This is an important question, and its answer relates to another topic: Is it permissible to use prohibited items for purposes other than those for which the prohibition was stated? With Allāh’s help, we say:

Firstly, items generally fall into three categories:

1. Completely prohibited items, such as pork, which cannot be used for eating or other purposes except in two cases:
   • In cases of absolute necessity.
   • In cases of complete transformation.
2. Completely permissible items, such as fruits, vegetables, and fish, which can be used in any situation.
3. Items prohibited for specific uses but permissible for others, such as a carcass, which is prohibited for consumption but its skin can be used after tanning, and its horns, bones, and nails can be used according to the Ḥanafī school and one narration from the Ḥanbalī school, as chosen by Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allāh have mercy on him.

Secondly, prohibitions vary in their reasons/wisdom, and generally, the reasons for prohibitions can be categorized into:

• The prohibited item being impure, such as pork (according to the majority who consider it impure), dead animals, and alcohol (according to those who consider it impure).
• The prohibited item being repulsive, such as insects and mucus.
• The prohibited item being harmful, such as poison.
• The prohibition contradicting the objectives of Shari῾āh, such as intoxicants that affects reason and suicide that affects life.
• The prohibited item being prohibited for worship-related reasons, such as gold for men and silk, and similarly, slaughtering by a pilgrim because they are not allowed to slaughter based on textual evidence.
• The prohibited item being inherently noble, such as human flesh.

Thirdly, regarding prohibited drinks, anything that certainly causes harm or intoxication is prohibited. Intoxicants are those substances that cause a loss of reason and consciousness in large quantities for a typical person, and they are explicitly prohibited, as stated by the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Every intoxicant is forbidden,” “Avoid that which intoxicates,” and “What intoxicates in large quantities, its small quantity is also forbidden.”

The percentage of alcohol in intoxicants varies; some contain up to sixty percent, and the lowest is beer, which contains around three percent alcohol. Despite this, it is explicitly prohibited based on the narration from Al-Tirmidhī from ῾Alī (may Allāh be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade the use of gold rings, silk, and beer.

The scholar Al-Ḥaṣkafī, author of (Al-Durr Al-Mukhtār), stated: “Muḥammad – meaning Ibn al-Ḥasan – prohibited all drinks made from honey, figs, and similar substances, whether in small or large quantities, and this is his fatwā, as mentioned by Al-Zayla῾ī and others, and it was chosen by the commentator of (Al-Wahbanīyah), who stated that it is narrated from all”.

Ibn ῾Abidīn mentioned in his commentary on (Al-Durr Al-Mukhtār): “His statement: [and this is his fatwā] meaning: by the statement of Muḥammad, which is the opinion of the three imams.”

Thus, beer is prohibited as long as it contains a significant percentage of alcohol.

Fourthly, we mentioned that the prohibited item may be completely prohibited, like pork, or its prohibition may be specific, like the meat of a carcass and the consumption of alcohol. When used for purposes other than those for which it is prohibited, scholars have disagreed on its permissibility. Here are some examples:

1. The skin of a carcass: The majority of Ḥanafī scholars and some Mālikī and Shāfi῾ī scholars, and one narration from the Ḥanbalī scholars, permit using the skin of an animal that can be eaten if tanned. Mālikī and Ḥanbalī scholars in another narration prohibit it.
2. The fat of a carcass: The majority prohibit its use under any circumstance. Shāfi῾ī and Ḥanbalī scholars in one opinion allow it.
3. Using the wool and bones of a carcass: Ḥanafī and Ḥanbalī scholars in one narration and Ibn ῾Abdul Ḥakam from the Mālikī scholars permit it because they are lifeless. Shāfi῾ī scholars prohibit it entirely, while the majority differentiate between parts with life and lifeless parts.
4. Milk of a carcass: Imam Al-᾽A῾ẓam Abū Ḥanīfah (may Allāh be pleased with him) allowed it, as did Ibn Taymiyyah. The majority consider it part of the carcass, similar to rennet.
5. Predatory animals’ skins: Ḥanafī, Shāfi῾ī, and some Ḥanbalī scholars, and Mālikī scholars like Saḥnūn, permit their use after tanning. Mālikī and Ḥanbalī scholars in another narration prohibit it following the original prohibition of the animals having canines.

Fifthly, from the above, we can conclude the following:

According to some scholars, if a prohibited item is used for purposes other than those for which it is prohibited, it is permissible. This has applications among jurists, such as their opinion on the permissibility of using dung for fertilizing land, which is the opinion of Ḥanafī, Mālikī, and Shāfi῾ī scholars, even though dung is considered impure.

Therefore, using prohibited beer to kill insects is permissible because the prohibition is related to its consumption, not its general use. Similarly, using prohibited fat for lighting is permissible.

Fatwā issued by Dr. Khālid Naṣr