Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Azaadville

Is Nutmeg halaal or haraam?

Published as Nutmeg

· 13 Rabiʻ I 1443 AH1 min readEnglish

Question

Is Nutmeg halaal or haraam?

Answer

It is Halaal to use nutmeg as a food additive/spice (as is the norm) provided that it is used in limited quantity and not in such large quantity that it leads to intoxication. However, nutmeg on its own should not be eaten and consumed as it could lead to addiction, because nutmeg by nature is an intoxicant.

Hadhrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alaih was posed a query with regard to two or three pieces of nutmeg being added as a spice when cooking a pot of meat. Hadhrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb replied as follows:

“In the enquired scenario, the cooked dish will not be considered to be Haraam. Hence there is nothing wrong in eating such food (wherein nutmeg is added as a spice/flavouring); especially when such a minute quantity of nutmeg will not lead to intoxication; even though eating nutmeg on its own (not as a food additive or as a spice) is prohibited.”

[Ref: Fataawa Mahmudiyya, Vol. 12, Pg. 336-7; First Edition of the Meerut Publication].

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

أَقُولُ: الظَّاهِرُ أَنَّ هَذَا خَاصٌّ بِالْأَشْرِبَةِ الْمَائِعَةِ دُونَ الْجَامِدِ كَالْبَنْجِ وَالْأَفْيُونِ، فَلَا يَحْرُمُ قَلِيلُهَا بَلْ كَثِيرُهَا الْمُسْكِرُ، وَبِهِ صَرَّحَ ابْنُ حَجَرٍ فِي التُّحْفَةِ وَغَيْرِهِ، وَهُوَ مَفْهُومٌ مِنْ كَلَامِ أَئِمَّتِنَا لِأَنَّهُمْ عَدُّوهَا مِنْ الْأَدْوِيَةِ الْمُبَاحَةِ وَإِنْ حَرُمَ السُّكْرُ مِنْهَا بِالِاتِّفَاقِ كَمَا نَذْكُرُهُ، وَلَمْ نَرَ أَحَدًا قَالَ بِنَجَاسَتِهَا وَلَا بِنَجَاسَةِ نَحْوِ الزَّعْفَرَانِ مَعَ أَنَّ كَثِيرَهُ مُسْكِرٌ، وَلَمْ يُحَرِّمُوا أَكْلَ قَلِيلِهِ أَيْضًا، وَيَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا يُحَدُّ بِالسُّكْرِ مِنْهَا كَمَا يَأْتِي، بِخِلَافِ الْمَائِعَةِ فَإِنَّهُ يُحَدُّ…… وَالْحَاصِلُ أَنَّهُ لَا يَلْزَمُ مِنْ حُرْمَةِ الْكَثِيرِ الْمُسْكِرِ حُرْمَةُ قَلِيلِهِ وَلَا نَجَاسَتُهُ مُطْلَقًا إلَّا فِي الْمَائِعَاتِ لِمَعْنًى خَاصٍّ بِهَا.

(ج6ص455 – كتاب الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين رد المحتار – كتاب الأشربة)

Approved by
Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B.
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Source: Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Azaadville — https://www.iftadua.co.za/nutmeg/9761/
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/azaadville-9761

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