Part Two: Intoxicants

In general there are two types of wine i.e. white wine and red wine. More specifically wine has a lot of variety because of the many different places of origin or grape varieties that are used as basic ingredients. Based on its function, it can be divided into dessert wines (Malaga, Portwine, Samos, Marsala, etc.), wine-like beverages such as various types of cider, sake, etc., and the next is malt wine. Wine’s alcohol content is ranged from 5.5 – 16.6%. Other types of wine are called wine-containing beverages and are made with the basic ingredients of wine but with other additives such as spices, an example of this type of wine is vermouth. We should be wary of what is called the punches because this drink is made from a mixture of wine, sparkling water and fruit. We also should be aware that wine is often used as one of the constituents of food (especially western cuisine, like French cuisine), and wine is even sometimes used in the manufacture of goat bolsters. Obviously this will lead to the prohibition of the dishes prepared by adding wine.

Spirit is an alcoholic beverage made by the distillation of alcoholic fermentation products by using carbohydrate-rich substrates so that the alcohol content is high. As described above, these beverages are divided into two groups: liquor (minimum 38% alcohol content) and Liqueurs (Cordials) with alcohol content 20-35%. Included in the liquor are wine, brandy, fruit brandy, rhum, gin, whiskey, and vodka. There are various types of Liqueurs that are essentially a mixture of liquor with fruits, spices, extracts or essences.

It also should be noted that when we purchase chocolate, a number of the brands contain ingredients such as rhum, brandy or wine (sherry wine). Chocolate, which sometimes contains sherry wine, can consist of sherry fruit and the sherry fruit can contain sherry wine.

There are types of beverages that should also be forbidden because they are intoxicating drinks although these are often categorized as a type of medicine. Its intoxicating nature, however, makes these types of drinks, including khamr, forbidden. Included in this type of wine are wine drugs such as ginseng wine. This kind of beverage contains alcohol at about 5% but some are up to 15%, so there is no doubt of its intoxicating properties. The reason that these types of drinks are included as medicine is not actually justified because the Prophet (SAW) said that khamr is not a medicine but a disease. 

Wallahu A’lam

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