The famous Turkish chef Nusrat’s use of gold in some of the foods he serves in his newly opened restaurant in Riyadh has revived a lot of controversy over the legality of eating gold, in addition to the safety and health of eating it.
Monitoring conducted by “Al-Watan” concluded a discrepancy in the opinions of scholars about the legality of eating gold. At a time when some permitted what was not harmful to human health, others went to the prohibition of eating it because it is an extravagance and waste of money, and it breaks the hearts of the poor, while an academic study concluded that Sharia came to pay the damage and lift it.
Eating a lot of gold is proven harmful, and it is forbidden for both men and women.
Gold is eaten in several forms, including chips, crushed crumbs, and others, and recently, golden dishes have spread in many restaurants of the world such as gold-coated meat, sushi, ice cream (ice cream), cake covered with gold, cappuccino foam, the famous Venezuelan chocolate, and some types of sweets It is covered with gold leaf, as gold is one of the most valuable elements and is used for decoration and ornaments, and it is not expected to be eaten by humans, but eating it is not something new.
eat vacation
The scholars differed as to whether or not it is permissible to eat gold. At a time when the professor of jurisprudence, Sheikh Dr. Saad Al-Khathlan, permitted the consumption of gold and silver with foods, as long as it did not harm human health, the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities in the Government of Dubai forbade eating or drinking. The one in which gold powder is placed, such as what is called gold candy, gold ice cream, gold tea or coffee, and the like, because it is an extravagance and waste of money, and it breaks the hearts of the poor, and Sharia forbids wasting money, even if it is less. In the hadith on the authority of Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said (Indeed, God Almighty is pleased with three things for you, and He dislikes three for you, so He accepts for you that you worship Him and do not associate anything with Him, and that you hold fast to the rope of God all together and do not be divided, and He hates you gossip, and the many questions, and the waste of money). narrated by Muslim.
And the department added in its fatwa, “And this small amount is included, even if it is a mosquito’s wing.” Ibn Hazm said in Al-Muhalla (C / 7, pg. 428): (Extravagance is forbidden, and it is spending in what God Almighty has forbidden, whether it is a small or a lot, even if it is part of the measure of a mosquito’s wing, or waste. What is not needed by necessity, after which the spender will not remain rich, or waste money, even if it is less than throwing it away in vain).
Pay and raise damage
A study prepared by the assistant professor in the Department of Jurisprudence at the Faculty of Sharia at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, Dr. Maha bint Abdullah Al-Aboudi, under the title “Eating gold and its contemporary forms”, concluded that Sharia came to ward off harm and raise it, and a lot of eating gold is fixed in harm, so it is forbidden for its harm. It is on the body, and a person’s body is not his property, but rather belongs to God alone, so it is not permissible to inflict harm on him because of selfish desires, or arrogance, arrogance, arrogance and ostentation.”
Dr. Al-Aboudi went on to say that “decorating food can be considered as one of the complementary purposes of amelioration, and it is achieved without gold, for we are rich in other than it, just as eating gold is nothing more than a reprehensible extravagance that is forbidden, and the reasons for which it is forbidden to eat from vessels of gold and silver are realized by eating gold. Himself”.
easy to forgive
Al-Aboudi pointed out that eating a small amount of gold and in separate periods may be forgiven, and what is forbidden to men is forbidden to women and vice versa, except what evidence indicates that one of them is allocated to it, and that the human mind is due to its shortcomings and ignorance of its owner, and what surrounds it from the influences of the soul and passion, it must From the light of the Divine Revelation in every newcomer, and to present to him the beneficial and the harmful, the good and the bad, the good and the ugly.
no taste
Gold has no taste, and it must be of 22-24 karat (almost pure gold) in order to be used in food. Powder is what a person can eat.
The task of manufacturing edible gold was very difficult, but in the current era, through modern technology and skills, its manufacture has become a very smooth task and in large quantities.
