By: Prof. Khaswar Syamsu, Ph.D
Expert Staff of LPPOM
Khamar is a substance that is forbidden in Islam. The prohibition of drinking khamar is recorded in various hadiths and verses of the Qur’an. Why is khamar forbidden? What are the ingredients of khamar?
Regarding language, khamar comes from the word khamara-yakhmiru khamran, which means to cover a drink that covers the mind and consciousness or is intoxicating. Regarding terminology, khamar was originally the name for every intoxicating drink made from grapes, dates, wheat, and other sugary or starchy ingredients fermented using yeast.
In a broader sense today, addictive substances such as drugs that have the same effects, namely addiction and intoxication, are also classified as khamar. From Ibn Umar, He said, Rasulullah SAW said: “Every intoxicant is khamr, and every intoxicant is haram”. Furthermore, in another hadith, it is stated that “Something that if it is intoxicating in large quantities, then drinking even a little is considered haram”. (Narrated by Abu Daud, Tirmidhi, An-Nasai, Ibn Majah.)
What about Nabeez? One of Rasulullah’s favorite drinks is nabeez. Some people misinterpret nabeez as the same as khamr. Nabeez is water soaked in dates or raisins, now popularly called infused water.
Nabeez contains sugar from dates or raisins dissolved in water and fibre not dissolved in the soaking water. However, because it contains dissolved sugar, nabeez can be fermented spontaneously by yeast in nature and, after three days, produces alcohol (ethanol) even though in a relatively small amount.
Therefore, Rasulullah SAW prohibits consuming nabeez after three days because nabeez, after three days, due to spontaneous fermentation, turns into khamr. Unlike nabeez, khamr is a drink that is deliberately intended to make khamr by inoculating (growing) yeast to produce alcohol (ethanol) in large quantities in a short time. Sugar solution inoculated with yeast has produced ethanol within 6 hours.
These intoxicating drinks exist in almost every country, such as khamr in Arab countries, palm wine and arak in Indonesia, sake in Japan, champagne in France, wine and beer in Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia, vodka in Eastern Europe (Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus), tequila in Mexico, and others. Drinking khamr has become a culture in several countries, as has coffee and tea.
Ingredients, Processes and Products from Yeast
Khamr or alcoholic beverages were originally fermented yeast products on ingredients containing sugar or starch. From Nu’man bin Basyir, Rasulullah SAW said: “Indeed, there is khamr made from grapes, some are made from honey, raisins, and dates. And I forbid you from drinking all that intoxicates.”
In another hadith, it is mentioned that Ibn Umar from Umar, He said: “Khamr is made from five types, namely raisins, tar (dried dates), hintah (wheat seeds), flour and honey.” (H.R. Bukhari)
These hadiths represent the ingredients for making khamar: sugary ingredients (honey, dates and dried dates, grapes and dried grapes or raisins) and starchy ingredients (flour and wheat seeds).
In other regions in various parts of the world, the ingredients for making khamr come from sugary ingredients such as sugar cane sap, coconut sap, aren sap and lontar sap for making tuak which is then distilled into arak in Indonesia; grape juice for making wine and champagne in Europe, Agave tequilana fruit juice, a type of pineapple plant for making tequila in Mexico. Khamr is also commonly made from starchy ingredients such as rice for sake in Japan, barley sprout extract (malt) for beer in Europe and the United States, and other sugary or starchy ingredients.
Another important ingredient is yeast, which will ferment sugary or starchy ingredients into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Yeast is one of the industrial microbes from the genus Saccharomyces.
One that has been famous since ancient times and is now widely used in industry is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which has been used for producing wine, bread, tape, and beer since thousands of years ago in the form of yeast. Saccharomyces cerevisiae can convert carbohydrates into alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide through fermentation.
Alcohol was originally used as an alcoholic beverage (khamar), while carbon dioxide was used as a leavening agent in the process of making bread (baking). The process of making khamar from sugary ingredients is simpler because it only directly ferments some of the sugar (monosaccharides) into ethanol and carbon dioxide by yeast that is cultured on the sugary ingredients to produce a liquid containing sugar, alcohol (ethanol) and several other fermented ingredients in small amounts.
Meanwhile, from starchy materials, starch must first be converted into simple sugars with the help of mould or yeast-producing starch-breaking enzymes (amylase and amyloglucosidase or glucoamylase), and then some of the simple sugars produced are further fermented into ethanol and carbon dioxide by yeast.
With the development of more sophisticated technology, ethanol is not only made from sugary or starchy materials, but it is also possible to make it from cellulosic materials originating from lignocellulosic materials that are available in abundance in nature, but the process stages are longer. Lignocellulosic materials must first be dignified to separate lignin from cellulose.
Then, the cellulose is hydrolyzed with the help of cellulase enzymes or by cultivating moulds producing cellulase enzymes (such as Tricho dermareesei mould) on cellulose so that it breaks down cellulose or hemicellulose into simple sugars (glucose or xylose). Some simple sugars produced are then converted by yeast into ethanol and carbon dioxide.
In the application of bioindustry, yeast is not only used to produce khamar (alcoholic beverages) but also to produce industrial ethanol, which is used as a solvent or extractant in the extraction process, a sanitation material as an antiseptic or anti-microbial, even as a fuel (biofuel).
Industrial ethanol generally does not come from food (sap and fruit juice containing sugar or cereal grains containing starch) because, besides being more expensive, khamar requires ethanol as its main ingredient. Even some types of khamar, such as vodka, are deliberately distilled to increase their alcohol concentration to around 40%.
Therefore, industrial ethanol is generally made from agricultural by-products or waste such as molasses, a by-product of the sugar cane or sugar beet industry, which is cheaper. In some countries with excess agricultural products, bioethanol as a substitute fuel for gasoline is also made from corn starch or cassava starch in addition to molasses.
With new technology, bioethanol fuel can also be made from cellulosic materials so that it does not compete with food ingredients. The fermentation results must be distilled again to increase the ethanol concentration to a certain level according to the required specifications to make ethanol as industrial ethanol or alternative fuel.
In bioindustry, yeast is also used as a microorganism to produce products beneficial to humans. In addition to being a microorganism that produces renewable alternative fuels (renewable bioenergy), yeast is also a microorganism that makes baker’s yeast, which is necessary for making bread.
Bread yeast functions as a bread dough developer while providing a distinctive texture, aroma and taste. Yeast extract can also be obtained from yeast, which is used as a source of nutrition in the growth medium of microorganisms in the bioindustry.
Yeast extract and ribotides/nucleoids from yeast are also used in flavours and seasonings to provide a distinctive, delicious, and soft taste. Because yeast cells also contain high protein, yeast is also used as a source of single-cell protein for food or animal feed that is rich in protein.
Even from yeast, several amino acids, vitamin B complex, and rare microminerals such as zinc, chrome, and selenium are obtained and used as food supplements. Like a weapon that depends on its user (the man behind the gun), yeast can be used to make various products that are useful or products that cause harm to humans and humanity, depending on the humans who use them. Wallahualam. (***)
