# Can I wear perfume that contains alcohol?

*Is alcohol-based perfume pure? And Sharia councils as necessary*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/31/
- Date: 2020-07-14 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth 173 (1:50:34–1:52:30)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=6634s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/

**Topics:** Purification; Intoxicants and substances; The Maliki school

**Question as asked:** Is perfume with an alcohol base halal, or is it najis?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** It is pure and nothing to worry about: alcohol is not impure for many scholars of Madinah, and perfume alcohol is not the drinking kind anyway.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says perfume with an alcohol base is pure and there is nothing to worry about.

**Evidence, his words at 1:50:34:** “is it pure or is it nudges it's pure absolutely there's nothing to worry about” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=6634s)

## Longer summary

A super chat asks whether alcohol-based perfume is halal or najis. Mufti Abu Layth says halal concerns what is eaten, so the question is whether it is pure, and says it is pure and there is nothing to worry about. He says that alcohol itself is not najis in the view of many scholars of Madinah, including Rabi'a, Imam Malik's teacher, though most consider it impure, and that the alcohol in perfumes is in any case not the drinking alcohol but a related chemical. Replying to a chat note that there are Jewish councils too, he says religions should have the right to practise, and that Sharia councils are necessary in the UK, since abolishing them would make matters a hundred times worse.

## Sources and names cited

- najasa (impurity)
- alcohol (khamr)
- Rabi'a al-Ra'y
- Imam Malik
- Sharia councils in the UK

## Transcript (machine tier, 1:50:34–1:52:30)

[1:50:34] last soldier talks had super chatty shukran shukran much appreciated is perfume on alcohol base halal is it nudges well it got me you see first of all halal is more to do with something you eat usually and things like that so [Laughter] so what you mean is is it all here is it pure or is it nudges it's pure absolutely there's nothing to worry about you can alcohol in and of itself I don't

[1:51:13] believe is not just any way which is the school of many of the scholars of Medina including Robbie a Torah imam Alex teacher you've got people like I believe I believe even she has over he's also on that but you've got the like so I've not heard and many of the Halloween from the Malik here that did say that look this car alcohol is not measures but okay most people feel it is not just but the alcohol in perfumes is not that alcohol anyway the drinking one is just off at the same kind of the main chemical group it's a different almost essence I mean

[1:51:53] it's a similar essence but it's different reality to it yeah that's ethanol usually did the drinking one right so awry you somebody said there are also Jewish councils yes I mean the religion should have the right to practice itself I'm I feel Sharia councils are necessary in the UK because otherwise we would people go for the Ethel ox where would people go for these things well what do you want them to do so you by trying to you would make matters a hundred times worse

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment a6H5lYE4MN8/s/31. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/31/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.