Alcohol and drugs according to the Quran and the tradition of fiqh

The exact meaning and scope of the word "khamr", which is mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah, has been a controversial issue among Islamic fiqh schools for many years. Since khamr, which has an intoxicating feature, is forbidden, the use of ethyl alcohol, which causes intoxication when consumed in excess, as a solvent for flavoring in some food products today disturbs the Muslim consumer. Evaluation of the research according to scientific principles will provide a more accurate and impartial Resûlt, since it is a chemical substance compared to the khamr which is forbidden due to its intoxicating feature; therefore, in this study, the subject has been explored by making use of food chemistry resources. The study consists of an introduction and three chapters. In the first chapter, the main concepts of the dissertation are discussed in the light of the Qur'an and Sunnah, and their interpretations in the Islamic tradition are taken place. Contrary to what is claimed in the tradition, the main content of our dissertation is the thought that khamr, whose prohibition does not start with the Qur'an, is also haram in the several previous shari'a. Our study, which is discussed on this basis, deals with relevant concepts from a different perspective and more comprehensively from the previous studies. In the second chapter, the subject of alcohol fermentation (takhammur) is explained in terms of food science with quotations from its sources, and examined with experimental Resûlts with the support of the laboratory. In some hadith narrations, the nabidhs which are the scene of controversial interpretations of whether or not they have gained the intoxicating feature, have been evaluated in the light of this information and the issue was handled with an impartial approach. In this way, a clear explanation has been made to the narratives that led to disputed interpretations and left important questions in the minds due to the incorrect commentary in some studies. In the third chapter, many drinks or beverages with different names in the fiqh sources are explored. Thus, which of them have intoxicating properties and which ones do not, is tried to determine, and the comments of the fiqh scholars were evaluated based on the principles of fermentation. Furthermore, the provision of all alcohol-containing beverages and drugs is evaluated according to the criteria of the Qur'an and Sunnah. Key Words: Khamr, Nabidh, Sakar, Ethyl Alcohol, Fermentation, Intoxicants, Drugs.