Assalamualaikum sheikh. I'm in a great problem nowadays. I'm really depressed about a matter. Recently I've come to know that nutmeg and mace are haram . But it's very widespread in our country. It's really difficult to avoid it completely. Yesterday I was about to eat nutmeg by mistake which was mixed with rice I threw it but ate the rest of the rice now I'm confused was it the right thing to do? I'm really worried about my prayers now. Will my prayers not be accepted for 40 days? Again I also have one more confusion I don't know the aroma of the cooked rice was from the nutmeg or from other spices. If it had aroma of nutmeg in it then was it Haram? Please sheikh do answer my question may Allah reward you . Jazakallah

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.

We have already highlighted in previous Fatawa the prohibition of eating nutmeg because it causes feebleness and not because it causes intoxication.

Since it causes feebleness and not intoxication, a group of jurists are of the view that it is permissible to eat a little of it that does not reach the level of intoxication, especially if it is mixed with something else, this is because the prohibition of a little amount of something was reported about intoxicants and not about something that causes feebleness as the Prophet did not say that if much of something causes feebleness, then a little of it is forbidden.

Ar-Ramli, from the Shafi’i School of jurisprudence, was asked about eating nutmeg whether or not it is permissible, and he answered:

“Yes, it is permissible to eat it if it is little and it is forbidden if it is much.” [End of quote – from Fatawa of Ar-Ramli]

Also, Mawahib al-Jaleel authored by Al-Hattab, from the Maliki School of jurisprudence, reads:

“Al-Burzulli said, “Some of our Imams are of the view that it is permissible to eat a little of nutmeg to warm the brain, and some of them stipulated that it should be mixed with drugs (medicines), and what is true is that it is permissible whether or not it is mixed with drugs.” [End of quote]

Moreover, the author of ‘Awn al-Ma’bood said:

“The nutmeg, mace, and Indian oud: all of these are not intoxicants as well, but some of it causes feebleness, and some of it causes anesthesia. There is no doubt that if much of something causes intoxication, then little of it is forbidden; whether it is consumed on its own or is mixed with something else, and whether it is able to cause intoxication after it is mixed with something else or it is not able to cause intoxication. All of these six things are not of the type of intoxicants at all; some of them do not even cause feebleness or intoxication according to the reliable opinion; rather, some of them are among the kinds of things that cause feebleness according to the view of some scholars, and some of them are of the view that they are among the types of what causes harm, so little of it is not forbidden whether it is consumed on its own or is consumed in food or in medicines. Of course, if one consumes an additional amount that leads to feebleness then it is not permissible to eat it, because the Prophet forbade eating something that causes feebleness, and he did not say that if much of something causes feebleness then little of it is forbidden.” [End of quote]

Therefore, there is no harm on you for eating food that is mixed with nutmeg, but it is more appropriate in the future to avoid mixing it with food in order to be on the safe side.

For more benefit on the prohibition of the use of nutmeg, please refer to Fatawa 85055 and 89890.

Allah Knows best.