Answer
✅ Various criteria for the prohibition and permissibility of beverages have been mentioned in narrations, some of which are noted here:
وَ عَنْ أَبِی عَلِیٍّ الْأَشْعَرِیِّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِیلَ عَنْ عَلِیِّ بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَرْوَانَ عَنِ الْفُضَیْلِ بْنِ یَسَارٍ عَنْ أَبِی جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ النَّبِیذِ فَقَالَ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ الْخَمْرَ بِعَیْنِهَا وَ حَرَّمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص مِنَ الْأَشْرِبَةِ کُلَّ مُسْکِرٍ
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 408
Fudayl said: 'I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about Nabidh.' The Imam said: 'Allah Himself forbade Khamr, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) forbade from beverages whatever causes intoxication.'
عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ یَحْیَی عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِی یَحْیَی الْوَاسِطِیِّ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ شُرْبِ الْعَصِیرِ قَالَ تَشْرَبُ مَا لَمْ یَغْلِ فَإِذَا غَلَی فَلَا تَشْرَبْهُ قُلْتُ أَیُّ شَیْ ءٍ الْغَلَیَانُ قَالَ الْقَلْبُ
📚 Tahdhib, Vol. 9, p. 120
Hammad said: 'I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about drinking fruit juice.' The Imam said: 'Drink it as long as it has not come to a boil. When it comes to a boil, do not drink it.' I asked: 'What is boiling?' He said: 'Turning upside down.'
✅ It is observed that the criteria are either being Khamr, causing intoxication, or grape juice being heated to the point of boiling, or.... It is possible for grape juice that has just come to a boil to be proven by analysis to have not yet produced alcohol or an intoxicating substance (this is also stated scientifically), while its religious prohibition is established. Or for mulberry and pomegranate paste, whose permissibility is established in a narration, to be shown by analysis to have a small percentage of ethanol. This does not make it forbidden. Many foods and beverages that are known to be permissible might show a percentage of ethanol upon analysis. Also, things that the Ahl al-Bayt forbade eating before two-thirds of them had evaporated (due to their long-term storage or heating) might be considered ethanol-free by a lab. In any case, the criteria in the narrations regarding beverages are the authority, not analysis and testing.
✅ The important point is that if it is proven and certain by any means that any type or amount of Khamr or an intoxicating substance has been added to a food or beverage, there is no doubt about its impurity and prohibition.
For further information, please refer to question 64 of the channel.
However, regarding beverages that come in various types and are offered in the market today and are produced and marketed by domestic and foreign companies with specific processes and ingredients,
Special attention should be paid to a few important hadiths that will be presented in the next post:
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