Ruling on Nutmeg

Question: I heard that coconut makes people drunk. Is that true? Sheikh Rashād Adh-Dhali'ee hafidahullah: No, that’s not true. You may have confused it with something else. The thing that can make people drunk is nutmeg, not coconut. Coconut is the white stuff that people often sprinkle on cakes. Some people call it "rangil" (or something similar). This is not something that causes intoxication. The one that can make people drunk is nutmeg. Some people add it to tea or use it as a spice in soup or rice. Many scholars have said that nutmeg can make a person drunk. Follow-up Question: Does that mean nutmeg can’t be used in cake? Or what exactly is meant? As mentioned before, the thing you sprinkle on cake is coconut, and that’s perfectly halal. But nutmeg is something different. It’s about the size of a small egg, or a bit bigger. It has a hard outer shell that people remove, then they crush the inside to use it. That’s the thing that scholars have concerns about. Additional Note: One person who has medical experience said nutmeg is considered like hashish, based on how doctors classify it. Many scholars have given fatwas saying that nutmeg is haram because it can cause intoxication. One of them was Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami, a scholar from Makkah, who mentioned it during his time because it was becoming more common. Here is a useful point from a book about medicinal herbs: Nutmeg has effects similar to hashish. If someone takes too much, they might get ringing in the ears, severe constipation, trouble urinating, anxiety, and nervous system problems. In some cases, it could even cause death. It is an intoxicant, and most scholars say eating it is haram. Conclusion: So, you should avoid nutmeg. And if some restaurants put it in their tea, it’s better to stay away from it because it causes intoxication. And Allāh knows best. Source: https://t.me/rshad11/4890