Title: More on the Use of Products with non- Halaal Ingredients Question: I would like to mention (being a doctor) that Alcohol does get absorbed in the system (in the body and reaches the brain and other organs) through the skin (e.g. hair products, after shave lotions) and also is inhaled and absorbed in the mouth, air passages and lungs (much more efficiently than drinking by mouth when used as a perfume spray). Furthermore, I wanted to point out that most of the bathroom products that we use in US (and likely in Pakistan, as Pakistan imports chemical ingredients from other countries) contain animal by-products. For example, bar soap by definition is TALLOWATE (a product derived from hoofs of the large mammals e.g., cows and mostly PIGS!). Most of the brands of toothpaste contain fats and glycerin, which is derived from animals e.g. cows and PIGS! The same is true for shampoos, conditioners, hair sprays etc. So unless one is of the opinion that even the pig products are OK because "they have been chemically altered" all these products should be avoided. As you know we inadvertently ingest these during use. I have not made these things up. I have obviously a back ground in Biochemistry (all doctors do). I read the labels carefully. I invested time and effort to call a large number of companies in US to inquire about the source of their chemicals. By the way in your response to a question about this topic from a new Muslim in US you said that everything was "OK". Even at that time, I sent you a comment with similar information but never received an acknowledgement or clarification. I think this is something that needs to be addressed. I know it would be hard for you to definitively know what the "products" in a particular country contain. Should the response to such questions therefore be more cautious, as not that person but "you" would be accountable to Allah SWT if the answer were wrong. Jazak Allah SWT for your efforts. Salaam Answer: As we know, the prohibitions of the Shari`ah include the consumption of a dead animal's meat, flowing blood, flesh of swine and animals slaughtered without taking God's name on them. In the case of drinks, the Shari`ah prohibits the consumption of liquor. Now the point, on which your question is based, is that when the Shari`ah has clearly prohibited drinking liquor [1] , should such prohibition be construed as applicable to all other usage of alcohol [2] besides drinking, or should the prohibition be interpreted as applicable only to ' drinking ' liquor. Before I give my opinion regarding the particular question, I would like to clarify that irrespective of what my opinion is on this issue, it would not, in any case, effect the prohibitions of the Shari`ah . Nothing can either be added to or removed from the list of prohibitions of the Shari`ah , on the basis of my opinion. The reason for this restriction is quite simple. The source of the Shari`ah is not my opinion, but the Prophet (pbuh) of God. Thus, on the basis of my opinion, the items under consideration may be categorized as something 'disliked' or 'allowed', but they cannot be categorized as prohibited ( Haraam ), due to the simple reason that categorizing something as ' Haraam ', without a direct and a clear directive in the Qur'an and the Sunnah to the particular effect, is not within my jurisdiction. Keeping this clarification in perspective, let us now consider your particular questions. You write: I would like to mention (being a doctor) that Alcohol does get absorbed in the system (in the body and reaches the brain and other organs) through the skin (e.g. hair products, after shave lotions) and also is inhaled and absorbed in the mouth, air passages and lungs (much more efficiently than drinking by mouth when used as a perfume spray). In view of the above explanation, the stated use of alcohol-based hair-products, perfumes, after-shave lotions etc. can only be categorized as ' Haraam ', if such usage lies within the scope of the phrase 'drinking alcohol'. In my opinion, however, such is not the case, which is precisely why I do not consider the use of the stated products to be 'prohibited' ( Haraam ) by the Shari`ah . Nevertheless, even if such use of the stated products does not lie within the scope of 'drinking alcohol', yet if the effects of their use are exactly the same as that of 'drinking liquor', a Muslim should then avoid the use of these products, (not because such usage is 'prohibited' ( Haraam ) in the Shari`ah , but) because it can have the same adverse chemical, mental and physical effects on the human mind and body as that of 'drinking liquor' due to which the Shari`ah has prohibited 'drinking alcohol'. Thus, the important question that you, as a doctor, should answer is whether the use of these products has the potential of effecting the human mind and consciousness in exactly the same way as 'drinking liquor'. If the answer, in your opinion, is 'yes', then those Muslims who agree with your opinion should avoid the use of such products, while if the answer is 'no', then there seems to be no reason to even categorize the use of these products as 'disliked' or 'should be avoided'. As far as the use of the referred 'bath-room products' is concerned, my answer to this question can easily be derived from the explanation given above. In short, if the use of these products lies within the scope of eating 'flesh of a dead animal', or 'flesh of swine' or 'flowing blood' etc. it should, then be considered as prohibited by the Shari`ah . If that is not the case, then usage of these products cannot be categorized within the prohibitions of the Shari`ah . 11 th July 2000 [1] Or eating pork or the meat of dead animal or flowing blood etc. [2] or that of the various parts of a pig's body or that of a dead animal or that of flowing blood etc.