Does Eating a Haram Dish Containing Wine Carry the Same Consequence for Prayer as Drinking Wine?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

As-salamu alaykum, I have a question about the hadith stating that whoever drinks an intoxicant will have their prayer unaccepted for 40 days. I understand that consuming food or drink containing intoxicants is haram, regardless of intention.

Does this hadith apply only to someone who directly drinks an intoxicant intending to become intoxicated, or also to someone who knowingly eats a dish cooked with wine or another intoxicant, without intending intoxication or drinking it directly?

Does eating a haram dish containing wine carry the same consequences for prayer as drinking wine?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I hope you are in good health and faith.

Eating an impermissible (haram) dish containing wine will not carry the same consequence of worship not being accepted in terms of reward. However, the warning that dua may not be accepted and that deserving hellfire is appropriate has been mentioned and can apply due to haram food eaten.

Allah Most High says: “O you who believe: wine, the feast-lottery, the stone sacrifice altars, and divining sticks are but filth of the work of the Devil, so shun it utterly, that haply you may succeed.” [Quran 5:90; Keller, The Quran Beheld]

Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “O people, indeed Allah Most High is Pure and accepts only that which is pure. Allah Most High has commanded the believers with the same command that He gave to the messengers (peace be upon them all). Allah Most High has said: ‘O Messengers, consume that which is pure and wholesome and perform righteous actions. Indeed, I am all aware of what you do.’ Allah Most High has mentioned: ‘O believers, consume from the pure and wholesome foods that We have provided for you.’

“Thereafter, the Prophet of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) explained the condition of a person who had undertaken a long, arduous journey. His hair was disheveled, and his clothing was covered in dust. He raised his hands to the sky, crying in supplication, saying, ‘O my Rabb, O my Rabb’. Whereas his food and drink intake are haram, his clothing is obtained from haram sources; his body is nourished with haram, so how can his du’as ever be answered?” [Muslim]

It is mentioned as part of a longer hadith narrated by Ka’b ibn Ujra (Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “There is no flesh nourished by haram except that the fire is most appropriate for it.” [Tirmidhi]

As believers, we are duty-bound to fulfill our obligations and actions; whether they are accepted or not is totally up to Allah Most High.

Also, if a person were to fall into sin and make sincere repentance, it is as though one hasn’t committed any sin. Therefore, one should not lose hope or become despondent and leave one’s prayers, supplications, or any act of good just because one has eaten haram. One should, however, challenge oneself to make sincere repentance going forward and continue worshipping Allah Most High.

And Allah knows best.

Ilyas Patel

Related Answers

One. Is It Permissible to Consume Foods That Contain Alcohol? — Shaykh Faraz Rabbani: Intoxicating use versus a non-intoxicating ingredient.

Two. Is It True That If Someone Smokes Marijuana His Prayers Won’t Be Accepted for 70 Days? — Ustadh Tabraze Azam: Munawi’s view that reward is lessened, and the analogy to other intoxicants.

Three. Drinking Alcohol: Are My Prayers Not Valid for 40 Days? — Ustadha Naielah Ackbarali: “Not accepted” means without reward, not invalid; repentance removes it.

Four. Is My Salah Not Accepted If I Play a Game with Alcohol in It? — Mawlana Ilyas Patel: The warning applies to actual drinking, not virtual contact.