I received some beef jerky that a friend sells that was made with wine. When I questioned about the wine, I was told it was okay to eat because the beef was cooked in the oven until the beef was dried and there couldn't possibly be enough alcohol to get drunk on. Is it okay to eat this beef jerky even though I couldn't get drunk and is it okay for this Muslim friend to sell this beef jerky? How much alcohol is permissible in anything? Please include Hadith and Quran references.

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.

It is forbidden for a Muslim to consume wine in all its different forms and quantities. Imam Ath-Thahabi said: “Wine comprises every material that befogs the mind, whatever its form; wet, hard, eatable, drinkable…. There is agreement among Muslim scholars that just drinking wine is forbidden, even if it does not befog one's mind.”

Ibn Hazm said: “Wine extends to any substance, which intoxicates, in whatever form or quantity or under whatever name it may appear. So, it is forbidden to possess it, drink it, or use it.”

Al-Jassaas in his book Ahkaam al-Quran said: “If some forbidden material is mixed with lawful material, all becomes forbidden, even if wine is mixed with water.”

Ibn Qudaamah said: “If wine is used in food by any means, all becomes forbidden and the one who eats it should be punished since the food contains the essence of wine. But, if it is used in fine flour and the flour is kneaded with it, and then baked and eaten, then one should not be punished since fire destroyed the essence of wine and there is no trace of it.”

In brief, mixing wine with some food or drink makes the new substance forbidden unless there is no trace or influence of wine due to the process of making the new material.

So, it is forbidden for a Muslim to sell such food.

For more benefit on alcohol in food, please refer to Fataawa 258754, 327754, 96550, 299059, 81423 and 88496.

For more benefit on the prohibition of alcohol in Islam, please refer to Fataawa 81900 and 81389.

Allah knows best.