Does the use of alcoholic perfumes permit the evaporation and vaporization of the alcohol after a short period, thereby removing the cause of impurity and leaving only the scent on the clothes?
Alcohol (khamr) is considered impure (najis) by most scholars. If it is added to perfumes, and it is intoxicating, then the perfumes become impure, and the sprayed area becomes defiled. However, if the alcohol undergoes a process of transformation and treatment such that it is no longer intoxicating, then it becomes pure. In this case, it does not render the perfumes to which it is added impure, and consequently, the garment sprayed with these perfumes does not become defiled. This is based on the opinion of some scholars who hold that an impure substance becomes pure if it undergoes a complete transformation from its original state. This view was favored by Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim, who argued that the ruling of impurity is removed when its name and description change. Thus, if its characteristics transform into something pure, it becomes permissible.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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