Question
Is isopropyl alcohol halal? it's commonly used on cakes.
Answer:
ﺑﺴﻢ اﷲ اﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ اﻟﺮﺣﯿﻢ
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Isopropyl alcohol has multiple uses. Among them is using it as a carrier for making sugarcraft paints for decorating cakes. It would be permissible to consume such a cake that was painted in such a manner because the isopropyl alcohol evaporates quickly. Even if some traces of the IPA were left in the cake, the alcohol is synthetic and is not derived from grapes nor dates, hence it is pure. Also, consuming such a cake would not cause one to become intoxicated because the trace of IPA would be minuscule nor is it consumed for that purpose.
Raddul Muhtar: v. 6, p. 453 [Darul Fikr Beirut]
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Mohammad Ahsan Osmani
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham