The good news is that energy drinks are permissible to drink. However, there are reports to the contrary, with some scholars airing their doubts. If you read about caffeine, you will come across its harmful effects on the body.
Some scholars have claimed that this stimulant is not suitable for consumption, given the adverse effects of caffeine. The thing is, it is always best to be on the safe side. Thus, if you are in doubt about something, you should avoid it.
So, are energy drinks halal or haram? Non-alcoholic energy drinks are not haram. However, it all comes down to their effect on your body. If you take an amount that causes you harm, then the drink is haram.
When is a beverage haram?
As we have stated before, energy drinks are pretty much coffee, water, and sugar. The latter ingredients are of no consequence. But caffeine raises a lot of questions. According to Islam, any narcotic, as well as anything that intoxicates, is not permissible. And we can see the same quoted in several verses as follows:
“O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination― of Satan’s handiwork: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper.” (al-Maida 3/90)
From this verse, you can see that taking an intoxicating substance would be contrary to the readings. It would be an abomination. The verses continue as follows:
“If a large amount of anything causes intoxication, a small amount of it is also prohibited.” (Abu Davud, Ashriba, 5: Tirmidhi, Ashriba, 3)
Thus, if you take an energy drink mixed with alcohol and end up intoxicated, you are on the wrong side. It would not matter if you consumed a liter or a few milliliters of the same. As long as you did so knowingly, you would be on the wrong. And another verse that shows as much is as follows:
“Every drink that intoxicates is haram.” (Bukhari, Wird, 81, Ashriba 4, 10; Muslim, Ashriba, 67-68)
From the above verses, it is clear that any substance that eliminates your ability to reason is haram. That means that you should not partake in it. And this includes alcohol as well as other drinks of such nature.
Where should you draw the line as to what you can consume and what you should avoid? While this concept may be tricky at times, there is a general rule to it. If the substance, when consumed, poisons or kills you, eliminates your reasoning or harms your health, it is haram.
So far, we have been general in our approach. Let us now focus on caffeine, which seems to be the obvious culprit in all this. Should you consume the amounts of this stimulant present in energy drinks?
Is caffeine in energy drinks haram?
Caffeine is a stimulant, and for this reason, it has varying effects on the body. These include improved alertness, more productivity, and increased energy, among others.
Caffeine is halal, and not haram. However, if the caffeine is mixed with alcohol or any haram (forbidden) drinks, then that drink becomes haram. Otherwise, there is no problem with consuming caffeine in energy drinks.
“He (Allah) has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah.” (The Quran 16:115)
Is taurine in energy drinks haram?
Taurine is another ingredient common in energy drinks which works great in raising energy levels in consumers. In recent years, there have been concerns as to whether this component is halal or haram.
It all depends on if the taurine was extracted from animals or synthetically produced. That means that it can be halal or haram, depending on the source of the ingredient.
The best way to figure this out is to investigate the energy drink in question. Almost all energy drinks contain the synthetically produced taurine, for example Red Bull.
Red Bull claims it is suitable for consumption by vegetarians and vegans, as well as being certified as Halal and Kosher by the relevant federations.
Conclusion
Taking caffeinated drinks, be they energy drinks, soft drinks, coffee, or tea, is permissible. However, there is a catch to this. You can only consume these drinks if they are not harmful to your health. Where even a little amount gives way to adverse effects, you should avoid using these substances.
Also, using alcoholic energy drinks is out of the question, whether or not they cause any harm to your body. Alcohol is an intoxicant, and based on the quoted readings; it is not permissible. So, using even a little would be haram.
To answer your question, non-alcoholic energy drinks are not haram. However, it all comes down to their effect on your body. If you take an amount that causes you harm, then the drink is haram. Stay safe!
