# Do the Hanafis allow beer?

*The Hanafi view on beer, and today's Hanafis*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/tr4-gh0qez4/s/28/
- Date: 2020-08-04 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth #176 *Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted!* 🤣 (2:23:18–2:26:34)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR4-gh0qEZ4&t=8598s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/tr4-gh0qez4/

**Topics:** Intoxicants and substances; The Hanafi school and Imam Abu Hanifa

**Question as asked:** What is the Hanafi position on alcohol such as beer?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth says the classical Hanafis restricted khamr to grape and date wine, and today's Deobandis do not reflect Abu Hanifa.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says the Deobandi school, for example, is not really a reflection of Imam Abu Hanifa at all.

**Evidence, his words at 2:25:25:** “Like the Diabundi school for example isn't really a reflection of Imam Abu Hanifh at all.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR4-gh0qEZ4&t=8725s)

## Longer summary

Turning to an unanswered super chat about alcohol, Mufti Abu Layth says the Hanafi disagreement has always been there: they restricted the khamr of the Quran to wine from dates and grapes, so drinks from honey, malt or wheat were not haram by default unless drunk to intoxication, hence nabidh, and they were bashed for it by early scholars. Mufti assumes that by their classical understanding Hanafis would not consider 3 to 4 percent beers haram, though their drinks are not known exactly. Mufti says today's Hanafis are mostly a Salafi version of the school, and that the Deobandi school is not really a reflection of Imam Abu Hanifa but a reaction to Salafi Islam with a Hanafi veneer. Mufti then begins to wrap up the night.

## Sources and names cited

- alcohol (khamr)
- nabidh
- Abu Hanifa
- Deobandi
- Salafi

## Transcript (machine tier, 2:23:18–2:26:34)

[2:23:17] But yep, let's uh move on. But I didn't have much left. Uh these super chats have still not had a response. [laughter] Sh. Yeah. I mean [laughter] this is the you know the what do you want me to say?

[2:23:48] I mean the thing is that look it has its ruling. There was a disagreement on what was meant [clears throat] by that and the Hannfi disagreement on alcohol has always been there that they've said well if it like so most beers by Hannfi understanding are not actually considered of the Quran. So they say the of the Quran is restricted just to wine and that to a particular you know from dates and grapes that's it.

[2:24:21] Um if I recall correctly it's just them two and everything else. you know, made anything made from honey or malt or wheat or these kind of things, any kind of um intoxicating drinks may be haram, but they don't but they're not by default haram according to the Hanufi Madhab. So, yeah, and they did get a lot of bashing for from the early scholars, but that was their kind of approach.

[2:24:48] So they felt that anything like that if it's drunk in average quantity and it doesn't intoxicate you then it's not haram and hence the nab. Uh but then you see because this tradition has died off so we don't know exactly how intoxicating their drinks were in that time. That's another question. But I I assume that with these kind of beers and stuff that are only like or these alcohols that are only like 3% alcoholic and stuff 4% I think that the hannfies by their classical understanding wouldn't consider that haram.

[2:25:25] Even though the today's hopes would but the today's hopes are not really hanfi hannfi in as the early h today they're just like cryptocuffy hannfi. [laughter] They're like weird like they they're going through like a schizophrenia. So they don't really have they're not true to Abu Hanifh. They're more just like a Salafi version of Hanifi today for the most part. For the most not all but many. Like the Diabundi school for example isn't really a reflection of Imam Abu Hanifh at all.

[2:25:56] It's just a salifed. It's a reaction to Salifi Islam with the veneer of Hanfi. That's all it is. Yep. So cool. All right, people. You know what? We've got to start wrapping this up, right? So, people, let's uh this brings us to our beloved, our beloved people. Our beloved uh we've got here, so those of you that don't know our beloved, uh who is Baba Faridin, Baba Faridin

[2:26:33] Gangelli? [laughter] Those of you that don't know Gangutelli, our own Ganguti, you still don't remember him [music] this. Let me present you. [laughter]

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment TR4-gh0qEZ4/s/28. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/tr4-gh0qez4/s/28/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.