One of the most popular drinks in the world, besides water, is most definitely Coca-Cola, one of the most popular drinks in the world.
We can speak of the fact whether is healthy to drink these fuzzy drunks, and the fact that they have a great amount of sugar in them, but nothing can beat their notoriety and the fact that it is one of the best-sold drinks in the world.
The number of bottles sold is expressed in billions, and the Coca-Cola company that produces them sells many other drinks and all of them are very popular also.
So, Coca-Cola is sold also in Muslim countries, and for all those who do not know – and want to know, this is the drink that is halal or maybe, and there are some reports that state this – that it has some elements that are forbidden based on the Islamic faith.
This religion says that the basis of all issues regarding foods and drinks is permitted until proven that has something that will make it haram, like the percentage of alcohol, or the way that food was made.
Only what is prohibited in the Sharia texts is banned.
Now, what is the deal with the most famous drink in the world?
Is Coca-Cola Halal or Haram In Islam?
First of all, we must say that based on the Islamic faith, even if you may think that there are many limitations, all things are permitted.
But, there is a great but here, as this is seen as the general rule which says that all that could be found freely in nature is permitted till the point when a Shariah opinion verifies that the situation is quite opposite.
And in practice, this is seen in a manner that all can be seen as an abnormality to this law and is ministered as prohibited or enticed is described in small parts by the text in the Quran.
There these prohibited things are restricted and it is feasible to itemize them.
This regulation suggests that all that Sharia has not judged is allowed so that it has not revealed approval or ban in particular or general Islamic texts.
Looking at the list of ingredients we can say right from the start that Coca-Cola is a drink that is safe for the Muslim community to consume, but there are some articles and alleged studies that say that in Coca-Cola there are some elements that make it haram, like pork or certain percentages of alcohol.
These are not confirmed by the company itself – not any important institutions have said it, or some experts that deal with this topic.
Those claims state that Coca-Cola has 0.001 percent alcohol, but the majority of Islamic scholars say that this is simply not enough that could make you drunk, and therefore it is not relevant for the halal status.
It is a completely other question that based on political reasons this drink is seen as haram, as the Jewish family owns the company.
In some countries, there have been even issued fatwas that are boycotting this drink, saying that you should not drink it, as it is sinful.
But, by many, this is an exaggeration of the political issue.
However, the regulation of boycotting food and drink of non-Muslims has its own rules. A prescribed and effective boycott is one that comes from the level of the state, a larger group of people, or some environment and place, and not from individuals, in order for that boycott to have an effect in practice.
Also, it should be known that boycotting one group of Muslims does not make another group of Muslims who do not boycott sinful.
Also, other foods that are made by Jews are also consumed, so there is no reason why Coca-Cola is not one of them.
And, as many Islamic teachers say, prohibiting regulations cannot be built on doubt and assumptions.
Now, Muslim rules state that people of this community should only consume things that are good for their bodies – and we all know that drinking a lot of soda drinks with a lot of sugar is not a good idea, not only when it comes to Coca-Cola, but all others.
But, we have to say that the level of harmfulness is simply not sufficient that will make this drink haram.
You cannot get drunk when you consume it – and therefore it is halal.
Is Coca-Cola halal-certified?
This drink does not own halal certification, but the company that makes it has stated that they are attempting to make its products better and better, but that they are not specified for a halal diet.
Ingredients
When we take a look at the list of ingredients we can see that it contains caramel color, then carbonated water, caffeine, natural flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and phosphoric acid.
And when we look at one ingredient at a time, we can see that all of them are halal and safe to consume.
Is Diet Coke Halal?
The answer is yes – also regular and diet Cola are halal – but not only that when we take a look Coke with zero Sugar is halal also.
The ones you need to look into are with some additional flavorings, there can be some ingredients that are not allowed based on Islamic law.
More about Coca-Cola
There are many interesting stories regarding this drink, and all of them are very interesting, having in mind that the majority of this notoriety is the by-product of great marketing that is a known fact for this brand.
