23. It is narrated that the Prophet said, “He who knows one verse from the Qur’an and drinks, in the Last Day each letter of that Ayah will sue him before Allah Almighy, till each, of them gets its right. Woe to him who is sued by the Holy Qur’an.”
A group of people meeting at a bar or any other similar place, shall be gathered together by Allah in Hell. where each of them will blame the other saying: “If it were not you who had led me astray, I would not be in Hell today.”
He who had been drinking wine in this world will be made by God to drink poison from Asawida (black and very poisonous snakes) that will make both the skin and the flesh fall into the vessel he drinks from. God Almighty shall accept neither the fasting or prayers nor the pilgrimage of the wine drinker, the brewer, its seller, the person who carries it, the one to whom the wine is brought, or the person who uses the money obtained by selling wine, if these people did not repent of the bad deeds before they died. If these people repent heartily, pledging never to commit evil again Allah will accept their repentance. Otherwise, they are going to be made drink pus of Hell for every single drop of alcohol they had taken in this world.
24. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Do not sit together with drinkers of wine, nor visit them when they are sick. Do not even attend their funerals. The drinkers of wine shall come on the Last Day with black faces, their tongues leaning on one side and saliva coming out of their mouths. Anyone who sees their filthy appearance will know that they were the drinkers of wine.”
25. One of the wives of the Prophet Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “One of my daughters fell ill so I gave her some wine. Soon the Prophet entered with furious eyes saying, ‘What is this O Umm Salamah?’ I told him that I was curing my daughter. He then said, ‘Allah did not make the cure of the illness of Muslims from what is Haram (unlawful).'”
The people who nowadays take medicines and tonics with high percentage of liquor either under medical advice or otherwise should ponder over the above Hadith and leave forthwith the use of haram tonics and syrups. Abu Darda reported that the Holy Prophet said, “Verily, Allah sent down ailment and cure (thereof). So he made a cure for every ailment. So seek cure but seek not cure by unlawful things.” [Abu Dawud]
From this authentic information, it is clear that alcohol beverages in all their kinds and forms are unlawful for Muslims to consume or deal with. This includes all types of wines, liquors, fermented beverages, pure alcohol and the like. Besides, there are some drugs which fall under the category of intoxicants. These are opium, bhang, qat (a grass-like type of plant used in Yemen). The Kenyans use a plant of the same species, called marungi marijuana (mostly used in USA).
All such intoxicants are prohibited by Islam since the evils of drug abuse are in many ways much worse than alcoholism. Addicting drugs which produce temporary feelings of euphoria and well-being like opium, morphine, pethadine, heroin, methedrine, benzedrine (“speed”) and barbituate abuse (“rockets”), hashish, charas, marijuana (cannabis or “grass”). L.S.D., mescaline and “angel-dust” create delusions and hallicinions and insanity (psychotic states) which may last for months and even years after the drug has been withdrawn. Alcoholism and drug abuse are responsible for many admissions into insane asylums and mental hospitals and may cause permanent psychosis and brain damage. Intoxicants and drug abuse force the victims to indulge in crime and addiction makes it impossible for the “user” to lead a normal life. Intoxicants ruin the “user’s” health and may lead to an early death.
The Muslims abstain from alcoholic drinks, intoxicating drugs and swine-flesh and such haram things because Almighty Allah has prohibited these in the Qur’an and Hadith. We abstain from these prohibited things because Almighty Allah has commanded us thus and to ward ourselves from His wrath and eternal punishments by indulging in the haram. Allah knows what is good for us spiritually and morally as well as physically. These are the primary reasons why we abstain from haram: all other reasons are of secondary importance though it is useful to mention them.
Alcohol is not only a great wastage of money but also causes ulcers, stomach cancer, neurological and digestive disorders and liver ailments. And the greatest cancer risk is faced by people who both smoke and drink. The twin-evils of liquor and gambling have ruined innumerable lives, shattered multitudes of homes, and caused more misery to mankind than all other vices put together.
