Tuesday 21 Jumada al-ula 1445 - 5 December 2023
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Mouthwashes containing alcohol

Question

I have been advised not to use Listerine, a kind of mouthwash, because it contains some form of alcohol. However, if the kind of alcohol it contains is not an intoxicant, is there some other reason for its prohibition or would it be permissible to use it?

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

If the alcohol which this mouthwash contains is not intoxicating, then it is ok. to use it, so long as it is not harmful, because what is haram is only that which is intoxicating. 

Shaykh Sa’d al-Humayd. 

In this case we should look at the drink as a whole: if a lot of it causes intoxication then a little of it is haram.

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Source: Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid