Shaykh al-Islām was asked:
Regarding the practice of “alchemy”: is it rationally possible, or permissible under Islamic law?
He replied:
Praise be to Allah. Whatever human beings manufacture of gold, silver, other precious substances, perfumes, and the like, in imitation of what Allah has created—such as the pearls, rubies, musk, ambergris, rosewater, and other things they produce—is not the same as what Allah creates. Rather, it resembles it in certain respects, but is not identical to it in definition or true nature. All of this is forbidden under Islamic law, without dispute among Muslim scholars who understand its true nature.
Whoever claims that manufactured gold is the same as naturally created gold makes a claim that is false according to both reason and religion. The reality of “alchemy” is merely the imitation of created things, and this is unsound according to reason. There is nothing like Allah Most High, whether in His essence, His attributes, or His acts. He, glorified be He, has created nothing whose like His servants can produce; and whatever