Working in the perfume industry

18-8-2005 | IslamWeb

Question:

My brother is working in a perfume industries as a data entry operator. My question is, is a Muslim permissible to work in a perfume industries since perfume?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

 

The ruling of working in manufacturing perfumes depends on the ruling of their use; if using  them is permissible then working in that industry is also permissible and vice-versa. If the work is forbidden then any kind of involvement in that work even data entry is also forbidden since it is cooperation in that sin.

The Muslim scholars differed whether using perfumes containing alcohol is permissible or not. The reason for this difference in opinions is based on two points:

a) Is "alcohol" that exists in perfumes intoxicating or not?

b) Are intoxicants considered among ritual impurities or not?

According to the preponderant opinion, the alcohol that exists in perfumes causes drunkenness and it is the same substance existing in intoxicants, and intoxicants are among the ritual impurities. Allaah Says (which means): {O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone altars [to other than Allaah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful.}[Quran 5:90].

Therefore, based on the above reasons the preponderant opinion is that working in this field is forbidden.

However, if the person adopts the opinion of those scholars who allow using perfumes then he may work there since this opinion is also substantiated and is adopted by many scholars. But, it is safer and closer to piety to avoid working in such places. 

Allaah Knows best.