Such advertisements cannot be accepted by Islam. It is sad that national carriers of Muslim countries feel obliged, in order to compete with other airlines, to try to highlight such aspects of their service. Indeed, they do not need to go to these lengths. When a particular airline provides good service, that service will speak for itself, without the need to stress that at the delivery point of the service there is a "charming" hostess. The overwhelming majority of passengers are interested in the service itself, not in the person who gives it. Such advertisements are an example of how much we have borrowed from Western civilization, without scrutinizing what we are getting in the process.

Thank you for attaching copies of these two letters. I will begin by quoting the relevant parts. The manufacturers of Coca-Cola in Britain say in their letter: "Some of the flavors in our products are produced by an alcohol extraction of natural substances. However, the extremely small amount of alcohol involved in the process becomes insignificant in the beverage."

Schweppes International which produces Pepsi-Cola says: "Pepsi-Cola contains only a small amount of alcohol, which is present in order to dissolve the flavoring. The composition of the natural flavoring is confidential and it is only known to a few individuals of the Pepsi Headquarters in U.S.A."

Both letters indicate clearly that alcohol is used in the preparation of these beverages. Hence, it is right to ask whether they remain permissible or not. In order to answer this question clearly, it is important to remind ourselves that what Allah has forbidden is what intoxicates, not a substance. No Qur'anic verse or Hadith refers to alcohol as forbidden, but we have several Hadiths, in addition to the Qur'anic orders, which make it clear that any drink that intoxicates is forbidden. The Prophet explains that when intoxication is produced by taking only a very large amount of a particular drink, then it is forbidden even to have a sip of it. The important thing is, then, to know whether a drink intoxicates or not.

Human experience shows that no one begins to feel any intoxication after drinking any amount of Coca-Cola or Pepsi-Cola. Besides, there is no indication whatsoever that any cola drink is habit-forming, or that the continuous consumption of that drink leads to dependence on it. If there was a sign of any of these or other aspects of intoxication, then we would have attributed that effect to the alcohol used in these beverages, and we would have concluded that they become forbidden as a result.

What is clear, therefore, is that the alcohol dissolves during the chemical interaction which results in the production of a new substance. We have then to apply the Islamic rule which states that a change of substance may lead to changing its position with regard to permissibility or otherwise. This rule applies to all substances and it is universally agreed by all Muslim scholars. In this connection, I may mention that when any intoxicant drink is turned into vinegar as a result of a chemical process, it becomes permissible to use by Muslims. What we are using here is vinegar, not an intoxicant drink. If this applies to wine and other intoxicants which people may use in order to get drunk, then it certainly applies to other liquids and beverages. The thing in which we are interested here is the end product which human beings use. We do not start by classifying the ingredients or go further to identify the elements that are part of the makeup of every ingredient, because that would lead to the prohibition of numerous things that are perfectly permissible. In this regard, I may give the example of milk. If we were to consider the place at which it originates, we would have concluded that milk is forbidden to drink. There is no Muslim scholar who suggests that because there is a clear indication in the Qur'an that it is perfectly permissible and there are numerous reports that Prophet always enjoyed a drink of milk. Verse 66 surah 16, entitled The Bee, may be translated as follows: "In cattle too you have a lesson. We give you drink of that which is in their bellies between the bowels and the blood streams: pure milk, pleasant for those who drink it." You note how Allah refers to the place at which the milk originates and the substance in-between where is produced, what is in the bowels and the blood streams. Such stuff is forbidden to consume, but the milk that results from their interaction, possibly with other ingredients, is perfectly permissible.

The Arabs of Jahiliyya (pre-Islam) period used alcohol to boost courage and benevolence. The poet Hassan ibn Thabit Al Ansari before he embraced Islam said: "When we drink liquor we become like kings (in our benevolence) and during fight we become lions who never waver or falter from confrontation."

They also used it as a remedy for their ailments and diseases. The authentic narrators quote many Hadiths to show how the new converts tried to convince the Prophet, peace be upon him, that they used alcohol only as a remedy, and asked for his permission to continue doing so. The Prophet, peace be upon him, emphatically denied the benefits of liquor as a remedy and clearly mentioned it as a case of ailment and disease and not a remedy for any disease.

Muslim, Abu Dawood and Tirmithi narrate the following Hadith: A man called Tariq Al Joofi came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and asked permission to consume liquor (alcohol). The Prophet, peace be upon him, refused. The man said: I use it and prescribe it as a medicine. The Prophet, peace be upon him, answered: It is no medicine. It is a disease and ailment.

Another Hadith says that a man called Tariq ibn Swaid Al Hadrami came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and said: "O Messenger of God, in our land we have vineyards and we make wine and drink." The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Stop drinking." The man proclaimed: We use it as a remedy for the ill and diseased. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "It's no remedy. It is an illness itself." Narrated by Muslim.

The people of Yemen who came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, asked him to allow them to drink because they lived in a mountainous cold area, and they drank liquor to fight the cold weather and to help them in their hard jobs. The Prophet, peace be upon him, asked if that liquor (made from wheat) was intoxicating. The man, who spoke for the Yemeni delegation agreed. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: Then you have to stop drinking.

Abu Dawood narrated this Hadith: "God has made for every illness a cure, but never seek your cure by things prohibited." Al Bukhari narrated a similar Hadith in which the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "God didn't make your remedy in any of the things prohibited." This shows that Arabs at the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, were strong believers in the medicinal powers of liquor. However, the Prophet, peace be upon him, emphatically denied that power. Instead he repeatedly stated drinking liquor even in small quantities was a cause of illness and disease.

It is, therefore, quite strange to find that the great medieval Muslim physicians and philosophers like Abu Baker Al Razi and Ibn Sina, commended the use of liquor in moderation to keep good health. What is even more astonishing is that highly esteemed men of religion like Ibn Katheer believed in the medicinal and health procuring powers of the intoxicating liquor. This misconception still persists though science and medicine have proved beyond doubt the fallacy of the medicinal powers of liquor. The modern scientific findings have also proved how baseless are the claims that alcohol heats the body and therefore is good remedy for cold weather, that it helps the digestion, and that it is a stimulant of the brain.

Imam Jaffer Al Sadiq, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was asked by a man suffering from severe bleeding piles to allow him to drink liquor as his physician prescribed it. The imam refused and said: "God has never made your remedies in things that were prohibited." He also rejected emphatically the suggestion to dissolve the ingredients of medicines in alcohol.

Ibn Al Qaim, one of the renowned jurists of the seventh century of Hijra wrote many a chapter in his books to refute the arguments in favor of the medicinal uses of alcohol claimed by the physicians of his time. There is a saying to the effect that "We are what we eat." This is true to a great extent, as the food and drink we consume is transformed in our bodies by the processes of anabolism into the cells of our bodies, and the processes of catabolism into the energy that we need to perform the functions of our life. Therefore it is no wonder, that alcohol when it enters the body, affect both the psyche and the soma badly."

That was what Ibn Al Qaim was explaining to his contemporaries including the physicians of his age. He was denying emphatically the benefits of alcohol claimed by Al Razi and Ibn Sina and the whole medical profession in his days. At his time there was little proof of what he said except that it was clearly stated in the Prophet's sayings (Hadith). Now we have ample evidence for what he was trying to prove. The ill effects of alcohol on both psyche and soma are well documented. They are taught in the schools of medicine all over the world.

The learned men of religion (jurists) agreed that liquor should never be used as a drug for medicine, or to quench the thirst. However, the jurists allowed the use of alcohol as a solvent of drugs provided that: (a) there is no other available drug which does not contain alcohol; (2) the amount of alcohol as a solvent is minute and does not cause drunkenness; and (c) it is prescribed by a competent Muslim physician.

Ibn Qudama Al Madgsi states this quite clearly in his book Mughai Al Muhtaj: "The use of liquor as a remedy is prohibited in our religion. However, the use of drugs which have been mixed with liquor as a solvent is another matter. It is permissible to use that drug provided the liquor (alcohol) used is very small in quantity and provided that a competent good Muslim physician has prescribed it."

The medical and pharmacological profession in the Muslim world are strongly called to replace the drugs containing alcohol with others which are alcohol-free. Most of the drugs containing alcohol found on the counter e.g. tonics, etc. could easily be replaced by alcohol-free drugs.

A ban could be imposed if the governments do agree.

(The author of this article, Dr. Muhammad Albar, DM., M.R.C.P., is consultant of Islamic Medicine, King Fahd Medical Research of King Abdul Aziz University.)