What is the ruling on spraying perfume that contains alcohol in its composition on clothing and hands when going to prayer?
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Question:
Sometimes, after I finish my ablution, I spray perfume on my clothes and hands, then I go out to the mosque for prayer. I have heard some people say that the perfume is impure because it contains alcohol, and that it invalidates the ablution and the prayer. Please give us a ruling, and may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Not all perfumes contain alcohol. If it is established that it contains alcohol, that is what prevents its use. As for the default ruling regarding perfumes, it is permissibility, and they are among the good things. A person perfuming himself when he goes out to the mosque is a beautiful and required thing. A person should prepare for the gatherings of Allah the Exalted and adorn himself for prayer; this is a required matter. He should also remove unpleasant odors. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was strict regarding a person’s head; if he came to the mosque with the smell of garlic or onions, that was because it harms the angels and harms the Muslims present in the mosque, and it is bad for the houses of Allah. Perfuming the scent with perfume is a recommended practice (sunnah). Women are prevented from using perfume when going out, especially when leaving the mosques, if there is any fitnah (trial or temptation) in it, except for men. For men, this is a good and beautiful thing, and they are rewarded for it. As for alcohol, this requires verification. The default ruling for all perfumes is permissibility. If it is established with certainty that it contains some alcohol, then one should avoid it, because alcohol is intoxicants (khamr). Intoxicants are impure according to the correct opinion of the scholars, but this requires verification.
Sometimes, after I finish my ablution, I spray perfume on my clothes and hands, then I go out to the mosque for prayer. I have heard some people say that the perfume is impure because it contains alcohol, and that it invalidates the ablution and the prayer. Please give us a ruling, and may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Not all perfumes contain alcohol. If it is established that it contains alcohol, that is what prevents its use. As for the default ruling regarding perfumes, it is permissibility, and they are among the good things. A person perfuming himself when he goes out to the mosque is a beautiful and required thing. A person should prepare for the gatherings of Allah the Exalted and adorn himself for prayer; this is a required matter. He should also remove unpleasant odors. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was strict regarding a person’s head; if he came to the mosque with the smell of garlic or onions, that was because it harms the angels and harms the Muslims present in the mosque, and it is bad for the houses of Allah. Perfuming the scent with perfume is a recommended practice (sunnah). Women are prevented from using perfume when going out, especially when leaving the mosques, if there is any fitnah (trial or temptation) in it, except for men. For men, this is a good and beautiful thing, and they are rewarded for it. As for alcohol, this requires verification. The default ruling for all perfumes is permissibility. If it is established with certainty that it contains some alcohol, then one should avoid it, because alcohol is intoxicants (khamr). Intoxicants are impure according to the correct opinion of the scholars, but this requires verification.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ماحكم رش العطر المختلط في تركيبه الكحول على اللباس واليد عند الذهاب للصلاة؟ الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.