Question

Salaam alaykum,

I was wondering whether it was permissible to drink non-alcoholic beer.

As it usually contains 0.5% for the preservation of ingredients and taste. However, with even consuming a large amount of this non-alcoholic beer you will not become drunk.

Ma Salaam

Answer

When it comes to non-alcoholic beers there are a few points to take into consideration. Firstly, the content of alcohol. Even though the beer only has 0.5% alcohol, it is still an alcoholic drink which would make it impermissible to consume. The reason for keeping it at 0.5% is so that it can legally be classed as non-alcoholic. However, from a shari’ah perspective even small amounts of alcohol are unlawful to consume. There are some exceptions which will be highlighted in a more detailed write up on alcohol which we are currently working on.

The second issue is the aspect of imitation. Even if the beer had 0% alcohol, it is being marketed exactly like an alcoholic drink. The style of the cans or bottles, the colour of the drink, the packaging etc all resemble alcoholic beers. In Islam it is unlawful for a person to drink even water in a way where they are imitating a person drinking alcohol.

Hence, based on the above two points it would not be permissible to buy these types of beer products.

Answered by:
Ifta Research Fellow

Checked & Approved by:
Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Mufti Zubair Patel