Purification After Using Cosmetic Containing Alcohol

3-4-2002 | IslamWeb

Question:

When you use perfume/creme with alcohol, are you supposed to make Taharah (take a bath) or only Wudu?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Scholars of Islam differed in opinion concerning the ruling of perfumes that contain alcohol, whether it is permissible to use such perfumes or not.

Their difference results from two issues:

1) Is alcohol contained in such perfumes a form of intoxicants or not?

2) Is alcohol impure or not?

The dominant opinion in this concern is that alcohol contained in such perfumes is an intoxicant; i.e., it is similar to the spirits (alcohol) found in wine and wine is impure. In addition, every intoxicating liquid is impure. This is the opinion of the majority of Muslim scholars.

Allah Says (what means): {O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful.} [Quran 5:90]
Therefore, it is not permissible to use such perfumes even though some substances are added to make drinking them impermissible, since impurity (which is part of them) prevents their use.

Thus, one who does not avoid using such impure perfumes has to wash the places, in body or dress, touched with such perfumes. In other words, they are to be dealt with as a form of impurity. However, one is not required to make a new ablution or Ghusl (ritual bath).

For more benefit on the prohibition of alcohol in Islam, please refer to Fataawa 81900 and 81389.

Allah knows best.