Author: M. Shoaib Ghaznawi
Gradual Suicide; Drinking Alcohol (Part three)
Qur’anic Verses on Alcohol Consumption
«يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ قُلْ فِيهِمَا إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثْمُهُمَا أَكْبَرُ مِنْ نَفْعِهِمَا وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنْفِقُونَ قُلِ الْعَفْوَ كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ» Translation: “They ask you (O Prophet) about wine and gambling. Say: In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit. And they ask you what they should spend. Say: That which is surplus to your needs. Thus Allah makes His signs clear to you that you may reflect, in this world and the Hereafter.” [1]
The word “khamr” means covering. Hence, the cloth with which women cover their heads is called “khimar”. Since wine covers and veils the intellect, it is called “khamr”. [2] «يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْرَبُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنْتُمْ سُكَارَى حَتَّى تَعْلَمُوا مَا تَقُولُونَ» Translation: “O you who believe! Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying.” [3]
«يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنْصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ» Translation: “O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, idols, and divining arrows are filth, the work of Satan. So avoid them that you may be successful.” [4]
«إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ فِي الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلَاةِ فَهَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُنْتَهُونَ» Translation: “Satan only wishes to create enmity and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and to hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not then desist?” [5]
Hadiths Concerning Alcohol
«لَعَنَ اللهُ الخمرَ وَ شَارِبَها و سَاقِيَهَا و بَائِعَها و عَاصِرَها و مُعْتَصِرَها و حَامِلَها و المُحْمُولة الیه» Translation: “Allah has cursed alcohol itself, its drinker, its server, its seller, its maker, the one for whom it is made, the one who carries it, and the one to whom it is carried.” [6]
Translation of a Hadith Report: It is narrated that if a person drinks wine, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days and nights. However, the meaning of this Hadith is that the reward of prayer will not be granted, though the obligation of prayer itself is still fulfilled. This has been narrated from Amr ibn al-As, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar, and Ibn Amr. [7]
«الْخَمْرُ أُمُ الْخَبَائِثِ، وَ مَنْ شَرِبَهَا لَمْ یَقْبَلِ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ صَلَاةً أَرْبَعِینَ یَوْماً، فَإِنْ مَاتَ وَ هِیَ فِی بَطْنِهِ مَاتَ مِیتَةً جَاهِلِیَّةً» Translation: “Wine is the mother of all evils. Whoever drinks it, Allah will not accept his prayer for forty days. If he dies while it is still in his stomach, he dies the death of the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance).” [8]
«الْخَمْرُ جِمَاعُ الْإِثْمِ وَ أُمُ الْخَبَائِثِ وَ مِفْتَاحُ الشَّرِّ» Translation: “Wine is the compendium of sin, the mother of evils, and the key to every evil.” [9]
The Prophet’s Foretelling about Wine Drinking in the Ummah
«عن ابن مالک الاشعری أنه سمع رسول الله صلی‌الله‌عليه‌وسلم يقول: ليشربن ناس من أمتي الخمر يُسمونها بغير اسمها» Translation: Abu Malik al-Ash ‘ari reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: “Some people of my Ummah will drink wine, calling it by another name (to deceive themselves and others).” [10]
What is Alcohol?
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Ethyl Alcohol (Ethanol): Commonly known as “white alcohol,” usually derived from grapes and other fermentable substances.
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Methyl Alcohol (Methanol): Known as “industrial alcohol,” obtained from the distillation of wood and other sources.
Alcoholic beverages, depending on their type and the raw material used, contain varying amounts of alcohol and go by different names such as beer, malt drinks, grape wine, etc.
For example, 300 grams of beer contains about 4% alcohol and around 150 calories. These calories, however, provide no nutritional value—no vitamins, minerals, or proteins.
The most significant aspect of alcohol is its chemical substance, ethanol, which is produced by the fermentation of sugars. Each gram of ethanol contains approximately 7 calories.
Continues…
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References
[1] Surah al-Baqarah, 2:219–220
[2] Dehkhoda Dictionary, entry “Khamr”, p. 52
[3] Surah al-Nisa, 4:43
[4] Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:90
[5] Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:91
[6] Narrated by Abu Dawud
[7] Al-Silsilah al-Sahihah, no. 1854
[8] Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, vol. 7, p. 106, Kitab al-Zuhd, Hadith no. 34552
[9] Al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat, vol. 4, p. 81, Hadith no. 3667
[10] Narrated by Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah
