Purity: Ruling on the Use of White Alcohol for Medical Purposes and Its Effect on Prayer

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Purity: Ruling on the Use of White Alcohol for Medical Purposes and Its Effect on Prayer

English:

Question #304:

Is it permissible to use white alcohol for disinfecting the hands and medical equipment, like thermometers etc., or their use in medical work and treatment by doctors? White alcohol is an alcohol used for medical purposes and is also fit for consumption. Are prayers valid in clothes on which a drop or more of this alcohol has fallen?

Answer #304:

An alcohol that is not originally liquid is considered pure even if it is intoxicant and prayer performed in clothes which come into contact with such an alcohol is valid and they do not require purification. But if it is originally liquid and, according to the experts, intoxicant as well, it is najis by obligatory caution and should be purified from the body or clothes on which it falls before praying. However, using it for sterilizing medical equipment and the like is no problem.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Ruling of Intoxicants