Dought and clear, - Ruling on khamr (wineetc) from which the alcohol has been removed

Is the reason for the prohibition on khamr (wine, alcoholic drinks)
the fact that it causes intoxication? So if there was a kind of khamr
that does not cause intoxication, would it not be haraam? Please note
that in the west there is a kind of khamr in which there no alcohol
that would cause intoxication, i.e., the ratio of alcohol in it is
zero percent. Please note that I have read onyour website a fatwa
byour shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen in which hesaid that if khamr does not
cause intoxication then it is not khamr. Thekhamr that is available in
America does cause intoxication, then using scientific industrial
means they remove the alcohol from it. What is the ruling on this
khamr?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
The word khamr refers to all kinds of intoxicating drinks, whether it
existed in thepast or exists at present or will exist in the future,
and whether the drink is made from grapes, barley, dates, corn or
anything else.
That is indicated by the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him): "Every intoxicant is khamr and every khamr is
haraam." Narrated by Muslim, 2003
Khamr is a word that applies to any kind of drink that causes intoxication.
See:Ma'aalim as-Sunanby al-Khattaabi, 4/264
Based on that, any drink that does not cause intoxication is not
called khamr and it is not deemed to be haraam. But it is essential to
make certain that this drink does not cause intoxication. It is often
said that some drinks do not cause intoxication, then that turns out
not to be so in reality.
Al-Haafiz said: The rulingis connected to the reason, and the reason
for the prohibition of khamr is intoxication; whenever there is
intoxication the prohibition applies.
End quote fromFath al-Baari, 10/56
Secondly:
It is not permissible to treat khamr in order to remove the alcohol
fromit; this is like what the scholars said about the prohibition on
turning khamr into vinegar.
That is because we are commanded to avoid khamr, as Allah, may He be
exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks),
gambling, Al-Ansab (stone altars for sacrifices to idols), and
Al-Azlam (arrows for seeking luck or decision)are an abomination of
Shaitan's (Satan) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that
(abomination) in order that you may be successful."
[al-Maa'idah 5:90].
Avoiding something means keeping far awayfrom it, so that it is not near you.
End quote fromAdwa' al-Bayaan, 3/33
Treating it to remove thealcohol from it is contrary to avoiding it.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him)
said:Because keeping khamr is haraam; if a person is keeping it to
turn it into vinegar, he has committed a haraam action.
End quote fromMajmoo' al-Fataawa, 21/503
It is proven from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) that it is forbidden to turn khamr into vinegar. Muslim (1983)
narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was asked about
wine that is made into vinegar. He said: "No."
According to a version narrated by Abu Dawood(3675), Abu Talhah
askedthe Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about some
orphans who inherited some wine. He said: "Pour it away." He said: Can
I turn it into vinegar? He said: "No."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inal-Majmoo',9/233; Ibn al-Mulqin
inal-Badr al-Muneer, 6/630; and Shaykh al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood.
This prohibition implies that it is haraam; if it were possible to
benefit from khamr or to turn it into something from which people
could benefit, it would not be permissible to pour it away; rather the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would have
instructed him to do that, especially since it belonged to orphans and
it is haraam to squander their wealth.
InFataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah(22/92) it says: Khamr must be poured
away… because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
issued orders to that effect when the two verses concerning the
prohibition of alcohol were revealed. Itis haraam to keep it and make
use of it as it is, and it is haraam to turn it into something other
than khamr by turning itinto vinegar or turning part of it into
vinegar or extracting the alcohol from it, or to mix it with something
else that one wants to benefit from, because the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade turning khamr into alcohol in
order to block the means that may lead to evil and to prevent any
possibility of people going back to making it and using it. End quote.
See also the answer to question no. 14276
To sum up: treating khamr to remove the alcohol from it is haraam, and
is not permissible.
But if that has been done, is it permissible for a person to drink it,
seeing that it is free of the intoxicants which are the reason for the
prohibition, or not?
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The well known view is that if it has been turnedinto vinegar, it does
not become pure (taahir), even if the intoxicating effect has been
removed, because removing the intoxicantsis done by means of doing
something haraam, so it is still haraam.
Some of the scholars said that it does become pure and therefore
becomes permissible, even though the action is haraam. The reason they
give for that is that the reason why it is impure (najis) is becauseit
causes intoxication, and the intoxicants havebeen removed, so it is
halaal.
Others said that if it was turned into vinegar by people who believe
that khamr is permissible, such as the People of theBook, the Jews and
Christians, then it is permissible and becomes pure (taahir); ifit was
turned into vinegar by people for whom it is not permissible, then it
is still haraam and impure (najis).
This opinion is most likely to be correct. According to this view, the
vinegar that comes from the Jews and Christians is halaal and pure
(taahir) because they did that on the basis that they believe it is
permissible.
End quote fromash-Sharh al-Mumti', 1/250
He also said: But if it wasturned into vinegar by someone who believes
that turning it into vinegar is permissible, whether he is a Muslim or
a non-Muslim, is it halaal?
The correct answer is that it is halaal, because it was turned into
vinegar in a permissible manner, so it became permissible. Based on
that, the vinegar that is imported from non-Muslim countries is halaal
for Muslims, even if it was produced by means of human actions,because
it was turned into vinegar by the actions of a human who believed it
to be permissible.
End quote fromash-Sharh al-Mumti', 10/53
To sum up:
If it is clear that this drink is free of alcohol, there is nothing
wrong with drinking it. Similarly, if treatment of khamr to remove
alcoholfrom it was done by people who believe it is permissible to do
that, then it is permissible to drink it. However we should point out
that this treatment is something that is haraam for the Muslim to do
according to the most correct opinion.
And Allah knows best.

