Is Vanilla Extract Permissible If It was Extracted with Non-Wine Alcohol?

Question: Is vanilla extract permissible if it was extracted with non-wine alcohol? What if it is extracted with wine?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate,

Vanilla Extract

Most vanilla extract is produced with non-wine alcohol (i.e. alcohol not from dates, grapes, or raisins). It is therefore permitted in the Hanafi school for the following reasons:

The Ruling of Non-Wine Alcohol

Non-wine alcohol is permitted for consumption if the following conditions do not apply:

(1) It is not used with the intention of intoxication
(2) It is not used in such an amount that intoxicates
(3) It is not used the way intoxicants are used
(4) It is not used in vain
[Maydani; al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab]

Recommended Caution

The vanilla extract containing no alcohol is available in the market, and seeking it out as an alternative is recommended caution. If you wish to be cautious this may be an option you would consider.

See the following link for further details:
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/hanafi-fiqh/vanilla-essence-impermissible-contains-alcohol/

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a graduate from Tarim; a student of Habib Umar and other luminaries; and authorized teachers of the Qur’an and the Islamic sciences