Perfumes containing alcohol which evaporates Fatwa No: 91018
- Fatwa Date:4-1-2006
I read a few questions about the use of perfumes which contain alcohol. I just have one doubt. I have been hearing perfumes which contain alcohol should not be used because it contains Haraam thing in it. But I have a question that if seen the property of alcohol, it gets evaporated at room temperature, so that means if we just spray it will get evaporated. So how in this case the perfume contains alcohol, I mean it is only in the bottle not when we spray. Please help me so that my doubt can get clarified.
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
First of all, it should be noted that the ingredient that causes drunkenness in intoxicants, and which is the reason why it is forbidden and impure, is alcohol, which is chemically speaking c2h 5oh. Therefore it is not permissible to apply perfume which contains this component, whether alcohol is still in it or is evaporated. The evidence is the narrations which prove the obligation of avoiding intoxicants and that their use is forbidden. Indeed Allaah Says about intoxicants (what means): {…are but defilement from the work of the devil, so avoid it that you may be successful.}[Quran 5:90]. In the Quran the order to refrain from intoxicants is a stronger form of condemning and it is even stronger than directly prohibiting and warding off. This means that all the ways of using intoxicants are forbidden. Ibn Al-'Arabi said: 'This means putting them far away and aside, and this is an order to avoid them and stay away from them, especially that success depend on avoiding them and staying away from them.'
Finally, it should be noted that the evaporation that you mentioned does not change anything as the ruling of impurity still remains after it touched the body or clothes when wet.
For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 82097 and 81246.
Allaah Knows best.