What is the ruling on using food products that contain unnaturally produced wine vinegar in their manufacturing, given the lack of alternatives, along with a request to reconsider the ruling, based on the premise that the prohibition of converting wine into vinegar was to prevent pretexts, and that naturally formed vinegar is not forbidden, and that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, did not explicitly declare wine to be impure?

Ibn Taymiyyah inclined towards the impermissibility of transforming wine into vinegar, arguing that the command of Allah and His Messenger cannot be abrogated except by a text from them, and that the rightly-guided Caliphs acted upon this ruling. He also condemned the idea of blocking means to evil (sadd al-dhara'i') for the Companions while opening them for others, even though the Companions were more pious. The Permanent Committee agreed with this opinion, citing the Prophet's (peace be upon him) prohibition to Abu Talhah against transforming wine into vinegar. They clarified that if vinegar transforms on its own, it is permissible to use it, and if its origin was not wine, then there is no issue regarding its permissibility.