Is working to remove dye from clothes using alcohol, which may cause dizziness without intoxication, unlawful? Is the money earned from it unlawful? Are prayers invalid or unacceptable? Is it permissible to use alcohol in industry by analogy with the cursing of the one who plants grapevines for wine and the one who transports it?

There are four scholarly opinions regarding alcohol:

1. Alcohol is not impure and is not considered khamr (intoxicant). Therefore, it is permissible to use it for purposes other than drinking, such as in printing and sterilization, because its impurity is abstract (ma'nawiyyah) and not tangible (hissiyyah). The Qur'anic verse (forbidding intoxicants) explains the prohibition by citing its role in causing discord among people, not due to the alcohol itself.

2. Alcohol, by its very nature, is an intoxicant; thus, it is khamr and inherently impure (najis al-ayn). Its use is forbidden in all applications, except if its proportion is very small in certain food products or medicines.

3. Not everything called "alcohol" is intoxicating. Some types are poisonous, like methanol; some are intoxicating, like ethanol (found in khamr); and some are non-intoxicating, like sorbitol.

4. Even if alcohol is considered intoxicating, it is not impure. Its use for purposes other than drinking is permissible if there is a need for it, because the Qur'anic verse explains the prohibition by citing its role in causing discord among people, and this does not apply to non-drinking uses.

The most cautious approach is to avoid using alcohol altogether. However, if unavoidable, methyl alcohol may be used with precautions taken to avoid inhaling it.