Works of Abul Baraa Muhamad Amreeki

All the praises is for Allah the Lord of the Worlds and peace and blessings be upon His Chosen Messenger Muhammad and upon his family and his companions all of them.

   By the Student of Knowledge, Shaykh Abdurrahman Murad هداه الله 

Question:

Is Nutmeg Haram? Why would a small amount be unlawful? Some scholars state that nothing is wrong with it, as long as it is not taken in large doses…since the issue is one where we can give and take, why can’t we take the easier view?

Answer:

These are the questions that have been filtering in…one after the other, and they have been piling up, and I apologize for the untimely response!
In any case…we have the words of the Prophet, may Allah praise him:
“Whatever its great amount intoxicates, its small amount is unlawful.”

This narration has been authenticated by the great scholars of Hadeeth the likes of Imam adh-Dhahabi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Hibban, At-Tirmidthi, Al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on them all…so there is no doubt in this Hadeeth. It provides for us a fundamental principle, one that we should take to heart and use as the Prophet, may Allah praise him, never spoke of his own accord…all that he mentioned was indeed Wahi (revelation) from Allah!

Since the questioner is asking about the scholars’ views and opinions of the Imams…let me make it clear, Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haitami, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked about ‘nutmeg’ and he answered: “The Mujtahid, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Daqiq al-Eid mentioned that nutmeg is intoxicating, and the Maliki and Shafi’ee scholars concurred this fact as well, and established it in the Madt’hab. Ibn Al-Imad was even more strict as he forbade Hashish on account of its similarity to nutmeg!”
Actually in all four Madth’hab we find direct prohibition of the use of nutmeg (Maliki, Shafi’ee and Hanbali) and indirect indication such as in the Hanafi Madh’hab. Imam At-Tahawi al-Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him, openly declared nutmeg as unlawful and stated the consensus of the Four Imams in this regard! (Az-Zawajir un Iqtiraf al-Kaba’ir 1/354)

That said, some scholars have legalized the use a minimal quantity of nutmeg, in amounts that wouldn’t be harmful to one’s health.
The interesting thing, is how people overlook what the scholars actually said…let me quote:
Ibn Farhoon, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “If nutmeg is used in foods that are usually eaten, avoid eating it. But if it is taken in a mix, as a medication, or in a manner that permeates similar benefits it would not be unlawful for one to use it, unless it would ruin one’s state of sound mind and intellect.”
Imam Al-Barzili, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “Some of the Imams have legalized using a small amount of nutmeg to ‘warm up the brain’, but put a condition that it be mixed with other medicinal herbs. But the more correct view is that it can be used individually (as a medicine) without being mixed with other herbs.” (Mawahib al-Jaleel 1/90)

In any case, the issue really seems to stem to one thing among the scholars who spoke about it is it an intoxicating substance or is it simply a muscle relaxant? Some who viewed it to be a muscle relaxant stated that a small amount would be lawful. Whether this be the case or not, the Prophet, may Allah praise him, forbade in the authentic narration that one take intoxicants or relaxants(Abu Dawood #3686)

The Prophet, may Allah praise him, also said: “Indeed Allah has not placed the cure for a disease in that which He has made forbidden for it.” (Authentic – Kashf al-Litham 6/200)

I end this with one last note…what is the fatal dose of COCAINE?
Looking at medical reports (and it depends on the individual, any health problems they may have, and other factors). As little as 20 mg (substantially less than a single line) injected intravenously can be lethal while between 500mg and 1.4 g nasally or orally is considered dangerous!

Now what is the dangerous dose of NUTMEG? In amounts of 10-40 g (~4-8 teaspoons) it is a mild to medium hallucinogen, producing visual distortions and a mild euphoria. Nutmeg contains myristicin, a weak monoamine oxidase inhibitor. A test was carried out on the substance that showed that, when ingested in large amounts, nutmeg takes on a similar chemical make-up to MDMA (ecstasy) MDMA.
A risk in any large-quantity (over 25 g, ~5 teaspoons) ingestion of nutmeg is the onset of ‘nutmeg poisoning’, an acute psychiatric disorder marked by thought disorder, a sense of impending doom/death, and agitation. Some cases have resulted in hospitalization. Fatalities occur with lower doses with children.