Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,
I recently learnt that its not permissible for a person to use perfumes and cosmetics that have alcohol in them according to the Shafi Madhab. I was wondering whether its only a specific type of alcohol or all types of alcohol and if this ruling applies to hand sanitizers, hand soap, deodorant, body washes, and hand lotions also?
Jazakumullah Khairan,
Wassalam
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب وباللہ التوفیق
Enquire the ruling of Shafe’i religion from their scholars. But according to the Hanafi scholars, the four forbidden (haram) beverages are (raw wine from grapes, ripe wine from grapes, wine distilled from dates and made from “sultana” dried seedless grapes). It is haraam to use alcohol made from these substances. It is therefore also not permissible to use perfumes that contain such alcohols.
However, researchers say that the alcohol used in perfumes and medicines, etc., is made from potatoes, sugarcane, petrol, vegetables, stones and coal, etc. which does not make those end products unclean. Same ruling applies to sanitizers, soaps, etc. In this case, its use is valid according to shari’ah.
وان معظم الکحول التی تستعمل الیوم فی الادویۃ والعطور وغیرھا لا تتخذ من العنب أوالتمر، انما تتخذ من الحبوب او القشور اوالبترول، وغٰرہ کما زکرنا فی باب بیع الخمر من کتاب البیوع۔ (تکملہ فتح الملھم ،حکم الکحول المسکرۃ:۳؍۶۰۸)
فقط واللہ اعلم بالصواب۔