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The recent COVID19 outbreak got me thinking and have some questions on how the Islamic faithfuls handle the situation when it comes to things like sanitizing and maybe even use  certain medicines that contain alcoholic substances.
From my understanding, alcohol is prohibited or is considered a taboo in the religion, so;

1. How do they sanitize if they got to places that have alcoholic based hand sanitizers?
2. How do they go about medications that are required for treatment but have some alcoholic content?
3. Most perfumes and deodorants I have come across have at least an alcohol substance in them, and yet I observe some of them highly use the body sprays. Isn't this against their religious principles?

They usually just apply their religion in ways that might be convenient. Some muslims refuse to use alcohol related products, while others might just interpret the Quran to mean consumption of alcohol is banned so using alcohol products on the body might be okay. In cases of life or death, then the use of alcohol is permitted.

It boils down to selective interpretation based on whatever scholar they choose to believe. You could give a homeless person LSD and ask them to interpret the Quran, and they would be no more closer to objective truth than the scholar, because both have no idea of what they're talking about. Subjective interpretation is subjective interpretation.

As far as I am informed, the Muslim people are not allowed to consume alcohol in the form of beverages, beacuse they frown upon the effects they have on the body and soul, it is haram, prohibited by Allah.

I think they are ok with hand sanitizers. I could be wrong though, I have never personally met a muslim close enough to ask.


Something that caught my attention, however, I was at my local Burger Kings and I saw this muslim woman with two muslim men, in the line. The woman ordered a chicken burger with no chicken. I and the guy taking the order were a bit confused about it.

Later I learnt, that muslims can't eat meat if was not sacrificed by the name of Allah. So I believe that explains it.

Perphaps, our friends from the Arabic sub-forum could dispell our doubts.

Alcohol is forbidden to consume ( drink ) because there are more negative things that will be caused than the benefits from an Islamic point of view it will makes you unconsciousness. it will damage your liver, it will ruin your life style and so on, if the purpose of alcohol is for health, cleanliness is okay.

Google search gave me a result that drinking is prohibited but applying it on your body for medical reasons are not forbidden, anyway when we compare the religious facts with scientific then we can find why they told like that, if we consume alcohol we might get addicted so out future and our's family future will be affected so restrict people from doing it they linked it with the religion.

Consuming alcohol is prohibited, but external use of alcohol is not that strict.
1. They can still use hand sanitizer so its all good
2. They will ask/find alternatives from doctors. Besides, doctors won't give a muslim patient a prescription that is against their religious beliefs.
3. No, external use of alcohol is good, but I don't know about bathing in it.

In Muslims, alcohol is not allowed to be drunk. use it as a hand sanitizer, or as a mixture in perfume while this is still allowed.

Quran says that wine is the work of the devil.

It also says that Allah created heaven with rivers full of wine.

Muslims can drink alcohol and many do. Why not?

Because literature interpretation is subjective, and the shift away towards secularism means religious societies can become more progressive when it's convenient.

The Quran also says to kill the nonbelievers, but this is obviously very inconvenient because the feasibility of killing billions of people doesn't coincide with modern moral philosophy.

It becomes a double edged sword. The further away you get from the text, the lesser the objective interpretation. This lets the radicals take verses of their holy book and justify barbaric philosophy in accordance to their own beliefs, with slight reinforcements from the literature. On the same note, the original text and most objective interpretation isn't anything pretty either.

When you drink alcohol, you can forget who you are, what you do, and that can cause to do an evil works. When someone don't know who they are, they can do anything they want, including kill people who they don't like.

You can read on here: https://www.quora.com/How-can-heaven-be-described-as-a-place-full-of-wine-and-women-when-this-is-the-kind-of-life-Allah-forbids-here-Sura-78-32-1

Basically, the basic rules work the same. Imbibe enough and you will get drunk. If you live in a community that punishes for imbibing, imbibe a lot if you are going to do it at all. This way you won't feel the punishment so much. Of course, you won't be ale to run away as fast, either.

8)

Alcohol suppresses the release of glutamate and binds to GABA receptors inhibiting neuronal signaling.  

It has nothing to do with the 'evil works'.

Today, we know what alcohol is, and how it affects our body when ingested.  

Muhammad/Allah did not have a clue what planet he was on, never mind the structure of the alcohol molecule.

This is strange because I get to see Muslims who drink beverages with alcohol in them but they do not drink it in public places. My question then is why do some of them take alcohol and some do not? Is it a matter of choice and selection or pure hypocrisy and pretence? Does it mean that different Muslims have different interpretations of the Quran?

Finally some interesting stuff in Politics and Society after all these conspiracy theories :D.
From what I understand medications with alcochol and hand sanitizers is ok to use. But perfumes and deodorants aren't. Though, I may be wrong.
I thought that alcochol is bannedvjust inbfew most conservative Islamic countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia, but I checked list of such countries and there is quite many where alcochol is banned. Well, I imagine that for non-muslims living there life isn't that easy there :D.

