Suria Wholesaler has claimed that its malt beverage, Barbican, imported from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, has been sold here for eight years and does not contain alcohol.
"We have never marketed Barbican or other beverages as 'halal beer'. Barbican is a malt beverage.
"The alcohol content in Barbican is nil. Barbican has been sold in Arab countries, especially in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the past 25 years."
"The word 'beer' is not even on the product," said its director Ahmad al-Yatem.
It was reported on Tuesday that samples of a "halal beer" tested by the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) showed that it contained 0.5 per cent alcohol. The permissible level is below 0.01 per cent.
Jakim also said it had never issued halal certificates for such beverages because they did not meet the 1500:2009 halal standards.
The halal certificate by Jakim is the standard document for all halal food products in the country.
Ahmad claimed that Barbican had halal certification from the Islamic Food Research Centre Malaysia and Asia Region (IFRC) and had been checked by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department.
"We welcome Malaysian authorities to test our products. We are Muslims and we care for our customers. We will not sell anything that is haram."
Meanwhile, in Terengganu, Satiman Jamin reported regular consumers of another brand of non-alcoholic beverage were shocked when they saw a report that the beverage had alcohol.
The package says "Barbican - Non alcoholic Malt beverage"
* Some says it's HALAL, some says it is NOT. What I'd say is ............AVOID WHATEVER APPEARS TO BE DOUBTFUL.
* * * Dialogue between a Scholar and an Alcoholic * * *
Alcoholic: Do you think I am doing wrong by eating a date?
Scholar: No.
Alcoholic: And if I ate with it some grass?
Scholar: There is nothing wrong with that.
Alcoholic: And if I were to wash them down with water?
Scholar: Drink and enjoy.
Alcoholic: Since all of that is permissible, then why do you forbid us from alcohol, which consists of the above-mentioned ingredients?
Scholar: If I poured water on top of you, would that hurt you?
Alcoholic: No it would not.
Scholar: And if I were to sprinkle some dirt in that, would you be hurt?
Alcoholic: That would not harm me.
Scholar: But if I were to mix it water and dirt together and trough a process make a large brick from those two elements, and then were I to throw that large brick at you, would you be hurt?
Alcoholic: That would kill me!
Scholar: The same goes for Alcohol.
'O you who believe, Intoxicants, and Gambling, and the altars of Idols, and the Games of chance are Abominations of Shaytaan; you shall avoid them, that you may succeed.' (Quran Surah 'Maai'dah' 5:90)
It was reported by Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), that Nabi Sallallahu alaihi Wa Sallam said:
عن أَنَسِ بن مَالِكٍ قال لَعَنَ رسول اللَّهِ في الْخَمْرِ عَشْرَةً عَاصِرَهَا وَمُعْتَصِرَهَا وَشَارِبَهَا وَحَامِلَهَا وَالْمَحْمُولَةُ إليه وَسَاقِيَهَا وَبَائِعَهَا وَآكِلَ ثَمَنِهَا وَالْمُشْتَرِي لها وَالْمُشْتَرَاةُ له
** "Allah's curse falls on ten groups of people who deal with alcohol.(1) The one who distils it, (2) the one for whom it has been distilled, (3) the one who drinks it, (4) the one who transports it, (5) the one to who it has been brought, (6) the one who serves it, (7) the one who sells it, (8) the one who utilizes money from it, (9) the one who buys it and (10) the one who buys it for someone else."
(Sunan Ibn-I-Majah Volume #3, Book of Intoxicants, Chapter 30 Hadith # 3380)
** Malay translation of the Hadith
1. Pembuatnya
2. Orang yg untuknya arak itu dihasilkan
3. Peminumnya
4. Pembawanya
5. Pengirimnya
6. Penuangnya
7. Penjualnya
8. Pemakan wang hasilnya
9. Pembayarnya/pembelinya
10.Pemesannya (orang yg suruh orang lain belikan arak untuknya)
* Bila saya dengar pasal minuman ni, saya tanya kawan saya, "Kenapa ramai sangat orang Islam yang minum air ni?" Dia kata: "Semua orang nak CUBA".
Pelik saya. Macam mana boleh terbit perasaan ingin mencuba minuman tu bila first time dengar 'halal beer'. Nak cuba minum BEER? Kat dunia ni, tak ada nya 'beer' yg halal. Kalau curious sangat, ingat.....Allah dah janji kat Syurga nanti, MEMANG akan ada sungai ARAK (WINE). Tapi ia tidak memabukkan. Minuman itu ada untuk orang ISLAM....di Syurga. Jadi orang Islam yang taat pada perintah Allah, Allah suruh tinggal ARAK di dunia, tinggalkan....Allah bagi ganjaran di Akhirat nanti. Minum kat dunia, sat lagi kat Akhirat? Nauzubillah, kita tak nak azab Allah.
Sahabat-sahabat Islam ku, bila nak cuba tu, tanya sekejap diri, KENAPA PERLU SAYA CUBA MINUMAN NI? Saja nak kelihatan COOL? Saja nak timba pengalaman supaya kita boleh cerita-cerita kat orang lain? Ke apa?
