Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Permissible, or Does It Imitate Drinkers and Count as Lahw?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I’ve read most, if not all, of your answers on this topic, but still need clarification. Since most non-alcoholic beer is made by dealcoholization, is it haram from the outset? For the small amount made otherwise, would drinking it amount to imitating the kuffar or violate points 3, 4, and 5?
- Not drunk with the intention of intoxication;
- Not drunk to the extent that would intoxicate;
- Not drunk in the manner in which alcohol is drunk;
- Its presence must not be in vain (lahw);
- It’s not the direct point of pleasure.
I’ve also read different explanations of point 4.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
Thank you for your question.
The contemporary use of non-alcoholic beer will still be impermissible from the outset, as it does not meet the criteria for permissibility. For the small amount made otherwise, the ruling is based on the drink’s impurity. It doesn’t depend on points 3, 4, and 5, which will come into play if something is otherwise permissible.
As for point four, most people drink for excitement and fun, not medicine or strength for worship. With many drinks available, they would only choose to enjoy the experience for fun, rather than for strength or strength for worship.
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]
Drinks made from grains, honey, and barley are permissible only for strength and digestion, not for fun or amusement. Imam Abu Hanifa and Abu Yusuf (Allah have mercy on them) allowed them on that condition, but Imam Muhammad (Allah have mercy on him) forbade them. [Maydani, al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab]
Because corruption is widespread today and it will act as a form of imitation, the fatwa follows Muhammad’s stricter view. As there is a difference, the safer course is to avoid it.
And Allah knows best.
Ilyas Patel
Related Answers
One. Is It Permissible to Drink De-Alcoholized Beer with 0.0% Alcohol Content? — Shaykh Yusuf Weltch: Dealcoholized drinks are prohibited and remain impure after the alcohol is removed.
Two. Would This Non-alcoholic Craft Beer Be Lawful? — Shaykh Irshaad Sedick: Even 0.4 percent is impermissible, and products imitating intoxicants should be shunned.
Three. Can We Drink or Sell Products with a Label of 0% Alcohol? — Shaykh Salman Younas: Incidental traces of non-wine alcohol are permitted under four conditions.
Four. Did Imam Abu Hanifa Distinguish Between the Legal Rulings for Wine and Beer? — Shaykh Faraz A. Khan: Abu Hanifa’s three categories, the four criteria, and beer as consumed today being sinful.
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
