alcohol evaporates due to the heat and once the alcohol has evaporated; there is nothing wrong in eating the food.
Jabir bin 'Abdullah reported,
“Allah's Messenger (sal) took hold of my hand one day (and led me) to his residence. There was presented to him some pieces of bread, whereupon he said: Is there no condiment? They (the members of his household) said: No, except some vinegar. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Vinegar is a good condiment. Jabir said: I have always loved vinegar since I heard it from Allah's Apostle (sal). Talha said: I have always loved vinegar since I heard about it from Jabir.”
(Sahih Muslim)
Jabir bin 'Abdullah reported that Allah's Apostle (sal) asked his family for condiments. They (the members of his household) said: “We have nothing with us but vinegar. He asked for it, he began to eat it, and then said "Vinegar is a good condiment, vinegar is a good condiment.”
(Sahih Muslim)
The process of alcohol evaporating due to cooking is similar to the intoxicants containing in alcoholic beverages such as in wine and beer disappearing due to the fermentation process in turning them into vinegar. If eating food made using alcohol is haram, then the prophet (sal) would not have eaten vinegar because vinegar is made using alcohol. The biggest confusion among Muslims on alcohol is due to not understanding the difference between alcohol and intoxicants. The below hadith will explain this difference.
Narrated Ibn `Umar:
"I heard `Umar while he was on the pulpit of the Prophet (sal) saying, "Now then O people! The revelation about the prohibition of alcoholic drinks was revealed; and alcoholic drinks are extracted from five things: Grapes, dates, honey, wheat and barley. And the alcoholic drink is that which confuses and stupefies the mind." (Sahih al Bukhari)
From the above hadith is should be understood that alcohol that causes intoxication is what is haram and alcohol that does not qualify to the level of intoxication is not haram. There is a level of alcohol which is non- intoxicant and that level of alcohol is not haram. Banana for an example contains 0.2 g of alcohol per 100 g but this level of alcohol is harmless and only will turn into an intoxicant if it is fermented and turned into wine or some other intoxicant. The other example is eating grapes. Islam never forbade grapes but only forbade intoxicants.
Muslim brothers and sisters should not worry too much in eating food that contains alcohol because the above evidence that were discussed is more than enough to understand why eating food containing alcohol is not haram in Islam.
Let me quote one hadith,
Narrated As-Samma' sister of Abdullah ibn Busr (rali):
“The Prophet (sal) said: Do not fast on Saturday except what has been made obligatory on you; and if one of you can get nothing but a grape skin or a piece of wood from a tree, he should chew it.”
(Abu Dawud-graded Sahih by Albani)
In this hadith the prophet(sal) clearly told to eat grapes because grapes is not haram even though grape fruit contains little alcohol and it is the fermentation that causes the alcohol level to shoot up to the level of intoxication.