Alcohols as a chemical group

Question

Can you please tell me the types of alcohol that are unlawful in Islam? Obviously drinking alcohol is haram. What I would like to know is how far this goes. Alcohol, in terms of chemistry, is one word for many compounds. Are all types haram? For example in many sauces there are types of alcohol. In shampoos there are alcoholic compounds present. Even in your antifreeze for the car...etc. Where does Islamic Law draw the line. Is there evidence in the Sunnah of distinguishing between types of alcohol?

Answer

In chemistry, alcohol is a general term that is applied to any organic compound in which a hydroxyl group (-OH) is bound to a carbon atom, which in turn is bound to other hydrogen and/or carbon atoms. In chemistry, the term does not refer to intoxicating beverages, like it does in colloquial speech. There are numerous chemicals that are referred to as alcohols in chemistry. There is no Islamic legislation against alcohols as a chemical group. Islamic Law prohibits intoxicants, not alcohols. There is no mention of the term “alcohol” in the sacred texts. The sacred texts refer to wine and to intoxicants.

The intoxicating substance in wine, beer and other liquors is known as ethanol. Ethanol is what is meant by the word “alcohol” in everyday speech. Ethanol is what is meant when someone says “alcoholic beverages are unlawful in Islam”.

Ethanol is the alcohol generally used in cooking and food preparation. The ruling on using foods that contain ethanol among their ingredients depends on how much ethyl alcohol remains in the food. Please refer to the following fatwâ in this archive for more details: "Alcohol, Intoxicants & Foods Containing Them"

There are other alcohols, especially fatty alcohols and sugar alcohols, which are used as food additives.

For instance, sodium lauryl sulfate is derived in a chemical process from another chemical known as lauryl alcohol (dodecanol). It is used mainly in soaps and detergents but can be found in some foods as an emulsifier. However, lauryl alcohol – which is sometimes used as a flavoring agent – is not the alcohol of intoxicating drinks. It is derived from coconut oil fatty acids.

Some sugar alcohols, like sorbitol and xylitol are used as sweeteners. A common sugar alcohol used as a food additive is glycerin.

We see no reason why any of these chemicals should be unlawful as food additives, unless they are derived from unlawful sources, like glycerin sometimes is.

The Scientific Research Committee - IslamToday.net

Source: en.islamtoday.net