Is using alcohol-based hand sanitizer permissible, or does the alcohol make it impure?

This is a live area of debate rather than a single settled ruling. The Quran describes khamr (intoxicating drink) as rijs, 'filth,' alongside gambling and idol-worship (Quran 5:90), and classical scholars differed on whether this means alcohol is physically najis (impure) or only that drinking it is sinful — some early scholars, and later Ibn Taymiyyah, held that alcohol is not inherently impure in a physical sense, only forbidden to consume. Building on this, most contemporary fatwa bodies, including Al-Azhar and the European Council for Fatwa and Research, hold that industrially manufactured alcohol used in hand sanitizers, perfumes, and medicines is not the same substance targeted by the Quranic prohibition on khamr, since it is not derived from a fermented drink meant for consumption and serves an antiseptic rather than intoxicating purpose. On this basis, most contemporary scholars permit using alcohol-based hand sanitizer, consider it pure (tahir), and say it does not need to be washed off before wudu or prayer. A minority of scholars remain cautious and prefer alcohol-free alternatives, but this is generally treated as a matter of personal caution rather than a firm prohibition.

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