The modern scientists, after carrying on a long research on alcohol, clearly say that alcohol is the mother of all evils. Drinking causes lowliness and extinguishes noble passions of mercy, sympathy and tenderness. The drunkard ventures to commit the most heinous offences of murder, rape and fornication, disgraces people and defies the law and canons of society. This is simply because an alcoholic falls into a fit of passion and loses his power of control and self-restraint. He makes desire is “god” to satisfy his sexual lust and other unlawful pursuits. This is extremely harmful for the elevation of soul because wine-drinking extinguishes the glow of faith. This point has been elaborated in a Hadith of the Prophet where he said: “A person at the time of drinking wine is not a believer.” [Bukhari]. In other words, a person who drinks wine is devoid even an iota of faith at the time of drinking.
According to the Shari’ah, it is the duty of the Islamic state to enforce prohibition. The punishment of a free person for drinking wine or other intoxicating liquor, is eighty stripes on the authority of all the companions. This is equal to punishment for baseless slandering. The flogging should he such as does not inflict wounds on the body beneath the skin. The Holy Prophet once said to the executioner: In inflicting the punishment, take care not to strike the face, the head or the privates.
Flogging should not be done by a cruel executioner but by scholars who are well versed in the Islamic Law so that they should award punishment according to the letter and spirit of the law.
Reasons for Prohibition of Alcohol in Islam
There are many reasons why alcoholic beverages have been prohibited in Islam. The following are among the reasons which Muslims believe in and are taken from Dr. Ahmad H. Sakr’s booklet on the subject:
1. Alcohol is considered to be an abomination.
2. Alcohol is part of Satan’s handiwork.
3. Drinking alcohol generates enmity and hatred among people.
4. Alcohol prevents people from remembering Allah.
5. It prevents or delays Muslims from performing their daily prayers. Even if they pray they will not understand the meaning and significance of what they are doing and saying.
6. Those who drink alcohol will be denied Paradise.
7. Those who drink alcohol are considered by Islam to be similar to those who worship idols which is also totally prohibited in Islam.
8. When a person drinks alcohol he is not considered to be a believer.
9. Alcohol is the mother of evils in society.
10. Muslims believe that the prophets of Allah did not taste alcoholic beverages and that alcohol was prohibited in the original scriptures of the divinely revealed religions.
11. Alcoholic beverages have some benefits, but sin and harm resulting from the consumption are far greater than their benefits.
12. Alcohol brings Allah’s curse down on those who drink it, produce, sell or deal with it and those who participate in drinking parties.
13. Alcohol is responsible for a large number of road accidents.
14. Alcohol is the cause of many broken families.
15. Under the influence of alcohol, more homicide, rape and other offences are committed.
For the above reasons, practising Muslims try their best to shun alcoholic beverages and those parties where alcohol is served, so as to please Allah Almighty.
And finally we seek refuge in Allah against wine and its sinister evils and against the worship of evil promptings and the Satan.
“Say: My Lord hath forbidden indecencies, such of them as are apparent and such as are within, and sin and wrongful oppression … “Al-Qur’an 7:33
Muslims in an Alien Society: The Prohibition of Alcohol in Islam published by Ikhwan Limited, Nairobi.
References
1. Sa’id ‘Abdullah Sayf al-Hatimy, Islam and the Evil of Intoxicants, Rabitat Journal, Vol. 6, No. 3 of Safar 1399H.
2. Dr. Ahmad H. Sakr, Prohibition of Alcohol in Islam, USA.
3. Muhammad Iqbal Siddiqi, Why Islam Forbids Intoxicants and Gambling, Kazi Publications, Lahore.
Footnotes
1. Jabir reported the Prophet as saying, “Beat anyone who drinks wine and if he does it a fourth time kill him.” He said that after that a man who had drunk wine four times was brought to the Prophet and he beat him, but did not kill him. [At-Tirmidhi] Thawr ibn Zayd ad-Daylami reported that ‘Umar sought counsel about the prescribed punishment for drinking wine and ‘Ali said to him, “I think you should give one who drinks it eighty lashes, for when he drinks he becomes intoxicated, when he is intoxicated he raves, and when he raves he makes up lies.” So ‘Umar inflicted eighty lashes as the punishment presctibed for drinking wine. [Malik] ^back
2. Nabidh is a drink made from dates, raisins, honey, wheat, barley etc. The ingredients are steeped in water in a vessel, and provided the drink was used before fermentation took place it was lawful
