Question:
1. Ghadeer Rooz:
Dear Sheikh, nowadays poisonous substances are mixed with alcohol to prevent
its intoxication, causing it to become a poisonous substance that is not
intoxicating. The question here is whether the "toxic alcohol produced for
perfumes" is impure (Najis), corrupting the purity of the clothing?
2. Abu Mahmoud Al-Khalili:
Alcohol contained in perfume is of two types, one of it being intoxicating,
known under the name of ethyl alcohol. Now the toxic alcohol is what is known
under the name of methyl alcohol. Do they both share the same Islamic ruling?
3.
Mustapha Abdul 'Aal:
If it is not drunk, oh Sheikh?
4.
Iklil Al-Jabal:
Does this ruling apply to pharmaceuticals? Especially as many of the hand cleaning
substances in all branches of health services are made up of alcohols,
"ethanol + isopropanol", it is the same with mouthwashes. We use
alcohol in some of the pharmaceutical productions as solvents or preservatives.
5. Manal Bader:
Assalamu Alaikum dear Sheikh, Barak Allahu Feek as you kindly mentioned above
that alcohol if consumed will result in a drunken state...whereas
"SD" or denatured alcohol is used in perfumes, deodorants, lotions
and facial creams... in these cases they cannot be consumed internally (due to
the change of its chemical state). What is the Hukm on their usage? In another
situation, the fuel we use for our cars is also derived from alcohol; does this
also fall under the Hukm of Haram? Jazak Allahu kul Khair and may Allah protect
you.
Answer:
Wa Alaikum Assalaam wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatahu
The questions bear similarities,
therefore I will brief the answer to them in the following manner:
1. Alcohol has a class called methyl and I
was told that it is not an intoxicant but a deadly poison. Spirit (methanol) is
from the class of methyl, taken from sawdust of wood and others and its
drinking causes blindness and can lead to death within days. Based on this,
methyl is not Khamr and the ruling on Khamr is not applied to it in terms of
impurity and prohibition, except in terms of the use of methyl as a poison
according to the rule of causing damage. Ibn Majah reported from Ubadah Bin
As-Samit: "The Messenger of
Allah (saw) ruled that there is no damage and no causation of harm."
2. Alcohol has another class called ethyl,
which is used in fermented or distilled intoxicating drinks and medical spirit
is of this kind. Furthermore ethyl alcohol is used in the industry as a
preservative for some materials, as a drying substance against moisture, as a
solvent for some alkali and fats (lubricants), as an antifreeze, as a solvent
for some drugs, as a solvent of aromatic substances such as cologne and
perfumes and involved in the manufacture of some carpentry materials. The usage
is in three sections:
A. The area in which alcohol is used as a
solvent only or as an additive to some materials. Such usage does not cause the
alcohol to lose its essence or chemical features, rather it remains in its
chemical composition and its intoxicating effect. Hence the usage of alcohol
within this capacity is absolutely haram, such as the example of cologne. The
usage of cologne is not permissible and it remains impure, because it contains
impurity (Najasa) in its mixture and intoxicating alcohol is contained in it in
its original form. Therefore it is a substance mixed with Khamr, and Khamr is
impure, as proven through the Hadith of Al-Khoshani:
Ad-Daraqtani reported
from Al-Khoshani, who said: "I said:
Oh Messenger of Allah, we interact with the Mushrikeen and we do not have
vessels other than their vessels." He said: "Then he (saw) said: 'Avoid it as much as you can, but if you do not
find anything else, then rinse it with water, because water will restore its
purity, then cook in it."
Hence the Messenger
(saw) said: "Because water
restores its purity" meaning
this vessel was impure since it was filled with Khamr and it was purified after
its rinsing. This proves that Khamr is impure. The question concerned vessels
that were filled with Khamr, as in the narration of Al-Khanshi, reported by Abu
Dawud from Abi Tha'laba Al-Khanshi that he asked the Messenger of Allah (saw)
and said: "We adjoin the people
of the book while they cook pork in their pots and drink Khamr from their
vessels." The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "If you find others than drink and eat
from them. If you do not find others, then rinse them with water and eat and
drink."
Both pork and Khamr
are impure. Hence the vessel in which they are placed becomes impure. It has to
be washed to restore its purity before its usage.
B. In another section, the essence of
alcohol is changed and it loses its chemical feature of intoxication. Alcohol
and the other substances are transformed into new substances that have other
chemical features than alcohol. It is not poisonous, hence it becomes a new
substance that does not share the Hukm of Khamr and it is pure just like any
other substance that falls under the rule "the original state in things is permissibility (Ibaha), as long as
there is no prohibiting evidence."
C. In another section alcohol is changed in
its essence and loses its intoxicating feature. It forms a new substance with
the other substances with features different from alcohol. But these new
substances are poisonous, thus falling under the ruling of poison: They are
pure but their usage for drinking or causing harm with them to oneself or
another is Haram.
3. Therefore if ethyl alcohol is mixed
with other substances, then the ruling depends on whether it loses its
intoxicating feature or not and whether the mixture is poisonous or not. This
needs an investigation of the underlying reality by experts and specialists. If
it is scientifically or practically proven that the mix is intoxicating, then
it falls under the rule of Khamr, indicating that the ethyl alcohol has not
lost its intoxicating feature in this mixture. Nevertheless if it is
scientifically or practically proven that the mixture is no longer intoxicating
nor that it is poisonous, it does not fall under the ruling of Khamr or poison.
