Is it permissible to use perfume containing alcohol in a large or small proportion, and what is the specific small proportion of alcohol on which the scholars agreed?

The questioner : The questioner says: Is it permissible to use perfume containing alcohol in a large or small proportion? And what is the specific small proportion of alcohol on which the scholars agreed?

The Shaykh : Alcohol is an intoxicating substance, as is well known, so it is considered khamr (intoxicants) based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): And in another narration: Accordingly, if this alcohol mixes with something and does not disappear within what it mixed with, then that thing becomes haram (forbidden) because this mixture has an effect on it. However, if this alcohol is submerged in what it mixed with and its effect does not appear, then it does not become haram thereby, because the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) agreed that if water is mixed with impurity that does not change it, it remains purifying. The proportion between the alcohol and what it mixed with may be large or small, meaning that this alcohol may be strong, in which case a small amount of it has an effect on the substance it mixes with, or it may be weak, in which case a large amount of it has no effect. The whole matter revolves around the effect. Then, there are two issues here: The first is: Is khamr (intoxicants) ritually impure in a tangible sense, meaning that it is obligatory to purify oneself from it, wash clothes if it touches them, wash the body if it touches it, and wash vessels if it touches them? Or is it not?
The majority of scholars hold that khamr (intoxicants) is ritually impure in a tangible sense, and that it is obligatory to wash whatever it touches, whether body, clothes, vessels, carpets, or anything else, just as it is obligatory to wash urine and feces. They cited as evidence for this the saying of Allah the Exalted: And "rajis" (abomination) means impure, as evidenced by the saying of Allah the Exalted: meaning impure. They also cited as evidence the hadith of Abu Thalhah al-Khushani حيث سأل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عن الأكل بآنية الكفار؟ فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: لا تأكلوا فيها إلا ألا تجدوا غيرها فاغسلوها وكلوا فيها Where he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about eating from the vessels of the disbelievers? So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not eat from them unless you find nothing else, then wash them and eat from them" It was reported in the explanation of the prohibition of eating from them that they used to put khamr (intoxicants), pork, and similar things in them. However, the second opinion in this issue is that khamr (intoxicants) is not ritually impure in a tangible sense. They cited as evidence for this opinion that the original state of things is purity, and that the prohibition of a thing does not necessarily imply that it is impure; for example, poison is haram (forbidden) without doubt, and yet it is not impure. They said that the legal principle is that every impure thing is haram (forbidden), but not every haram (forbidden) thing is impure. Accordingly, khamr (intoxicants) remains haram (forbidden) and not impure until the evidence for its impurity is established. They also cited as evidence that when khamr (intoxicants) was prohibited, the Muslims poured it out in the markets and did not wash the vessels from it. Pouring it out in the markets is evidence of its lack of impurity, because it is not permissible for a person to pour out impurity in the markets of Muslims, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): And because they did not wash the vessels from it; if it had been impure, it would have been obligatory to wash the vessels from it. They also cited as evidence for this opinion what is established in Sahih Muslim: This hadith or its meaning. Then the man opened the mouth of the vessel and poured out the khamr (intoxicants) in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not order him to wash the vessel. If the khamr (intoxicants) had been impure, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would have informed him of the impurity of the vessel and ordered him to wash it. As for what those who argue for tangible impurity cited from the saying of Allah the Exalted: , Allah the Exalted qualified this "rajis" (abomination) as a practical abomination, indeed an abomination from the work of Shaytan (Satan), and not a tangible abomination. This is evidenced by the fact that the impurity of maysir (gambling), anصاب (sacrifices for idols), and azlam (divining arrows) is not a tangible impurity. The report regarding the impurity of these and the impurity of khamr (intoxicants) is a single report for a single cause , and it is not permissible to differentiate the indication in such a report into two different aspects except with evidence that specifies that. As for the hadith of Abu Thalhah al-Khushani, the command to wash them is not because of their impurity, due to the possibility that the command to wash them is for the sake of complete separation and disconnection from using the vessels of the disbelievers, which leads to mingling with them and being close to them, and not because of impurity. This is because it is well known that impurity is not established by possibility in any case. This is the first matter that must be investigated in answering this question about alcohol. If it is established that khamr (intoxicants) is not ritually impure in a tangible sense, then this alcohol is not ritually impure in a tangible sense, and it remains pure.
As for the second matter: If it is established that there is effective alcohol in these perfumes because it is in a large amount, is it permissible to use it for other than drinking? The answer to this is to say that the saying of Allah the Exalted: is general in all aspects of use, meaning that we should avoid it in eating, drinking, anointing, and other things. This is undoubtedly the most cautious approach, but it is not obligatory in other than drinking, because Allah the Exalted explained the command to avoid it by saying: and this does not apply to other than drinking. Accordingly, scrupulousness (wara') is to avoid perfuming with these perfumes, and certainty of prohibition is not possible. However, it remains that it is not permissible for a woman to perfume herself if she intends to go out to the markets, because of the fitnah (trial/temptation) involved in that. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So he prohibited the woman from attending the 'Isha' prayer if she had used incense, because the incense reveals its scent.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.