Ruling on using perfumes which contain alcohol The basic principle is that the perfumes which are common among people are permissible, except in cases where they are known to contain something which would prevent their use, such as their containing intoxicants, or where a large quantity of the perfume would cause intoxication, or it contains something impure (najaasah), etc. But in principle the perfumes which are common among people are permissible, such as ‘ood, amber and musk, etc. If a person knows that there is a perfume which contains something that would prevent its use, such as intoxicants or impure materials (najaasah), then he should not use it. That includes colognes, because we know from the testimony of the doctors that they are not free from intoxicants. They contain a large amount of alcohol which is an intoxicant. So we should not use them unless we find kinds which are free of such materials. There are enough kinds of permissible perfumes to leave us with no need for these, praise be to Allaah. The same applies to all kinds of drinks or foods which contain intoxicants – we should not use them. The guideline is that whatever intoxicates in large quantities is haraam in small quantities. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whatever intoxicates in large quantities is haraam in small quantities.” http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=9056&ln=eng&txt=alcohol Working in an alcohol factory Selling alcohol and other intoxicants is a grave evil, and working in alcohol factories is haraam and is an evil, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Help you one another in Al Birr and At Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression” [al-Maa'idah 5:2] Undoubtedly selling alcohol, drugs and cigarettes constitutes cooperating in sin and transgression, and working in alcohol factories also constitutes cooperating in sin and transgression. And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al Ansaab [stone altars for sacrifices to idols, etc.], and Al Azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan’s (Satan’s) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful. Shaytaan (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allaah and from As Salaah (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain?” [al-Maa’idah 5:90] It was narrated in a saheeh report that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed alcohol, the one who drinks it, the one who pours it, the one who extracts the juice, the one for whom it is extracted, the one who carries it, the one to whom it is carried, the one who sells it, the one who buys it and the one who consumes its price. And it was also narrated in a saheeh report that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has made a covenant that whoever dies drinking alcohol, He will give him to drink of the mud of khibaal.” He was asked, “O Messenger of Allaah, what is the mud of khibaal?” He said, “The juice of the people of Hell” or “the sweat of the people of Hell.” With regard to the ruling, the one who does this is a sinner and an evildoer by so doing; he is lacking in faith and on the Day of Resurrection he will be subject to the will of Allaah. If He wills, He will forgive him and if He wills, He will punish him, if he dies before he repents. This is according to the Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills” [al-Nisaa’ 4:48] This ruling applies if he does not regard that as being permissible. If he does regard it as being permissible then he is a kaafir by doing so, and if he dies he should not be washed or the funeral (janaazah) prayer offered for him, according to all the scholars, because by doing that he is disbelieving in Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The same ruling applies to one who regards as permissible zina (adultery), sodomy, riba (usury) and other things which are unanimously agreed to be haraam, such as disobeying one’s parents, severing ties of kinship or killing a soul unlawfully. But if a person does that or some of that knowing that it is haraam, and knowing that he is disobeying Allaah, then he is not a kaafir; rather he is an evildoer who will be subject to the will of Allaah in the Hereafter if he does not repent before he dies, as stated above concerning the ruling on one who drinks alcohol. http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=14102&ln=eng&txt=alcohol Mouthwashes containing alcohol If the alcohol which this mouthwash contains is not intoxicating, then it is ok. to use it, so long as it is not harmful, because what is haraam is only that which is intoxicating. Shaykh Sa’d al-Humayd. In this case we should look at the drink as a whole: if a lot of it causes intoxication then a little of it is haraam. http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=20034&ln=eng&txt=alcohol What is the punishment for one who drinks alcohol, and are his prayer and fasting valid? Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al-Ansaab, and Al-Azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan’s (Satan’s) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful” [al-Maa’idah 5:90] In Saheeh al-Bukhaari (2295) and Saheeh Muslim (86) it is narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one who commits zina is a believer at the moment when he is committing zina, and no one who drinks wine is a believer at the moment when he is drinking it, and no thief is a believer at the moment when he is stealing, and no robber is a believer at the moment when he is robbing and the people are looking on.” This means that such a person is not a believer in the sense of having complete faith, rather his faith is greatly lacking because of this evil action. It is also narrated in al-Bukhaari (5147) and Muslim (3736) from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever drinks wine in this world and does not repent from that, he will be deprived of it in the Hereafter.” In Sunan Abi Dawood (3189) it is narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has cursed alcohol, the one who drinks it, the one who pours it, the one who sells it, the one who buys it, the one who squeezes it (squeezes the grapes, etc), the one for whom it is squeezed, the one who carries it and the one to whom it is carried.” (Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 2/700) In Sunan al-Nasaa’i (5570) it is narrated that Ibn al-Daylami said to ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr, “O ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr, did you hear the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say anything about wine?” He said, “Yes, I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘If any man from among my ummah drinks wine, Allaah will not accept his prayers for forty days.’” This was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah (709). What this means is that he will not be rewarded for them, but he is still obliged to pray; in fact he is obliged to do all the prayers. If he forsakes prayer during this time, he will be committing one of the worst of major sins, one which some of the scholars said amounts to kufr, Allaah forbid. There are very many ahaadeeth and reports which state that alcohol is emphatically forbidden and that it is the mother of all evils; whoever falls into this sin, it will lead him into other evil actions. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound. With regard to the punishment of the drinker in this world, the punishment is flogging, according to the consensus of the fuqaha’, because of the report narrated by Muslim (3281) from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) flogged the one who had drunk wine with palm branches stripped of their leaves and with shoes. But there is some difference of opinion as to the number of lashes. The majority of scholars are of the view that it is eighty lashes for a free man and forty for others. They quoted as evidence the hadeeth of Anas quoted above, in which it says that a man who had drunk wine was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he had him flogged forty times with two palm branches that had been stripped of their leaves. Abu Bakr also did likewise (during his caliphate). When ‘Umar was the caliph, he consulted the people and ‘Abd al-Rahmaan said, “The minimum punishment is eighty,” so that is what ‘Umar commanded. With regard to the wine-drinker’s prayer and fasting, undoubtedly he is obliged to perform the prayers on time and to fast in Ramadaan. If he neglects any of his prayers or fasts, then he is committing a major sin which is worse than the sin of drinking alcohol. If he drinks wine during the day in Ramadaan then he is committing two major sins: the first is breaking the fast during the day in Ramadaan and the second is drinking alcohol. He should note that if a Muslim falls into sin and is unable to repent because his faith is weak that does not justify him persisting in sin or failing to do acts of worship and being negligent concerning them. Rather he should do whatever he can of acts of worship and strive to give up the major sins that he is committing. We ask Allaah to help us to avoid sins, both major and minor, for He is the All-Hearing, Ever Near. http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=20037&ln=eng&txt=alcohol Should he sit with his colleagues at work when they are drinking alcohol? Allaah has favoured this ummah over other nations in many matters, chief among which is enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “You (true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah) are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma‘roof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al‑Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden), and you believe in Allaah” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:110] What you have to do – as you are the only Muslim in your company, as you say – is to be proud of the teachings [?] of your religion, and strive to apply them, and not to do anything that you are forbidden to do. This is something that will raise you in status and increase your reward. Staying with them even though you are not drinking alcohol yourself is still a sin in itself, because Allaah has commanded us not to sit in places where evil is committed, otherwise what befalls those who are committing the evil action will also befall us. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And it has already been revealed to you in the Book (this Qur’aan) that when you hear the Verses of Allaah being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that; (but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them” [al-Nisa’ 4:140] “And when you (Muhammad) see those who engage in a false conversation about Our Verses (of the Qur’aan) by mocking at them, stay away from them till they turn to another topic. And if Shaytaan (Satan) causes you to forget, then after the remembrance sit not you in the company of those people who are the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers)” [al-An’aam 6:68] The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand (by taking action); if he cannot, then with his tongue (by speaking out); if he cannot, then with his heart (by hating it and feeling that it is wrong), and that is the weakest of faith.” Narrated by Muslim, 70. This denunciation of the heart refers to the stress and agitation that one feels in the presence of evil. This is an individual obligation upon all people in all situations, and they have no excuse for not doing this, because no one has any power over the heart. Staying in a place where evil is being committed goes against this required denunciation. