Fatwa ID: 05325

Answered by: Mufti Muhammad Adnan

Question

Assalamu Alaikum, fake leather i.e. polyurethane is made with a process with alcohol which can be from grapes and is impure. As such will the item, as a result, be impure? For example, many items are polyurethan like phone cases till complete couches.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer

It will be considered pure and permissible due to the famous Hanafi principle of Tabdeel-E-Mahiyah. Tabdeel-E-Mahiyah is the total transformation of an item whereby the original components maintain no properties of their former state and differs completely from it in application and qualities and due to this fact the name of the item also changes.

An example of this in the books of jurisprudence is given by Allamah Ibn Aabideen in regards to grape juice (Aseer) which is pure but when it is fermented and it changes into wine (Khamr) it becomes impure and thereafter it can further change into vinegar [Khal] which is pure again. (Raddul Muhtar p.320 v.5)

Only Allah knows best

Written by Mufti Muhammad Adnan

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham