Is mirin (as found in sushi) permissible?

Question

Answer 1

Bismillahi Ta’ala

Walaikum Assalam Warahmatullah,

The question has been addressed in our blog post on alcohols associated with japanese cooking.

Mirin is a sweet rice wine primarily used in cooking to impart sweetness and depth of flavor. Traditional mirin contains around 14% ethanol, obtained through rice fermentation combined with distilled spirit (shōchū). Although it is mainly used as a cooking ingredient rather than a direct beverage, it remains an alcoholic liquid. Under Hanafi fiqh, since it is derived from rice rather than grapes or dates, its alcohol is categorized as non-khamr. This means it is tahir (not najis) but still impermissible to consume in its original form.

While Hanafi jurisprudence technically tolerates non-khamr alcohols in minute, diminished traces within complex products, AskHalal standards dictate that where such alcohols are deliberately introduced as cooking ingredients, they take the ruling of general impermissibility and thus Haram*.

https://ilmhub.com/assessment-of-alcohols-associated-with-japanese-cooking/

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi