A prominent Egyptian cleric has created controversy by issuing a fatwa that says tiny amounts of alcohol are permissible in Islam.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi's fatwa says a level of 0.5% is allowed, whereas most Muslims would say alcohol of any quantity is banned.

Sheikh Qaradawi was recently refused entry to Britain as the UK government said his views could spark violence.

He issued his fatwa in response to a question about high energy drinks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7342425.stm

We were actually discussing this in a thread a while back, the one about the chips containing alcohol. I guess there's a difference in opinion in the matter, although I agree with Qardawi.

i dont know why its controversial. he is by no means the first to say so. i guess people have misinterpreted it?

Why is this in refutation?

assalam walaikum, the prophet just mentionned that intoxicants were haraam, he didnt mention quantity, so i uess that we should all abide by this

What's the definition of an intoxicant in Islam?

well i guess that the dictionnary says it all.

It has three meanings in English, what's the meaning of the arabic word used in the original text?

Qaradawi Denies Allowing Intoxicant
IslamOnline
By IOL Staff

DOHA — Prominent Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the president of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, denied having said it would be allowed for Muslims to consume alcohol.

"Sheikh Qaradawi's fatwa did not allow Muslims to consume even a drop of intoxicant," his office said in a statement mailed to IslamOnline.net.

The prominent scholar issued a fatwa last week that consuming drinks containing tiny quantities of alcohol that is "constituted naturally through fermentation" did not violate Islamic teachings.

"The fatwa was issued in response to a question from the Qatari Standards and Specifications Autho (QSSA) on allowing 0.05 percent of alcohol constituted naturally through fermentation," the statement explained.

It stressed that the percentage was not set by Sheikh Qaradawi but rather by the QSSA which considers it the maximum percentage of alcohol naturally constituted through fermentation.

"Qaradawi set conditions for allowing this quantity that it must be tiny and ineffective, especially when it is constituted naturally by fermentation and is not manufactured.

QSSA Director Mohamed Saif al-Kuwari defended the fatwa.

"The fatwa came to address a pressing need for it. We were always receiving calls and inquiries from the public about allowing such percentage of alcohol in our specifications. This percentage of ethylic alcohol which result from naturally fermentation is something normal in all types of fruits."

Controversy

The statement refuted claims that the fatwa would encourage people to drink alcohol.

"Such people do not wait for a fatwa or an advice from a scholar (for consuming alcohol). They know they violate the orders of Allah."

The fatwa had sparked controversy and criticism from some newspapers in Qatar, where Sheikh Qaradawi is based.

"The fatwa will open the door to those who want to consume drinks containing small proportions of alcohol under the pretext that neither the Qur'an nor the Sunnah (Prophet Muhammad's deeds) defined the proportion," wrote Abdullatif al-Mahmud, editor of the Ash-Sharq daily.

But the statement issued by the office of Sheikh Qaradawi insisted that the fear of being misunderstood by some can not be a pretext for asking scholars to clarify Islamic rulings.

Ash-Sharq thanked Sheikh Qaradawi for the explanatory statement, saying it acted out of fear that some parties might misinterpret the fatwa.

Islam prohibits any beverage that get people intoxicated, both in small and large quantities, whether it is alcohol, drugs, or something else.

source: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...News/NWELayout

The fatwa in question relates to energy drinks - not a pint of guiness!

In general: fatwas relate to single things - they are not a general ruling nor do they take priority over the Quran (except in the specific circumstance that they relate to --- but there is room for discussion on this issue).

If you'd like here's a brief priority list, with number 1 being highest:

1)Quran (Trumps all)

2)Muhammad[saw] actions/sayings (trumps scholar/imaam.)

3)Scholar/imaam (trumps 4)

4)Average joe (is trumped by 3, 2 and 1)


So basically, if average joe says it's Islamic to throw a rock at a non-muslim, you should seek out a scholar's view (at the very least!) on this matter. Similarly, if a scholar says it's ok to throw a sandbag at a fellow muslim, you should seek a hadith/sunna on the matter.
That is just a brief list to give you a general idea. I can go in depth (to an extent) at a later time if one wishes.

FYI: throwing rocks at non-muslims and sandbags at muslims is discouraged by the large majority of the imaams and scholars. Though, i'm an average joe, so you may wish to seek consultation from an imaam/scholar, hadith/sunnah or the Quran.