There is hardly a person in the world who has not tried Coca-Cola.
It was discovered when Colonel John Pemberton who was addicted to morphine wanted to take something instead.
He wanted to have something that will make him feel good and will clear his mind.
John made a drink in his pharmacy and this was the first Coca-Cola formula; that he had called the potion for the brain.
Its name comes from the two main elements that create this drink – the kola nut and the coca leaf.
The drink was enlisted in 1885 and then it had the third element and it was alcohol.
It has about 9 mg of cocaine in just one glass and it was very intoxicating, but later on, the alcohol was excluded, as well as coca leaf was excluded.
In the 80s it was stated that Coca-Cola contains non-narcotic leaves, and that was safe.
Still to this day, no one knows the real recipe for this drink, and it is said that the formula was being kept in a vault – under the key. Only two people know this formula.
Officially it was said that there are not any traces of cocaine in this drink, although there are elements from coca leaf that have been used.
It is also said that there are several flavors that you taste when you drink it – lemon, lime, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and even orange.
The company has invested a lot in branding and paid famous people to market it, its logo is recognizable very. It has been the official sponsor of the Olympic games since 1928.
Also, the bottle itself is very famous.
In the 50s the first Coca-Cola can appear and diet Cola appeared on the market as well as Coca-Cola with many different flavorings.
Contrary to popular belief, it does not dissolve teeth (or flies) during the night
Cola is a mild acid and will successfully dissolve organic substances such as teeth or flies over time. However, the myth that its ingredients are so corrosive that they can dissolve those same substances overnight is nothing more than an urban legend.
The Coca-Cola Company owns hundreds of brands around the world
This company is one of the biggest players in the beverage industry and owns hundreds of brands across the planet.
We have to add, while we are speaking of the health status of this drink – we have said that many industrial foods are harmful, whose harmfulness has been broadcast for many years, but this has not reached the level of being forbidden by Sharia because of its harmfulness, and Allah knows best.
Since when people consume it doesn’t get drunk, Coca-Cola is allowed if we want to take a look at things from this perspective.
Whether that drink is harmful to the human body and how much, or not, the answer should be given by competent medical research. The fact that the owner of that brand is a Jew does not make it forbidden.
Conclusion
So, we can say, that based on the Muslim tradition, all that we can find in nature, is seen as permitted, and things that the Almighty Allah has proclaimed in Quran as banned, are haram.
Things that are intoxicating (those are the elements that the Quran speaks of as things that “darken the mind”, and particularly alcohol), that have bad taste, that are not healthy, and that is not pure (like pork, a pig that is seen as a dirty animal, and all of its by-products are also forbidden).
So we can say that it is safe to say that Coca-cola is halal, as the component checklist does not contain any animal products or by-products and this also includes pork, which is strictly forbidden based on Islamic laws, and cannot be consumed.
Also, the fact that Coca-Cola does not include alcohol-based components and is appropriate for halal people, and even if some articles can appear that claim that this drink has some percentage of alcohol, this is not true.
In the early years, this drink has alcohol, but nowadays it does not have any.
Now, some may have a problem since this beverage does not have Halal certification, although that does not mean that it is not halal.
Of course, there can be some Muslim people who will have a problem with this fact, but this is not something that should distract them from enjoying this popular beverage.
And in the end, it is up to all individual people, and the counties they live in, and the communities they live in to decide whether they have a problem with some matters that we have briefly spoken of here – like the fact that this drink does not have a halal-certificate or the fact that drink is not healthy, just like all other soda drinks that have a lot of sugar in their composition.
Looking at things from this perspective, Coca-Cola is not haram, but for those who see it as a drink that is harmful to the human body, then it falls under the category of banned items, as it is haram to consume all things that are not good for a human.
Read also: Is Coffee & Caffeine Halal? / Is Red Bull Halal?