I guess it depends on level how much religious they are. It's same like Christians. Some of them go to church every Sunday, don't eat meat when it's forbidden and follow all rules. While others consider themselves as Christians, but maybe never been in church.

I found an interesting Wikipedia page that may explain this, it seems some muslims assume the Quran only refer to beverages made using grape and "date plant", which others (the majority) consider the alcohol itself to be haram.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khamr

Alcohol is not safe in muslim society it is forbidden in the eyes of islam. If a person becomes more addicted to alcohol then it is better to refrain from this because the future is dark the problems that arise in human life are not noticeable in any other as people are more inclined towards natural intoxication alcohol has been banned to free them from disobeying or neglecting the rules of islam. Drinking water is enough to destroy the individual family and society with all the misdeeds.

Muslims condemn alcohol but do not refuse the VAT and tax that comes from the government to such muslim states during revenue sharing and allocation in my country. Is that not hypocrisy? You condemn something yet you accept proceeds from that same thing you condemn. They say they are practising sharia in those states and destroy alcoholic beverages but not the money.

They know, believe me. Because Muhammad came in era of pre-modern chemical science, so it is difficult to explain to people around. Had you lived in his time with today's knowledge, surely Muhammad would have taught you a lot about molecules.

The guy said that fresh water and saltwater never mix.  He knew nothing about chemistry to utter such nonsense.

Wine is the works of the devil? WTF? 

He was as ignorant as the people around him.

Thank you. You are the only one who asked for clarification from the members of the Arabic section, because they are the most able to answer this question.
First of all, I am sorry to see some members write offensive things when they really don't know anything about the Qur'an or Islamic law, at least they should respect the feelings of Muslims and not say offensive things.
As for the answer to the question: I simply say Islamic law forbade drinking alcohol, but it did not forbid its use. I mean, you simply cannot drink alcohol, but it can be used for cleaning, sterilization, or to treat some diseases.
Of course, some fanatical jurists forbid even touching alcohol, but this is because they do not understand the Qur’an well, and this is not the fault of the Prophet Muhammad or the Holy Qur’an. Beyond that, the Qur’an permits eating pork even though it is completely forbidden in Islamic law if there is a necessity for that because there is a jurisprudential rule that says: “Necessities allow prohibitions.” This means that in case of necessity, all rules are broken, so even if alcohol is forbidden, it can be used in case of necessity, as in the case of the Covid-19 virus.

Thanks for the reply.
I was aware that Allah forgives to all muslins who eats Haram food by force or deception, however I did not know Allah forgives all muslims who do it by extreme need.

Do you think only Arabs can read?

I never said that, I'm never bigoted and I respect everyone's opinions and you should be!! But since the question was about a matter related to Islamic law, the Arabs are the most able people to know the correct answer because this is their religion and their Qur’an, just as Christians are the most knowledgeable of people about the Bible and are able to read and understand it more than the rest of the people because it pertains to their faith and religion.
The Qur’an is written in Arabic, so when you want to read any ruling in the Qur’an and understand it, you have to master the Arabic language first, and this is what I meant only, and I did not mean that Arabs are the only ones who can read. The translation does not give the intended meanings accurately, and this is what happened, for example, when the Bible was translated from Latin into other languages.

Why?  Anyone can read Quran and hadiths to learn about Sharia.

Are you saying that all non-Arabic translations are incorrect?

You are unbelievably ignorant.  If what you are saying is true, the majority of Muslims around the world do not understand Sharia because
they don't speak Arabic.

Arabs do not hold the monopoly on this 6th-century mythology.  

BTW, which dialect of Arabic do I need to speak to 'fully understand' the Quran?  All 25+?

Most Muslims don't speak Arabic and somehow they know the Sharia, LOL.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_country

I guess you are quoting a verse in the Quran, right? Your understanding may differ from the context interpreted in the verse. I am not a intepreter and no speak Arabic, but everyone knows that the word بحر means sea (https://translate.google.co.id/?hl=id&sl=ar&tl=en&text=%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%B1&op=translate). That is, the verse explains natural phenomena that can be proven right then (for those who doubt) or until now.

If you try to mix salt water and fresh water through a chemical engineering process (eg reducing the salt content), you will find answers that contradict what he says.


Fyi,

Hello. First of all, greetings from Turkey. As the most of our country is comprised of Muslims, a website has been opened by the government to answer this kind of questions. The answer to the question in the subject exists here: https://kurul.diyanet.gov.tr/Cevap-Ara/67/alkol-iceren-maddelerin-temizlikte-kullanilmasi-caiz-midir-

Let me translate it for you. Along with the drinking of the fluids like spirit, cologne with alcoholic substances that are produced with the aim of cleaning is haram (Buhârî, Edep, 80; Müslim, Eşribe, 73), their usage for cleaning is lawful. Before performing prayer, it is not necessary to wash the places that these products are smeared (Kâsânî, Bedâî’, V, 115; Elmalılı, Hak Dini, II, 763-764).