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The believer has to fear Allaah with regard to His slaves, but their guidance is not his responsibility. This is what is meant by the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Take care of your ownselves. If you follow the (right) guidance [and enjoin what is right (Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden)] no hurt can come to you from those who are in error” [al-Maa’idah 5:105] Following right guidance means doing all the obligatory duties. If a Muslim does his duty of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, as well as other duties, the misguidance of those who are misguided will never harm him. This may be done sometimes with the heart, sometimes with the tongue, and sometimes with the hand. Denunciation with the heart is obligatory in every situation, because no harm can result from it, and whoever does not do that is not a Muslim, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “And that is the weakest of faith.” Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 28/127 Moreover the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade sitting at a table where wine is being drunk. It was narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever believes in Allaah and the Last Day, let him not sit at a table where wine is being drunk.” Narrated by Ahmad, 126; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 7/6. Finally we remind you of the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allaah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allaah has set a measure for all things” [al-Talaaq 65:2-3] http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=20959&ln=eng&txt=alcohol Will the prayers of one who drinks alcohol not be accepted for forty days? Yes, there are many saheeh ahaadeeth concerning the punishment for one who drinks alcohol, which say that his prayers will not be accepted for forty days. This was narrated from ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas, Ibn ‘Abbaas, Ibn ‘Umar and Ibn ‘Amr. See al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 709, 2039, 2695, 1854. One of these ahaadeeth was narrated by Ibn Maajah (3377) from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever drinks alcohol and gets drunk, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days and if he dies he will go to Hell. But if he repents, Allaah will accept his repentance. If he again drinks alcohol and gets drunk, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days and if he dies he will go to Hell. But if he repents, Allaah will accept his repentance. If he again drinks alcohol and gets drunk, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days and if he dies he will go to Hell. But if he repents, Allaah will accept his repentance. If he commits (this sin) again, then Allaah pledges to make him drink the mud of khabaal on the Day of Resurrection.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allaah, what is the mud of khabaal?” He said, “The juices of the people of Hell.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah. The fact that his prayers are not accepted does not mean that they are not valid, or that he should give up praying, rather it means that he will not be rewarded for them. So the benefit of praying will be that he will have discharged his duty and will not be punished for not doing it. Abu ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mandah said: The words “his prayer will not be accepted” mean that he will not be rewarded for his prayer for forty days, as a punishment for his drinking alcohol, just as they say that the one who speaks on Friday when the imam is delivering the khutbah should pray Jumu’ah but there is no Jumu’ah for him, meaning that he will not be given the reward for Jumu’ah as a punishment for his sin. Ta’zeem Qadr al- Salaah, 2/587, 588. See also question no. 20037. Al-Nawawi said: With regard to his prayer not being accepted, what this means is that he will not be rewarded for it, even though it is valid in the sense that he has discharged his duty and does not need to repeat it. End quote. No doubt the person who drinks alcohol still has to perform the prayers on time. If he were to delay any of his prayers, he would be committing a grave major sin, which is worse than the sin of drinking alcohol. This punishment for drinking alcohol applies to the one who does not repent. But if he repents to Allaah and turns to Him, He will accept his repentance and accept his good deeds, as it says in the hadeeth quoted above: “… but if he repents, Allaah will accept his repentance.” And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who repents from sin is like one who did not commit sin.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 4250; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah. http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=27143&ln=eng&txt=alcohol
to be contd.... Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in not-for-profit publications. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveIslam_LiveIslam/ In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate "May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You" Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
