Question:
Assalamualaikum ustaz. There are some fragrances made from the blood of antelope or deer. So, what is the ruling of wearing perfumes made from such sources?
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wrt. wbt.,
Alhamdulillah, praise and gratitude to Allah SWT for His countless blessings for us all. Praise and salutations to our beloved Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his family, companions, and all those who follow his footsteps until the Final day.
Perfumes or fragrances made from deer or antelope blood is known as the musk. In Arabic, it is named al-Misk (الْمِسْكُ).
The terminology al-Misk according to al-Bunani cited from al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar refers to blood gathered at the navel area of the deer/antelope/gazelle at a known time of certain years. When the blood gathers, it will swell and the deer will be in pain and fall off. [1]
Halal and Purity of Musk (al-Misk)
Scholars have agreed that musk is halal and pure. It is permissible to be eaten and benefitted from in situations when it is consumed as food or medicine, whether it is in exigent situations or otherwise. The reason is, indeed the original form of blood has changed (undergone the process of istihalah) to a better and pure form. In a hadith of the Prophet PBUH:
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ذَكَرَ امْرَأَةً مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ حَشَتْ خَاتَمَهَا مِسْكًا وَالْمِسْكُ أَطْيَبُ الطِّيبِ
“Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) made a mention of a woman of Bana Isra’il who had filled her ring with musk and musk is the most fragrant of the scents.” [2]
Imam al-Nawawi said: This hadith shows that musk is the best and prioritized perfume. It also explained that musk is pure, to the extent that it can be worn on one’s body and clothing as well as permissible to be sold. All of these are something that has been agreed upon by scholars. [3]
In another hadith, Rasullullah PBUH said:
أَطْيَبُ الطِّيبِ الْمِسْكُ
“The best scent is the perfume of musk.” [4]
Al-Qadhi ‘Iyadh in his book Ikmal al-Mu’lim bi Fawaid Muslim which is the commentary of Sahih Muslim stated that the above hadith is the evidence of the purity of musk and it is permissible to be used. [5]
In al-Syafi’e fiqh books, al-Imam Khatib al-Syarbini in his book Mughni al-Muhtaj also stated that musk is pure, based on the above hadith. [6]
Conclusion
According to the hadiths and statements of scholars, we state here that the usage of musk as perfume is permissible and musk is ruled as pure. The reason is there is sahih evidence regarding the purity of musk. Al-Khatib al-Syarbini in his other book, al-Iqna’, stated the evidence of hadith Muslim ruled it pure.
Wallahu a’lam.
[1] See Hasyiah al-Bunani ‘ala Hamisy al-Zurqani, 1/27
[3] See Syarh al-Nawawi ‘ala Sahih Muslim, 10/615
[4] Narrated by Muslim (2252), al-Tirmizi (991), al-Nasa’ie (1905) and Ahmad (11329)
[5] See Ikmal al-Mu’lim bi Fawaid Muslim, 7/193
[6] See Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1/233
