Fatwa

Raw Honey in the Sunnah

Question

Assalamu alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh,

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

The thing that differentiates “raw honey” from regular shelf honey is the additional filtration and treatment processes.

Raw honey is simply taken from the honeycomb and poured over a mesh or nylon cloth to filter out impurities such as beeswax and dead bees. Regular shelf honey is treated further by being pasteurized to destroy the yeast in order to make the honey smoother. It is then filtered to varying degrees to make it appear as a clear smooth liquid, thereby being more aesthetically pleasing.

It is apparent that there were no additional modern filtration techniques used in the time of the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, as such, raw honey would remain the default honey.

This is not to say that regular shelf honey is not honey. Both would qualify as being ‘honey’, hence all benefits associated with honey can be achieved by either one.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mufti Bilal Pandor

Concurred by
Mufti Muhammad IV Patel

Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia

www.daruliftaazambia.com