Dought and clear, - Ruling on one who misinterprets the attributes of Allah, may He be exalted

I want to ask about the one who denies the attributes of Allah: is he
a Muslim or not? Such asthe one who says that what is meant by the
"hand of Allah" is the power of Allah, and theymisinterpret other
attributes of Allah. Is it the case that these people who deny the
divine attributes are notof Ahl as-Sunnah, or are they beyond the pale
of Islam altogether?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
The teaching of Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah with regard to the Tawheed
(Oneness) of the Divine names and attributes is that they believe in
what it says in the Book of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted,
and in that which is proven from the Messenger ofAllah (blessings and
peace of Allah be uponhim), without any misinterpretation(interpreting
them in a way other than they appear to mean) or likening Him to His
creation, and without distorting the meaning or denying the Divine
names and attributes. So they ascribe to Allah, may He be exalted,
that which He has ascribedto Himself and that which His Messenger
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) has ascribed to Him.
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Ahl as-Sunnah unanimously agreed on affirming and believing in all the
divine attributes mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah, and
understanding them in a true sense (as they appear to be),not as being
metaphorical. But theydo not discuss how any of them are. As forthe
innovators, Jahamis and Mu'tazilah, and the Khaarijis, all of them
deny them and do not understand any of them in a true sense (as they
appear to be).
End quote fromat-Tamheed, 7/145
Secondly:
The one who denies the names and attributes of Allah altogether and
does not ascribe them to Allah, may He be exalted, as is the case with
the baatinis (esoteric sects) and the extreme Jahamis, is a kaafir who
is beyond the pale of Islam, disbelieves in the Qur'an and Sunnah, and
goes against the consensus (ijmaa') of the ummah.
The same applies to anyone who denies any of the names or attributes
of Allah thatAllah, may He be exalted, has affirmed in His Book; he is
a disbeliever, because what is implied by his denial is that he
rejects the Qur'an.
With regard to the one who misinterprets any of the attributes of
Allah and distorts its meaning, such as those who misinterpret the
attribute of the hand as referring to His power, and they say that
istiwa' (rising over the Throne) means taking control of it, and so
on, he is mistaken in interpreting it in a manner other than
theapparent meaning, and he is an innovatorin so far as what he
believes is contrary to the Sunnah, and he has strayed from the path
of Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah. But he is not a disbeliever just
because of this misinterpretation, and he may be excused for his
efforts to understand, depending on his levelof knowledge and faith.
Rather the measuring stick in that regard is the extent to which he
sought to learn what the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) taught and the extent of his keenness to follow him.
Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It is not permissible tomisinterpret the divine attributes or to
understand them in any way other than their apparent meaning in a
manner that is befitting to Allah, or to say that knowledge of what is
meant belongs only toAllah. Rather all of thatcomes under the heading
of the beliefs of the innovators. As for Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah,
they donot misinterpret the verses and hadeeths that speak of the
divine attributes, and they do not understand them in a way other than
the apparent meaning, and they do not say that knowledge of what is
meant belongs only to Allah. Rather they believe that every meaning
(of these attributes) that may be indicated is true in a manner that
is befitting to Allah, may He be exalted, without likening Him to His
creation.
End quote fromMajmoo' Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 2/106-107
He was also asked (may Allah have mercyon him):
Are the Ash'aris among Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah or not? Do we
regard them as being fellow Sunnis oras being disbelievers?
He replied:
The Ash'aris are among Ahl as-Sunnah with regard to most matters, but
they are not among them with regard to interpretation of the divine
attributes, but they are not disbelievers either. Rather among them
are some leading scholars and good people, but they erred in their
interpretation of some of the divine attributes.
They differed from Ahlas-Sunnah in some issues, such as the
interpretation of mostof the divine attributes, in which they were
mistaken. The view of Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah is to accept the
verses and hadeeths that speak ofthe divine attributes as they came,
without interpreting them (in a way other than the apparent meaning),
denying them, distorting the meaning or likening Allah to His
creation.
End quote fromMajmoo' Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 28/256
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ar-Raajihi was asked:
If it is proven that the Ash'aris have misinterpreted one of the
divine attributes, are they to be regarded as disbelievers?
He replied: No, the onewho misinterprets and misunderstands some (of
the divine attributes) is not to beregarded as a disbeliever; the one
who denies one of the names of Allah becomes a disbeliever. Allah,
mayHe be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):"while they
disbelieve in the Most Beneficent (Allah)" [ar-Ra 'd13:30]. If he
denies one of the names or attributes ofAllah without misinterpreting
it, then he becomes a disbeliever. And Allah says (interpretation
ofthe meaning):"The Most Beneficent (Allah) Istawa (rose over) the
(Mighty) Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty)" [Ta-Ha 20:5].
Ifhe denies this verse, he becomes a disbeliever, but if he
misinterprets it as referring to taking control, then in that case he
is confused, therefore we cannot say that he is a disbeliever. End
quote.
www.ar.islamway.net
For information on the conditions of labelling a specific individual
as a disbeliever, please seethe answer to question no. 107105
Thirdly:
The Khaarijis are one of the misguided sectswho have gone beyond the
pale of Islam.

Allah is in every breath: Religious Poem for Children, Religious Stories for Kids

When things are down
And you are out of your mind
Remember just remember
Allah is The All-Kind.
When your life is in darkness
And nothing is right
Remember just remember
Through the darkness, Allah is The Light.
When nothing makes sense
And you're heading for demise
Remember just remember
Allah is The All-Wise.
When times are troubled
And no one seems to care
Remember just remember
Allah won't hurt you, He is The Most Just.
When your heart is breaking
And your pain makes youfall
Remember just remember
Allah sees it all.
When you are weak
And the road seems long
Remember just remember
Seek strength from The All-Strong.
When life is a burden
And everything is unstable
Remember just remember
Allah is The All-Able.
When the way is cloudy
And there is no one by your side
Remember just remember
Allah is The Only Guide.
When no one wants to listen
Or is willing to lend an ear
Remember just remember
Allah is always ready to hear.
When you are poor and penniless
And you are stuck in a niche
Remember just remember
Allah is The All-Rich.
When you are down in your misery
And there is nowhere to run
Remember just remember
You can always run to The One.
When you're all alone
And your pain has no end
Remember just remember
Allah is the Most Compassionate.
And when your scars are hurting
And your heart is in fear
Remember just remember
Allah's help is near.

Just P.U.S.H! Religious Stories for Kids, Obedient to God, Religious Stories for Children

This is a fictional story, only for the purpose of explanation and
easy understanding.
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled
with light, and the Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and
showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that
the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the
man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun
down;his shoulders set squarelyagainst the cold, massive surface of
the unmoving rock, pushing with all of his might. Each night the man
returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day
had been spent in vain.
Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan)
decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind:
"you have been pushing against that rockfor a long time, and it hasn't
moved." Thus, giving the man the impression that the task was
impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and
disheartened the man. Adversary (Satan) said, "Why kill yourself over
this?" "Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and
thatwill be good enough."
That's what he planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of
prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. "Lord," he said, "I
have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength
todo that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not
even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I
failing?"
The Lord responded mercifully and compassionately, "Oh my poor
creature, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you
that your task was topush against the rock with all of your strength,
which you have done. Never once did I mentionto you that I expected
you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with
your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that
really so? Look at yourself. Yourarms are strong and muscled, your
back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure,
and your legs have become massive and hard.
Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass
that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your
calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faithand
trust in My wisdom. This you have done. Now I, my poor creature, will
move the rock."
Conclusion: At times, when we hear the words of God, we tend to use
our own intellect to decipher what God wants, when actually what God
wants is just a simple obedience and faith in Him.
By all means, exercise thefaith that moves mountains, but know that it
is still God who moves mountains.
When everything seems to go wrong ... just P.U.S.H!
When the job gets you down ... just P.U.S.H!
When people don't react the way you think they should ... just P.U.S.H!
When your money is"gone" and the bills are due ... just P.U.S.H!
When people just don't understand you ... just P.U.S.H!
P + U + S + H = Pray + Until+ Something + Happens