First I would like to thank you for calling me “unbelievably ignorant” this shows your high morals!!!
In any case, the ignorant is the one who does not understand the words of others in a correct manner. Yes, anyone can read the Qur’an and the Prophetic hadiths, but not all people are able to understand their meanings or extract rulings from them because this needs knowledge of the Arabic language in the first place and other things. This is not the time for talking about it now. The same thing. All people are able to read the Bible, but are they all able to understand its meanings in the same way?
 Not all Muslims understand the Arabic language. This is true, but they depend in their faith and understanding of Sharia on religious scholars. Therefore, they cannot understand the provisions of the Qur’an and Sharia except through religious scholars and they are unable to know the rulings themselves because they cannot understand the Arabic language in which the Qur’an was written.
Just as Christians who do not understand Latin but who believe through Christian preaching to the clergy are also unable to extract any provisions from the Bible themselves because they do not understand the language in which the Bible was written and their faith is based on the understanding of the Bible by the clergy.
The Qur’an was written in a high-level literary language, so when translated into other languages, many literary meanings and references are lost, just as it happens when Shakespeare’s works written in a high English language are translated into another language, these works will lose much of their beauty and may lose their meaning as well.

Sounding like a Biochemist, very correct. When consumed in excess and frequently, it can also affect the production of ATP in the body (that is reduced energy).

True, in a state in my country where Sharia law is still practiced, not like you are permitted, but you can go buy an alcoholic drink, but you can not consume it in public places only in your house, at your privacy.

Just like every other religion, there are those who fully practice all the doctrines, there are those that select which to follow, so i find it normal.

So it is fair to say that Islam is "A 6th-century, Arabic poetry reading club".  I wish more people would realize what it really is.

Muslim may be against alcohol when it's taking through the oral cavity which makes one to be drunk not to be able to control his or herself. But I think when alcohol substance is apply to external body which is the skin it serves for health purposes. But some Muslims is against coming in contact with alcohol for any purpose.

Very good question..

Is Alcohol unclean..?
Alcohol is not an unclean thing. Islamic forbids anything intoxicating, and alcohol is one that intoxicating (when drink). And we all agree on that.

When Alcohol is used for useful things such as for medicine, perfume, deodorant and others, This is not forbidden in Islam, because there is no intoxication.

According to the Islamic view, Objects that are forbidden to be consumed but are not intrinsically unclean, such as heroin, crystal meth, intoxicating drinks (Alcohol), everything is classified as forbidden (if consumed). But in essence these objects are not classified as unclean objects. So the law of origin of Alcohol is sacred in substance, but it is forbidden to consume.

I see different opinions regarding this question it's better for us to consult someone who knows Islam well.
The answer should come from a Muslim Cleric who knows about west culture so that it can be explained clearly and my suggestion to see the full answer to the OP's question is this video who explain and clarifying everything about alcohol.

Halal - Permissible
Haram - Forbidden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpALKIj1dwI&ab_channel=assimalhakeem

I strongly believe that only wine and wine-derived products (brandy) are forbidden and the formal reason is almost exactly the same as to why red whine is used in Christianity rituals where it symbolizes the blood of God. So the wine-alikes (wine made of other fruits/plants/honey is not wine, technically speaking) formally are not forbidden. At the same time there are 2 widely known facts - drinking alcohol in childhood, before sex and during pregnancy can have negative consequences on the next generations  and average Arabic person gets drunk extremely fast (simply as the consequence of multiple generations not touching it at all). Factor in excessive heat of the desert climate and increase of heart attack and similar risks if you drink alcohol at the same time. Remember, there was no vodka or brandy or other strong alcohol beverages centuries ago (brandy had appeared during middle ages and vodka as a mixture of water and alcohol in certain proportions maybe even later). I'm sure the distillation/rectification process existed long before it was used to create strong alcohol beverages - but somehow it was not used for that.

To me - the goal of Islam was to keep nation alive and healthy despite harsh conditions of the surrounding life. That principle explains many things - like multiple wives (during wars many men get killed - and a woman without husband had almost no chance of growing kids, not even mentioning of getting pregnant again - to compensate the losses), not eating pork ("dirty pigs" could not only transfer diseases but increase blood system-related issues, especially when used without alcohol), and probably any other "not doing something" has a logical explanation applicable to the times when Islam has appeared.

For some reason - smoking and using "substances" in variety of ways were not forbidden - probably because there was no habit of doing that so long ago at the scale we do that now.