What is the ruling on preparing ethyl alcohol in the laboratory for chemistry students?

It is mentioned that alcohol is the primary substance that intoxicates and impairs the mind. Its sale, consumption, and use for purposes other than drinking are prohibited by the majority of scholars. However, some contemporary scholars are of the view that alcohol alone does not intoxicate, but rather causes harm, and that to become intoxicating, it must be mixed with water, and that it does not possess the quality of intoxication by itself until it is mixed with water.

Based on the view that alcohol itself is intoxicating, the original ruling is to prohibit its production even without the intention of drinking it, and this is the view of the majority. However, it can be understood from the statements of the Shafi’i school that it is permissible if alcohol is produced without the intention of drinking. If it is established that alcohol is not intoxicating by itself, then it is permissible to prepare it even from grapes, as long as the intention is not to use it to produce intoxicants.

This issue is a matter of ijtihad (independent reasoning), and there is no blame upon one who follows the opinion of a scholar whose knowledge is trusted in this regard.