The ruling on selling items that may be used for forbidden purposes, such as perfume, paint, and gasoline

The questioner : This is the principle that the Salaf (the earliest generations) ordered: when something is present, it includes the types of intoxicants, police, glue, and cologne.

The Shaykh : No, these are not forbidden.

The questioner : I am informing you.

The Shaykh : No, absolutely not. These are not used for drinking alcohol, right? They even say that if a person comes thirsty and drinks a lot, a very large amount of water, and his stomach becomes completely full, he gets drunk and faints, right? In any case, these are undoubtedly permissible things because they are not used by those who use them for intoxication. One person out of a million might do so, but that is not considered. The criterion is the majority, the most common usage. This is the evidence. If you asked everyone who buys them why they buy them, they would say, "I use it for a permissible purpose." Are eggs not bought for gambling? No, they are not? The scholars said that eggs are bought for gambling; people buy them for gambling and gamble with them. For example, you place the egg and line it up like this; if it breaks, you are good. Likewise, the razor is not bought for shaving the beard. Those who buy razors for shaving the beard now might be twenty percent, no, no, no, twenty percent. Do we now say that all razors are forbidden? No, no difference.

The questioner : It falls under the general category of Muslims.

The Shaykh : But it is not used for intoxication, and only the foolish people in terms of religion and status in this world get drunk with it. The one who wants to get drunk does not bring this; he brings grape juice, date juice, and refined things.

The questioner : Even alcohol, grapes, and dates are not refined now, O Shaykh. The refined imported stuff is brought in; that is the most refined thing.

The Shaykh : Yes, may Allah be with you.

The questioner : According to the brother's statement, the cars would stop working.

The Shaykh : No, not just cars, everything you know.

The questioner : Yes, gasoline.

The Shaykh : The gasoline, yes.

The questioner : We do not fly and we do not drive.

The Shaykh : It is true that gasoline, as you mentioned, intoxicates.

The questioner : The principle of blocking the means to harm. Yes.

The Shaykh : No, no, my brother. "Means" means that it must be a close means, not everything that one person out of a million might use for a forbidden act, like a forbidden act.