Vinegar

Grapes, apples, dates and other fruits that contain natural alcohol can be used to make vinegar. Through fermentation, the alcohol is converted into acetic acid by acetic acid bacteria and oxygen.
This alcohol is crucial for the transformation of alcohol into acetic acid, because vinegar cannot be produced without fermentation. This usually converts 1% alcohol to 1% acid, but it is possible that a certain amount of alcohol is not fully fermented and traces of it can be found in the vinegar. Normally no alcohol is added in the production of vinegar, but if this is the case, this must be stated in the list of ingredients.

Special types of vinegar can also be obtained from different raw materials. For example, spirit vinegar is made from distilled alcohol or brandy, wine vinegar from wine, balsamic vinegar from dark grapes and fruit vinegar from fruit juices or fruit wines.

Is Vinegar Halal? 

Any vinegar made from fruit without any added wine or ethanol is considered pure. All scholars agree on this. This also applies when wine naturally (without human intervention) produces vinegar.^[1]

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "What good food vinegar is."

(Muslim, 3/1623)

 

Is Vinegar Made From Wine (Distilled/Wine Vinegar) Halal?

With regard to the production of vinegar from wine, there are different views in the four schools of law. These differ, among other things, in the different production methods when wine is used as the raw material.

 

Hanafi School of Law

It is permissible to make vinegar from wine and consume it. The vinegar is classified as pure/halal.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Your best vinegar is that which you make from wine." (Beyhaki, es-Sünenü'l-kubrâ, VI, 38 (11534))

 

Malikite School of Law

Three different opinions were narrated from Imam Malik:
1- Making vinegar from wine is haram, but consuming it is lawful as the resulting vinegar is considered pure and [[halal]].

2- Making vinegar from wine is haram, which also classifies the vinegar as impure (nacis).
3- The production of vinegar from wine is halal, so the resulting vinegar is also rated as pure.
Here, the first view is considered to be the most authentic (sahih).

Anas b. Malik (r.a.) narrated that Abu Talha asked the Prophet about the management of the inherited wine. He said: "Shake it away." He was then asked, "Can't I make vinegar out of it?" He replied: "No." (Muslim; Tirmidhi, Buyû 58)''

 

Hanbali School of Law

If the vinegar is deliberately made from wine, it is considered impure (nacis). If the wine is turned into vinegar because the wine was put out of the sun into the shade or out of the shade into the sun, Ahmed b. Hanbel in two reviews:
1- If the person who changed the location of the wine had no intention of making vinegar, the resulting vinegar is considered pure.
2- A comparison is made with the addition of other substances (see Shafi'i school of law) and the vinegar is therefore rated as impure.

Anas b. Malik narrates in another hadith that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked if wine could be modified to be used as vinegar and he replied: "No". (Muslim, Esribe 11)

 

Shafi'i School of Law

If substances such as yeast, bread, vinegar, salt etc. are added to the wine, the resulting vinegar is considered impure (nacis), since these substances become impure when they come into contact with the wine and are still classified as such in the finished vinegar.
If the vinegar is caused by a shift in location (see Hanbali school), the Shafi'i school of thought is divided into two judgments:
1- The resulting vinegar is considered pure as it dissolves the intoxicating effect and impurity.
2- The vinegar is considered impure, therefore also haram.

It was narrated that Omar ibn Khattab (r.a.) said: Vinegar made from wine by man is not halal. However, if this vinegar is converted from the wine by Allah (i.e. the wine itself develops into vinegar), then the vinegar becomes halal.(Beyhaki, es-Sünenü'l-kübrâ, VI, 37 (11532))

 

 

Proofs

1. Wahba az-Zuhaili, el-Fikhu'l-Islamî ve edilletuhû, III, 541

 

References

• www.nur-efsan.de/branntweinessig
• Wiki/Essig
• Cayiroglu Yüksel: Islâm Hukuku'na Göre Helâl Gida (Halal-Speise nach islamischen Richtlinien, Dr. Yüksel Cayiroglu)