Can you get non alcoholic soy sauce?
Sorry to tell you, but if you can't have soy sauce, then you can't have orange juice, apple juice, or any other packaged fruit juice either, because by the time the fruit juice has been processed, packaged, delivered to your supermarket, bought by you, and taken home by you, some of it has already fermented, leaving most fresh fruit juices with a negligible 1-2% alcohol content. The alcohol content of soy sauce is no more than this, either. I am sure the Qur'an's prohibition on alcohol means drinks which contain enough alcohol to make a person intoxicated ("drunk"). Liquids which are less than 2% alcohol cannot possibly make a person drunk...the person would die of water intoxication and hyponatremia before they could reach the point of intoxication. Islam is meant to be a joy, not a burden.
As a spiritually awakened person, do you drink alcohol and eat meat? Should we stop this to awaken our spirituality?
Uptil May 2018, I was an occasional drinker. Nothing happened, so what made me stop? If it's not broken, why fix it?Let me start by saying that my Spiritual Awakening happened a lot before this. April 2017, to be more specific.So here's the story. First, reading about the Buddha's five basic precepts, I realized that if an Enlightened person has emphasized that just five key practices that can transform life, and one practice asks to not consume alcohol, then really, alcohol must have a bad influence on the journey to Self. Hmmm…Then, I kept seeing recurring signs from Goddess Kali. She's considered to be the consumer of all of man's lusts - alcohol, drugs, non-vegetarian food, etc. That's why, such things are offered to her idol at the alter. Her message was clear "leave alcohol and I will always be beside you".But finally, the nail really hit on the coffin when I realized, alcohol actually slows your physical body down. It hits you right in the nerves!I saw Sadhguru, mystical and intoxicated with life. And realized, he has something that alcohol only gives us for a few hours, without the hangover! If that's possible, why can't I have it too?And thus, began my conviction to elate my body and mind without the consumption of an external substance.Has it worked? I would like to think so, yes. Even though I was never an alcoholic, I do realize that the past months of my life have been my strongest yet.The same thought process was wait put me away from eggs. It wasn't just the thought. But as I went deeper into my Spiritual journey, I also started noticing that my body craved more healthy, raw foods and literally puked out processed stuff or things like meat and dairy. I am now a vegan. This is a sentence I did not imagine I'd say even a year ago.And no, I'm not against drinking. I'd probably indulge on my bachelorette party! But I've come to an inner knowing that doesn't require drinking to experience my Self. And that knowing has won over the temptation to drink. :)
I am concerned about animal protein and meat as part of my diet?
According to the Food Guide Pyramid, you only need 3 servings daily of protein foods. You can choose from animal protein, vegetarian protein, and low-fat dairy protein. It is best eaten in small quantities throughout the day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. About 1 cup or 8 oz of protein. Your best choices are white meat chicken, white meat turkey, egg whites, and fish, any type and shellfish, any type. Less red meat is best but if you want beef, pork or veal choose 95% lean. Organic meat is the best because it is never administered antibiotics or growth-promoting hormones, and are fed a strict vegetarian diet that never contains any animal by-products. Vegetarian protein is the same as animal protein 1 cup to 8 oz per day to stay within the Food Guide Pyramid. Balance is really key whether you choose to be a vegetarian or not. As long as you stay within the Food Guide Pyramid, your health will benefit either way.
Eating food cooked with Alcohol, is it considered Haram?
yes, it's haram. No matter what. Sweetheart, I never drank in my life, and I don't need to, though all my friends drink and my favorite chefs cook with wine. I know that going to heaven is much more valuable than a stupid topping or drink. Also, you can't trust all scholars. I remember a hadith where a prophet said something along the lines "2 judges will be in hell, for every judge that goes to heaven" meaning that just because they're scholars doesn't mean they're right. Some scholars allow tattoos, adultery, gay sex, yet the Quran and Hadith strictly prohibit it, does that mean we should follow them and ignore words of God and his apostle? No. Use your head, it's the same logic, and it is better to avoid anything suspicious. Salam.