Ruling on the Use of Alcohol in Perfumes: In Light of 5 Evidences
Source: Fatāwā ad-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, Page 335
Alcohol is used in perfumes, which then comes into contact with clothing. Is it permissible to offer prayer in such clothes?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Ammā baʿd:
This issue is based on whether khamr (intoxicating wine) is ṭāhir (pure) or najis (impure).
The stronger opinion is that khamr is ḥarām (prohibited) according to the Qur'an, Sunnah, and ijmāʿ (consensus of the Ummah),
but its impurity is conceptual (maʿnawī), not physical (ḥissī).
There is no explicit evidence establishing its physical impurity.
Hence, while khamr is ḥarām, it is not impure — i.e., despite being prohibited, it is ṭāhir (pure).
He was a mufti of Madinah.
Many people from Madinah sought knowledge from him.
Forty turbaned scholars would attend his gatherings.
Imām Mālik (رحمه الله) studied under him.
A famous Imām.
Even great scholars like Imām Mālik acknowledged his excellence.
Imām Shāfiʿī said:
"Layth was a greater jurist than Mālik, but his students failed to preserve his school."
Ibn Bukayr also held Layth superior to Mālik in jurisprudence.
Ismāʿīl ibn Yaḥyā al-Muzanī (a student of Imām Shāfiʿī) also held the opinion that khamr is pure.
Mujtahid scholars affiliated with Imām Shāfiʿī stated the same.
According to them, khamr is pure, but its consumption is ḥarām.
This view is also recorded in Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī (6/88).
“The default ruling for all substances is purity, unless a prohibitive or opposing evidence exists.”
Therefore, the stronger opinion is that khamr is pure.
This is also the conclusion of Fatāwā Tamām al-Minnah (pg. 54), which states:
"Most scholars consider khamr impure,
but in light of evidence, the first opinion (of purity) is more sound."
If a person chooses to be cautious out of religious commitment, dignity, or personal honor, that is a separate matter.
Moreover, alcohol may be used for wounds when necessary, as doubt is overruled in times of necessity.
﴿رِجسٌ مِن عَمَلِ الشَّيطـٰنِ﴾ [Surah al-Mā’idah: 90]
Here, rijs (filth) refers to the filth of action, not physical impurity.
The verse continues:
﴿إِنَّمَا الخَمرُ وَالمَيسِرُ وَالأَنصابُ وَالأَزلـٰمُ﴾ [Surah al-Mā’idah: 90]
Wine, gambling, idols, and divining arrows — none of these are physically impure,
thus khamr’s impurity is conceptual, being a satanic act.
When wine was declared prohibited, Muslims poured it into the streets.
If it were physically impure, polluting public areas would have been impermissible.
Had khamr been physically impure, the Prophet ﷺ would have instructed that vessels be washed,
as he did in the case of domestic donkey meat.
A man brought a mashk (leather pouch) of wine as a gift.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Do you not know that wine has been forbidden?”
Someone suggested: “Sell it.”
He ﷺ replied:
“Indeed, when Allah prohibits a thing, He also prohibits its price.”
The man then poured the wine away.
The Prophet ﷺ did not order the pouch to be washed, nor did he forbid pouring it away publicly.
All things are inherently pure
until there is clear evidence of impurity.
For example:
Hence, based on the above evidences:
✔ Cologne and similar perfumes are not impure.
✔ Applying them on clothing does not invalidate prayer.
✔ There is no need to purify clothes after their application.
ھٰذا ما عندي، واللّٰه أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ad-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, Page 335
❖ Question:
Alcohol is used in perfumes, which then comes into contact with clothing. Is it permissible to offer prayer in such clothes?
❖ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Ammā baʿd:
◈ Basis of the Issue:
This issue is based on whether khamr (intoxicating wine) is ṭāhir (pure) or najis (impure).
The stronger opinion is that khamr is ḥarām (prohibited) according to the Qur'an, Sunnah, and ijmāʿ (consensus of the Ummah),
but its impurity is conceptual (maʿnawī), not physical (ḥissī).
There is no explicit evidence establishing its physical impurity.
Hence, while khamr is ḥarām, it is not impure — i.e., despite being prohibited, it is ṭāhir (pure).
❖ Views of Early Jurists and Scholars:
➊ Rabīʿah ibn Abī ʿAbdir-Raḥmān (Rabīʿah ar-Ra’y):
He was a mufti of Madinah.
Many people from Madinah sought knowledge from him.
Forty turbaned scholars would attend his gatherings.
Imām Mālik (رحمه الله) studied under him.
➋ Layth ibn Saʿd al-Miṣrī (the Egyptian Faqīh):
A famous Imām.
Even great scholars like Imām Mālik acknowledged his excellence.
Imām Shāfiʿī said:
"Layth was a greater jurist than Mālik, but his students failed to preserve his school."
Ibn Bukayr also held Layth superior to Mālik in jurisprudence.
➌ Imām Nawawī (رحمه الله) – al-Majmūʿ (1/72):
Ismāʿīl ibn Yaḥyā al-Muzanī (a student of Imām Shāfiʿī) also held the opinion that khamr is pure.
Mujtahid scholars affiliated with Imām Shāfiʿī stated the same.
➍ Later Scholars of Baghdad:
According to them, khamr is pure, but its consumption is ḥarām.
This view is also recorded in Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī (6/88).
❖ Foundational Legal Maxim:
“The default ruling for all substances is purity, unless a prohibitive or opposing evidence exists.”
Therefore, the stronger opinion is that khamr is pure.
This is also the conclusion of Fatāwā Tamām al-Minnah (pg. 54), which states:
"Most scholars consider khamr impure,
but in light of evidence, the first opinion (of purity) is more sound."
❖ The Angle of Precaution:
If a person chooses to be cautious out of religious commitment, dignity, or personal honor, that is a separate matter.
Moreover, alcohol may be used for wounds when necessary, as doubt is overruled in times of necessity.
❖ Evidences Supporting the Conceptual (Not Physical) Impurity of Khamr:
➊ Specification of "Rijs" in Sūrat al-Mā’idah:
﴿رِجسٌ مِن عَمَلِ الشَّيطـٰنِ﴾ [Surah al-Mā’idah: 90]
Here, rijs (filth) refers to the filth of action, not physical impurity.
The verse continues:
﴿إِنَّمَا الخَمرُ وَالمَيسِرُ وَالأَنصابُ وَالأَزلـٰمُ﴾ [Surah al-Mā’idah: 90]
Wine, gambling, idols, and divining arrows — none of these are physically impure,
thus khamr’s impurity is conceptual, being a satanic act.
➋ Spilling of Wine in Markets:
When wine was declared prohibited, Muslims poured it into the streets.
If it were physically impure, polluting public areas would have been impermissible.
➌ No Command to Wash Vessels:
Had khamr been physically impure, the Prophet ﷺ would have instructed that vessels be washed,
as he did in the case of domestic donkey meat.
➍ Narration in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim:
A man brought a mashk (leather pouch) of wine as a gift.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Do you not know that wine has been forbidden?”
Someone suggested: “Sell it.”
He ﷺ replied:
“Indeed, when Allah prohibits a thing, He also prohibits its price.”
The man then poured the wine away.
The Prophet ﷺ did not order the pouch to be washed, nor did he forbid pouring it away publicly.
➎ General Rule of Purity:
All things are inherently pure
until there is clear evidence of impurity.
For example:
- Poison is ḥarām, but it is not impure.
- All impure things are ḥarām,
but not all ḥarām things are impure.
❖ Conclusion:
Hence, based on the above evidences:
✔ Cologne and similar perfumes are not impure.
✔ Applying them on clothing does not invalidate prayer.
✔ There is no need to purify clothes after their application.
ھٰذا ما عندي، واللّٰه أعلم بالصواب
