On September 11, 1951, an Egyptian newspaper, ''

al-Ahram ''Al-Ahram'' ( ar, الأهرام; ''The Pyramids''), founded on 5 August 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after '' al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya'' (''The Egyptian Events'', founded 1828). It is majori ...

'', published a

fatwa A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist i ...

ruled by

mufti A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important rol ...

Hasanayn al-Makhluf on whether or not the consumption of the soft drinks

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atla ...

and

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

were allowed under

Islamic law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...

. The premise of the case was due to rumors and conspiracies spreading among the public, such as the Coca-Cola logo, when reflected in a mirror, spelling out "No

Mohammed Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monothe ...

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow val ...

" in Arabic.

Issuing the fatwa

In order to get an accurate answer on whether or not

and

were prohibited by Islamic law, the Egyptian Department of Fatwas asked the Ministry of Public Health to ascertain the composition of the two sodas. On August 25, 1951, the Ministry of Public Health found that neither Pepsi-Cola nor Coca-Cola contained any narcotics,

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

, or

pepsin Pepsin is an endopeptidase that breaks down proteins into smaller peptides. It is produced in the gastric chief cells of the stomach lining and is one of the main digestive enzymes in the digestive systems of humans and many other animals, ...

. The use of narcotics and the consumption of alcohol are both prohibited under Islamic law. Pepsin is created from the membrane of pig stomachs, and any product coming from a pig is not permitted under Muslim

Sharia law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...

. The Ministry of Public Health explained that the drinks also have no harmful microbes in them. Based on the information provided by the Ministry of Public Health, the Department of Fatwas declared the drinks permissible under Islamic law. Herbert J. Liebesny The law of the Near and Middle East readings, cases, and materials, Albany: State University of New York Press, 1975, 42-43. Mufti Hasanayn al-Makhluf also explained in this fatwa that all foods and drinks are assumed to be permissible under Islamic law unless found otherwise and if a person does not know the condition or ingredients of a food or beverage, its consumption is permitted until its nature is determined.

References

{{reflist Fatwas Coca-Cola PepsiCo 1951 documents Halal food 1951 in Egypt