Alcohol is Haram
For a believer, this command of the Noble Quran that “there is great sin in alcohol” is sufficient to exercise caution from alcohol. Because every sin, whether small or big, is essentially disobedience to Allah Ta‘ala, and every disobedience is a cause of displeasure. Then how can a believer tolerate the displeasure of Allah Ta‘ala?
يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا
_Ref: Surah Al-Fath, Ayah 29_
Allah Ta‘ala states that the Companions of the Messenger, sallallahu alaihi wasallam, are always seeking the bounty of Allah and His pleasure, thinking what action we should adopt so that our True Lord becomes pleased with us.
Then these verses were revealed regarding alcohol:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ فِي الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلَاةِ فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّنتَهُونَ
_Ref: Surah Al-Maeda, Ayat 90-91_
*Translation:*
O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, idols, and divining arrows are all filth from the work of Satan, so avoid them completely so that you may succeed.
Satan only wants to cause enmity and hatred between you through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist?
From these verses of Surah Al-Maeda 90-91, the following points about alcohol are established:
*1. إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ*
Allah Ta‘ala is informing His believing servants: Do not adopt the way of the disbelievers. Alcohol, gambling, idols, and divining arrows are filthy matters and satanic acts.
By mentioning alcohol along with gambling, idols, and divining arrows, it has been shown that alcohol is such an evil thing that among gambling, idol worship, and divining arrows, it is the foremost. By declaring alcohol the worst, its extreme filth has been indicated.
Muslims! Think carefully that Allah Ta‘ala mentioned alcohol with idol worship to create hatred for it, because this act is close to kufr. Since alcohol prevents one from prayer, which is the greatest act in Islam and a sign of faith, when one is distanced from faith in this way, he becomes close to kufr.
Alcohol is a satanic act.
Muslims! Think, we claim to be believers, which means we believe in the Oneness of Allah Ta‘ala and the Messengership of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, yet we are trying to make permissible that which Allah Ta‘ala calls a satanic act.
Claim of obedience but action of rebellion. By calling alcohol a satanic act, Allah Ta‘ala has made clear that just as Satan was cursed due to disobedience and defiance of Allah, alcohol has the same quality. Meaning, drinking alcohol will create in you a substance of rebellion, defiance, and disobedience, and ultimately, due to continuous disobedience, there is fear of becoming cursed like Satan. May Allah protect us.
*4. فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ*
So stay away from it.
Muslims! Allah Ta‘ala is commanding: Stay away from alcohol. And the command of strict abstinence from alcohol is established.
Now every Muslim can reflect: When there is a clear command to stay away from alcohol, can it have any other meaning? As some ignorant people think that only the amount of alcohol that causes intoxication is haram.
Where is the proof for this in the Quranic verses? Who has the right to use personal opinion against Divine revelation? May Allah protect us.
*5. لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ*
So that you may succeed.
Muslims! Allah Ta‘ala is saying that your success lies in staying away from alcohol, not even going near it. Yet today we think the secret to our success and progress lies in drinking alcohol.
Muslims! Believe firmly that until we adopt the Islamic way of life, we can never attain success.
May Allah Ta‘ala, by His mercy, grant the rulers of all countries the ability to completely eliminate all alcohol houses.
Surah Al-Maeda, Verse 91:
*إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ فِي الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ*
Through alcohol, Satan creates enmity and hatred among you. And all the wise people of every era agree that no nation can achieve honor and success without mutual love and unity.
Therefore, we should put our heads into the collar of thought, awaken our conscience a little, and reflect: With what face do we claim to be well-wishers of the nation, when the Quran declares drinking alcohol a cause of disunity? We shout “unity, unity” day and night, yet instead of raising our voice to end the calamity that disrupts unity, namely drinking alcohol or other intoxicants in which the nation is drowning today, we are busy planning how to make it permissible.
O Allah! Make the truth clear to us and grant us the ability to stay away from falsehood. Ameen.
*وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلَاةِ*
Through alcohol, Satan wants to keep you from the remembrance of Allah Ta‘ala and from prayer.
Muslims! Reflect on what message the Quran is giving. Do you like being made heedless of the remembrance of your True Lord and being stopped from prayer? No Muslim can ever like this.
Then why are we embracing drinking alcohol and why are we not standing up to ban alcohol houses?
The reason is that we do not have the attachment to the remembrance of Allah Ta‘ala and to prayer that we should have. Otherwise it is impossible that we would not abandon something that stops us from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer.
Surah Al-Maeda, Verse 91:
*فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّنتَهُونَ*
So will you now desist?
This address of the Quran in teaching to desist from alcohol is like a compassionate teacher to his student or a kind father to his child, who has already fully warned about the bad habit of alcohol and its harms, then says: Now desist, now you must have understood.
Every Muslim can reflect: Do all these verses of the Quran prove alcohol to be halal or haram?
Is guidance ever given to stay away or keep distant from something that is halal and permissible?
It is narrated in Tirmidhi Shareef that when the Sahaba Kiraam raziyallahu anhum heard “So will you now desist?”, they immediately said, “We have desisted.”
And in Bukhari Shareef it is also narrated that at that time all the alcohol present was thrown away, and the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam even forbade keeping syrup in the vessels in which alcohol used to be drunk, so that intense hatred for alcohol would develop in the hearts.
Many ignorant people say that the word “haram” regarding alcohol is not present in the Noble Quran. However, when in the Quran regarding alcohol it has already been stated:
1. Being impure,
2. Being a satanic act,
3. Being a major sin,
4. Mentioned alongside idol worship,
5. Command to avoid, stay away from, and desist from alcohol,
Then searching for the word “haram” is merely a satanic deception and a selfish excuse.
For people of sound intellect and sound nature, these many titles of prohibition are sufficient.
Allah Ta‘ala has stated in Surah Al-Araf, Ayah 33:
*قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالْإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ*
Say, My Lord has only forbidden immoralities, what is apparent of them and what is concealed, and sin, and oppression without right.
Now reflect: Here the prohibition of major sins like alcohol is established, so presenting selfish arguments and making excuses is a very dangerous sin. Meaning, this is such severe insolence and disobedience that there is fear of kufr.
Because this is a matter of belief, and denying it is kufr. Therefore, drinking alcohol, serving it, helping in serving it, buying it, selling it, is strictly haram.
Muslims! Today those who are trying to make alcohol halal should understand that Janabe Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam had foretold this act thirteen and a half hundred years ago.
The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, “Soon there will arise from my Ummah a people who will consider zina, silk, alcohol, and gambling as halal.” Ref: Sahih Bukhari.
Therefore, it is a matter of great fear. May Allah Ta‘ala protect our intellects from all sins and grant us correct understanding.
Post a Comment