Assalaamu alaikum

Please can you confirm to me whether "white wine vinegar" is halaal.  I have noticed it is added in some pasta snacks that are ready made in supermarkets.

Thank you

S. Begum

Some Islamic scholars do not consider a food product Halaal even if it is made with all Halaal ingredients but food flavour in which ethyl alcohol has been used as a solvent. Therefore, this means that some part of Haraam wine is present in white wine vinegar. Besides the above, the processing of wine to wine vinegar is not 100%. Some minute amount of wine is also left over in wine vinegar. According to a Hadith of the Holy Prophet, Hadhrat Muhammad-ur Rasulullaah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) even a small portion of intoxicant is also Haraam as a large portion. White Wine vinegar is not Halal according to Imam Shafi'i (Alayhi Rahmah)and according to Imam Abu Hanifah (Alayhi Rahmah) (according to Sahih Muslim). According to Hadhrat Anas Bin Malik (Radi Allah Anho), the Holy Prophet, Hadhrat  Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) did not give permission to make vinegar from wine (Hadith from Sahih Muslim).

Cooking food with wine or consuming such food may lessen the prohibition of wine in the minds of some Muslims. For example, if the wine becomes vinegar, it becomes pure (according to some scholars), but Muslims are not allowed to purchase wine, in order to make vinegar. In a similar way, one can say that it is not allowed for Muslims to mix or cook food with wine and if there is any food offered that was mixed or cooked with wine then Muslims should not consume it.

I would recommend Muslim consumers avoid using any wine vinegar based on the above Hadith.

VERILY, ALLAH TAA'LA IS ALL-KNOWING!