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Presence of alcohol in soft drinks

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Fatwa.org.au
It was just announced in the States that soda products like 7UP, etc. have been processed through conditions where ethanol is used as a solvent.  Please visit http://www.muslimconsumergroup.com/Events.do?menu=Events&eventAction=eventdetail&eventId=575 and view the haram declaration by a qualified Muslim food scientist with nearly 30 years of experience in the US food industry.  I have read in a fatwa by Mufti Ebrahim Desai that ethanol is very minute quantities is permissible but I also recall the hadith in which it is mentioned that grain alcohol (eg ethanol) is haraam in even the minutest quantities and that the low potential for intoxication due to minutest quantity is not the criteria for haraam for grain alcohol.  Kindly guide us further and may Allah give you the jaza al khair for your continued assistance to this ummah.  Aameen and wassalam…

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

If the alcohol in the soft drink is made from grapes or dates, it will not be permissible to consume the soft drink. On the other hand, if the alcohol in the soft drink is made from anything other than grapes and dates, it will be permissible to consume the soft drink.

(Ahsanul Fataawa: vol. 8 pg. 488, Saeed)

And Allah knows best.

Mufti Faizal Riza

This answer was collected from Fatwa.org.au, which is connected to Darul Ifta Australia, based in Melbourne, Australia.
It is operated by Mufti Faizal Riza, a student of Mufti Ebrahim Desai from South Africa.

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