Cooking with Red Wine

3-9-2002 | IslamWeb

Question:

A Muslim brother works as a chef in a restaurant in England and he cooks food with sauces made with red wine. He said that wine is already vaporized; there is no alcohol left in the wine. Is he allowed by Islamic Sharia to have that kind of job (a cook chef) as a Muslim?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

If this red wine causes drunkenness before it is added to the food, then it is forbidden to carry it, sell it, buy it or put it in food as it is impure even if the characteristic which causes drunkenness will leave it after being cooked.

If this is the case, then he should not continue working in this place. But if this drink is free of anything that causes drunkenness – no matter how small it is – such as vinegar, made from alcohol, then there is no harm in putting it in food as it is not wine. Similarly, it is lawful for him to work in such a restaurant.

For more benefit on alcohol in food, please refer to Fataawa 258754, 327754, 96550, 299059, 81423 and 88496.

For more benefit on the prohibition of alcohol in Islam, please refer to Fataawa 81900 and 81389.

Allah knows best.