Some Confusions- Industrial Alcohols vs. the Intoxicants

Interesting reading (see posts by user Abdul Hussain).

Namely:

All kinds of alcohol (whether extracted from wood or other sources) is pure, not najis. So, the medicines, the perfumes, and the food containing alcohol are pure and can be used. It is also permissible to eat such food if the amount of alcohol is very minute, e.g., 2%.

The differentation here is Alcohol which is liquor and intoxicating, i.e which is liquid in origin and underwent the process of fermentation (e.g wine), and that which is not liquid in origin, is not intoxicating and did not undergo fermentation (e.g ethyl alcohol). Personally, I like to use the phrases liquor alcohol to describe the first and industrial alcohol to describe the second. So, it becomes apparent that there is no conflict in the rulings.

It's actually incorrect to say that the ruling is based on the potabilty, though you would be correct to assume that it is the differentiating factor, because the deduction of the ruling comes from the verses and hadiths showing the impermissibilty of firstly drinking alcohol and then it being najis. The scholars of previous times have said that the "intoxicant which is liquid in origin is najis" [Luma'a v1 p22] which shows that even then there was a distinction made between that which is liquid in origin and not. With the development of science a wide variety of chemicals not intoxicating or not liquid in origin have come under the category of alcohols, which is why the fuqaha have exercised precautions in the matter. Thus, what can be drunk as an intoxicant (assuming it is liquid in origin i.e fermented) would be classified as najis, and that which is not drunk as an intoxicant (ethyl alcohol is poisonous dose-related) and is derived from other sources would be classed as tahir either by precaution or as a direct ruling.

That's why fragrances, medicines and most other alcohol-containing consumer products are classed as tahir for use. [There is some controversy over vanilla extract because of the type of alcohol used in the extraction process].