The Ruling on Ice Cream, Cheese, Toothpaste, Soap and the Like

Question :

Is it permissible to use perfumes and deodorants, toothpaste, ice cream, shampoo due to their containing alcohol, and soap which contains pork fat? And is Khamr impure like the impurity of urine? And (what about) meat, if it is adulterated with pig fat or pig blood, even if it is a very small percentage or cheese? I request that you deliver a legal verdict for me, because I am studying abroad in America and an American Muslim student has warned us about it.

Answer:

The basic principle in things is permissibility and purity.

so it is not permissible for a person to rule upon something that it is forbidden and impure without lawful evidence.

So when you are sure or you feel that it is most likely that it is permissible meat and it has been adulterated with pig fat or pig blood, and likewise cheese, if it is adulterated with pig fat or pig blood, then it is not permissible for you to eat it. The Qur'an and Sunnah and the consensus of the scholars have proven that it is forbidden to eat pork, and the scholars are in total agreement that its fat carries the same ruling as its meat.

However, if you do not know, then it is permissible for you to eat it, according to the aforementioned basic principle, which is that things are permissible and pure until evidence of prohibition is established.

Regarding perfumes and the like which have been mixed with alcohol to the extent that they cause drunkenness, the view that they are either impure or pure is dependent upon the view as to whether Khamr is impure or pure. The majority hold that it is impure, so based upon this, it should be avoided, if the amount of alcohol mixed with it is sufficient to cause drunkenness.

And Allah is the Granter of success.

May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, Muhammad and upon his family and Companions.

Source:
The Permanent Committee
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 6 Pages 329-330