If it is scientifically proven that this mixture is no longer intoxicating but
it remains poisonous, it does not fall under the ruling of Khamr but it falls
under the ruling of poison.
Based on the
aforementioned:
- Sister Ghadeer
Rooz's question which says: "poisonous substances are mixed with alcohol
to prevent its intoxication, causing it to become a poisonous substance that is
not intoxicating".
The answer is: If it
is confirmed by the specialists that the mixture in this state does not
intoxicate but is poisonous, then it does not fall under the ruling on Khamr
nor is it impure. Rather the ruling on poison is applied to it, such that its
usage for drinking or causation of harm through it to others is Haram.
- Question of Brother
Abu Mahmoud Al-Khalili which says: "Alcohol contained in perfume is of
two types, one of it being intoxicating, known as ethyl alcohol. Now the toxic
alcohol is what is known as methyl alcohol. Do they both share the same Islamic
ruling?"
The answer is that
they do not have the same ruling. The intoxicating substance falls under the
ruling on Khamr, while the mixture containing poisonous methyl alcohol falls
under the ruling on poison. Perfume, as relayed to me, does not contain methyl
but ethyl alcohol. So please have this issue clarified by specialists, because
the ruling depends on whether it is intoxicating or poisonous without causing
intoxication.
- Question of Brother
Mustapha Abdul ‘Aal: "If it is not drunk, oh Sheikh?"
If the result of the
mixture is intoxicating, such as cologne; then, it falls under the ruling on
Khamr. Khamr is forbidden under ten circumstances, not only if it is drunk.
At-Tirmidhi reported from Anas Ibn Malik who said: "The Messenger of Allah (saw) cursed ten in relation to Khamr: its producer, the
one assigned with its production, the one who drinks it, the one who transports
it, the one it is transported to, the one who serves it, the one who sells it,
the one who eats from its profit, its buyer and the one for whom it is
purchased."
Any of these ten
roles is Haram.
- Question of Iklil
Al-Jabal: "Does this ruling apply to pharmaceuticals? Especially as
many of the hand cleaning substances in all branches of health services are
made up of alcohols, "ethanol + isopropanol", it is the same with
mouthwashes. We use alcohol in some of the pharmaceutical productions as
solvents or preservatives."
The answer is that
the usage of alcohol in medicine, as well as the drug containing alcohol, fall
under the ruling of permission, though it is undesirable (Makruh), the evidence
for it being:
Ibn Majah reported
from Tariq Bin Suwaid Al-Khadrami who said: "I said: "Oh Messenger of Allah, on our land we
have grapes which we squeeze and then drink from it". He said: "No." Therefore I revised by
saying: "We use it to cure the
ill." He said: "This
is not a form of healing, rather it is a disease."
This is a prohibition
of the use of impure or prohibited substances "Khamr" as a cure. But
the Messenger of Allah (saw)
authorized curing with the impure substance of camel's urine. Al-Bukhari
reported from Anas (ra): "People
from 'Uraina came to Madina and the Messenger of Allah (saw) authorized them to approach the camels of charity
to drink from their milk and urine."
They came to Madina,
i.e. its weather did not suit them so they fell ill. Therefore the Prophet (saw) authorized them to
medicate with the camel's urine, which is impure. Also he (saw) authorized
medication with Haram, such as the wearing of silk.
At-Tirmidhi and Ahmad
reported, at- Tirmidhi's articulation by way of Anas (ra): "Abdul Rahman Bin 'Auf and az-Zubair Bin
'Awam complained about rash that had befallen them to the Prophet (saw) and he allowed them shirts made of silk. He said:
"I saw them in it."
These two Ahadith
indicate that the prohibition in the Hadith of Ibn Majah is not absolute,
rather that medication through impure and prohibited substances is undesirable
(Makruh).
Therefore, the use of
a medicine that contains alcohol is permitted, though undesirable (Makruh). It
is better not to use alcohol in the pharmaceutical industry, but if used in the
pharmaceutical industry then it falls under the Hukm of Makruh. Therefore if
the patient takes a medication containing alcohol then it is Makruh. All of
this applies only if the mixture containing alcohol is a medication according
to the opinion of specialists and not something else.
- Question of Sister
Manal Bader: "Assalamu Alaikum dear Sheikh, Barak Allahu Feek as you
kindly mentioned above that alcohol if consumed will result in a drunken
state...Whereas "SD" or denatured alcohol is used in perfumes,
deodorant, lotions and facial creams... in these cases they cannot be consumed
internally (due to the change of its chemical state). What is Hukm on their
usage? In another situation, the fuel we use for our cars is also derived from
alcohol, does this also fall under the Hukm of Haram? Jazak Allahu kul Khair
and may Allah protect you."
The answer is that
you have mentioned some sort of alcohol-type "SD" or chemically
treated alcohol and you call it "toxic ethanol" and I do not know
whether this product falls under ethyl or methyl. The broad outline is that if
the result of the produced mixture is not intoxicating but poisonous, then it
does not fall under the ruling on Khamr but under the ruling on poison.
Therefore it is prohibited if used by a person to cause harm to oneself or
another. And the produced substance is pure if no juristic evidence on its
impurity exists.
However, if the
result of the mixture is intoxicating, then it is under the ruling of Khamr and
not only its drinking is forbidden, but all ten circumstances aforementioned.
As for the motor fuel
mixed with alcohol, the broad outline is: If its reality is such that if drunk
it causes intoxication, then it falls under the ruling on Khamr. If it is not
intoxicating but poisonous, then the ruling on poison is applied to it. This
has to be decided by the specialists.
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