The ruling on that which intoxicates in large quantity: its small quantity is forbidden

The questioner : His saying (peace and blessings be upon him): “Whatever intoxicates in large quantity, a small amount of it is forbidden.” This means that this major shirk (associating partners with Allah), if it were found in a thing, it would not be the case that the thing would not be forbidden.

The Shaykh : The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The meaning is not that whatever contains a little khamr (intoxicants) is forbidden. No, that is not the meaning. So, the thing that contains a little khamr is looked at: if the effects of the khamr appear in it in taste, color, or intoxication, it is forbidden. If they do not appear, it is not forbidden, because it has vanished and its effect has disappeared.
And for this reason, for example, if water is affected by a small amount of impurity that does not affect it, it remains pure. Similarly, this drink, when it has a drop or two of khamr but it does not affect it, it remains lawful.

The questioner : Yes?

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. Perfumes, if used for drinking, are forbidden. As for other than drinking, they are a matter of concern in my view. I do not forbid them, but I do not use them except out of dire necessity, such as disinfecting a wound or something similar. And I do not say they are forbidden because they are not taken in a forbidden manner. In any case, they are not impure; meaning, if they touch clothes or carpets, they are pure, not impure, because there is no evidence for their impurity. In fact, there is no evidence for the impurity of khamr either. Rather, the evidence indicates that khamr is pure in a sensory sense, even though it is vile and forbidden in a moral sense. Yes, taking the paper is better. There are questions on paper. When you are done.

The questioner : All right.

The Shaykh : This is the play.