Question (Q-105)
What is the ruling in relation to using fragrant soap whilst in the state of Iḥrām? Similarly, what is the ruling in relation to using fragrant shower gel whilst bathing in the state of Iḥrām? I am concerned in this regard as I am being given different responses in this regard.
Answer
In the Name of the Almighty, Blessed and Exalted is He
It is impermissible to use fragrant soap whilst in the state of Iḥrām. If there is less fragrance in the soap then ṣadaqah (charity) will be necessary. If the fragrance is abundant then dam (sacrifice) is necessary. During the process of making soap, after it is heated and it reaches forty degrees then fragrance is added to the soap. By doing this, the fragrance does not become annihilated in it after being heated. The same rule applies to fragrant shower gel.
It is stated in Al-ʿUrwah fī Masā’il al-Ḥajj with reference to Fatāwā Europe of Muftī ʿAbd al-Wājid, Grand Muftī of Holland (Allah shower mercy upon him), “If there is even the slightest of fragrance in soap then ṣadaqah (charity) is wājib (necessary). If it is more, then damm (sacrifice) will be wājib (necessary).”
The different answers that are being given in this regard are due to the difference of opinion that exists amongst modern researchers in relation to whether the fragrance that is added to soap ceases in its entity when the soap is heated during the manufacturing process of soap. The verdict of the leading jurists of Ahl al-Sunnah during the Fiqh Seminar of Majlis Sharʿī, Mubārakpūr, India is as follows; “These things are prepared in such a way that their particles are initially heated. Thereafter, when their temperature decreases and reaches forty degrees then fragrance is placed in them. The fragrance cannot be classed as being annihilated by doing this.” (Majlis-e-Sharʿī kai fayṣlai, volume 2)
والله تعالى أعلم وعلمه أتم وأحكم
Allah, the Exalted, knows best and His Knowledge is Most Complete and Sublime
Written by: Shaykh Omar Khan (May Allah preserve him)
Verified by: Mufti Shamsulhuda Khan (May Allah preserve him)