No harm to little
Studies have not confirmed any harm to gold on the body if it is eaten in small proportions, but eating large quantities of it may negatively affect the body, and cause it harm, and there is no benefit that can accrue to the body if gold is taken, it is just an expression of well-being not more.
Some studies take a different approach, as some of them point to several uses for it, including that it removes the bad smell from the mouth, treats mesothelioma, epilepsy, leprosy, alopecia, gout, sciatica, hemiplegia, heartburn, jaundice, strengthens the eye, activates the nervous system and depression. skin diseases.
There is currently research on the use of gold to treat cancer, as the great Egyptian scientist Mostafa El-Sayed is conducting several researches in this aspect in the United States of America. There are also cosmetics from gold, as solutions and cosmetics containing liquid gold of 24 karat were launched in the market to moisturize the skin, especially the skin of the face, as it works to cover all the pores of the skin and makes it smoother and more fresh.
When is it safe
While emphasizing once again that gold is a chemically inert element, which means that it does not interact with other chemical substances and compounds in dangerous ways, saying that it will pass from the digestive system as if nothing had happened is governed by conditions, the most important of which is that the quantities that a person eats are very small.
Specialists define edible gold by special standards, as it must be of 22 to 24 karat, which means that it must not be less than 90% of pure gold, along with 10% of another pure metal such as silver, as this ratio can cause The trace elements are dangerous if they are made of dangerous, indigestible metals.
The European Union and America have declared edible gold as a food additive, as it is used in upscale cuisine in expensive meals, but it must meet the specifications of applicable food safety standards, research that must be pure to avoid any kind of infection or dangers to the body, and must be Gold comes to a scale of about 1/8000th of a millimeter thick to be used as food garnish.
Gold is subjected to one of these processes in order to be used in food decoration, which is the formation of gold powder, hammering and crushing, and then the formation of gold leaf.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has authorized the use of gold as a food additive in the coating of confectionery, decoration of chocolate and alcoholic beverages, but requires that gold specifications include a specific average particle size and a special particle size distribution, as well as the percentage (in number) of particles at the nanoscale (with at least one dimension less than 100 nanometers), present as a powdered gold.
serious concerns
Despite all the talk about the benefits, specialists also point out that gold may cause an allergy in some people, which appears in the form of a rash, which is evident when wearing gold and jewelry, but it is relatively rare compared to allergies to other elements such as nickel.
Cases of complete recovery from stomatitis and dermatitis were also observed when gold teeth were removed.
Other specialists say that gold has other side effects if used internally in excess, as it damages the bladder.
use since antiquity
According to a report published by “science abc”, the history of eating gold as food dates back thousands of years, as it was considered a sign of strength and wealth, in ancient Chinese, Japanese and Egyptian traditions.
It also continued to be eaten in the Middle Ages, when some kings often added it to their dishes to show off their wealth.
And the nobles, if they wanted to associate their feasts with luxury, found food the best way to display their wealth, using gold plates and foil on the food.
In Egypt, the ancient Egyptians knew eating gold 5000 years ago, so alchemists in Alexandria used it in a number of medicines and elixirs with drinkable gold, and they believed that it had effects on rejuvenating the body and rejuvenating it, and in India, China and Japan gold was used in medicines.
In the Renaissance, Paracelsus (1493-1541), considered the founder of modern pharmacology, developed a variety of medicines using small amounts of edible gold in the form of tablets or gold powder.
During the modern era – and until the twentieth century – gold was associated with medicines, and it was common to find a medicine containing a piece of gold in articulated and expensive drugs, using small pills or powder inside the medicine, or as a dietary supplement to replenish minerals in the human body.
Edible gold manufacturers are located in more than one place around the world. In Italy, Giusto Manetti Battiloro SpA produces gold and silver leaf for kitchen and beauty purposes.
Britain has one of the largest suppliers of edible gold and silver, Conneisseur Gold, CornucAupia is a famous distributor in the United States, in Asia Horikin Ltd is known as the leading gold leaf manufacturer in Japan, and in Germany there are several companies such as Goldmarie, Gold Gourmet and Swiss DeLafée.
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