DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Use of Ethyl Alcohol in Food/Drinks and Its permissibility!

**AlekseyZubkov** · 09-02-2008, 09:50 AM

Assalam O Alaikum

As one ulema said in above posting that synthetic alcohol is not Haram, the Ulema has to know that the synthetic alcohol is made from natural gas and petroleum derivatives. It is not obtained from fermenting fruits. This synthetic alcohol is also Haram because it has same chemical formulaCH3 Ch2 OH and it has the same chemical, physical characteristic, intoxication quality like other alcohol obtained from fermentation process.

Wa 'alaikum asalaam brother.

I believe this statement is based on the very old position of Imaam Abu Hanifa (rah) since he used to distinguish between alcohols and Mufti Ebrahim Desai (rah) mentioned the basis for this from Miskhat. And according to Sheikh Hamza Karamali (Shafi'i), there is a "world of difference" (at least in fiqh) between adding ethyl and it being a naturally present process.

I don't know about the other madhahib, but the amount of alcohol present in a substance is also relevant (and not just whether the alcohol was 'naturally' there or 'added').

And though chemical composition may be the same, in fiqh, it's how a product was derived that also counts and not just the end result - so for example, water boiled with heat that emanated from burning filth (najasah) is no longer purifying water, even though the chemical composition of the water remains the same (since the najasah never came into contact with the water either). Wassalaam

09-02-2008, 09:50 AM	#6
AlekseyZubkov Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 356 Senior Member	Assalam O Alaikum As one ulema said in above posting that synthetic alcohol is not Haram, the Ulema has to know that the synthetic alcohol is made from natural gas and petroleum derivatives. It is not obtained from fermenting fruits. This synthetic alcohol is also Haram because it has same chemical formulaCH3 Ch2 OH and it has the same chemical, physical characteristic, intoxication quality like other alcohol obtained from fermentation process. Wa 'alaikum asalaam brother. I believe this statement is based on the very old position of Imaam Abu Hanifa (rah) since he used to distinguish between alcohols and Mufti Ebrahim Desai (rah) mentioned the basis for this from Miskhat. And according to Sheikh Hamza Karamali (Shafi'i), there is a "world of difference" (at least in fiqh) between adding ethyl and it being a naturally present process. I don't know about the other madhahib, but the amount of alcohol present in a substance is also relevant (and not just whether the alcohol was 'naturally' there or 'added'). And though chemical composition may be the same, in fiqh, it's how a product was derived that also counts and not just the end result - so for example, water boiled with heat that emanated from burning filth (najasah) is no longer purifying water, even though the chemical composition of the water remains the same (since the najasah never came into contact with the water either). Wassalaam
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