Wine – Good or Bad?

In one of his articles[1]

Mr. Jochen Katz has pointed out a contradiction in Al-Baqarah 2: 219, Al-Maaidah

5: 90, and Muhammad 47: 15 and Al-Mutaffifeen 83: 22, 25.

Al-Baqarah 2: 219 reads as:

They ask you concerning [drinking] wine and gambling. Say: ‘Both these

entail great sin and a few benefits for people; and the sin of the two is

greater than their benefits’.

Al-Maaidah 5: 90 reads as:

Believers, [drinking] wine, gambling, [animals sacrificed at] shrines and

[food distributed by] raffling through arrows are all unclean, satanic deeds,

therefore refrain from them, so that you may be successful [in the test of

this life].

Muhammad 47: 15 reads as:

The parable of Paradise, which the God-fearing are promised: In it are

rivers of incorruptible water, rivers of milk of which the taste never

deteriorates, rivers of wine of joyous taste for the drinkers, and rivers of

clear and pure honey. In it shall they be bestowed all kinds of fruits and

[complete] forgiveness from their Lord. Are these like him, who is to dwell

forever in fire and shall be given boiling water, which shall cut-up their

bowels?

Al-Mutaffifeen 83: 22 — 26 reads as:

The faithful shall indeed be in blessings; watching from their esteemed

thrones; You shall recognize from their faces the sparkle of bliss; They shall

be given to drink from exquisite, sealed wine — sealed with musk — for

this [life of bliss] should the aspirants aspire.

It is clear that according to the first two cited verses, wine is forbidden

by the Qur’an, while according to the third and the fourth verse, it shall be

served to the pious in the hereafter. According to Mr. Katz, it is either that

1) during the life of this world, Muslims have been forbidden something, which

is good enough to be served in Paradise; or 2) something, which is evil enough

to be termed as ‘Satan’s handiwork’ in the life of this world is not only

allowed but also provided in overflowing quantities — as is evidenced by the

phrase ‘rivers of wine…’ — in Paradise.

Two aspects inherent in these verses, if properly understood, should

adequately answer the questions voiced by Mr. Katz. Firstly, the reason due to

which liquor — intoxicant — is prohibited by the Shari`ah; Secondly,

the quality of wine that the pious would be served in Paradise.

It is quite clear from the first cited verse that the reason for the

prohibition of liquor is due to the potential effects it entails. The words ‘the sin of the two is greater than their benefits[2]‘

clearly point toward fact that the reason for the prohibition of drinking liquor

and gambling is the potential moral vice (sin) involved in them. Explaining the

potential moral vice (sin) involved in intoxicants, I had stated in response to

a related question[3]:

Man has been bestowed an exalted position over that of most of the other

creatures of God, only because of his faculties of reasoning, understanding

and thoughtfulness. These are the very faculties, which have produced the

tremendous speed and amount of development in human life over centuries, as

compared to that of other creatures inhabiting the earth. These are the very

faculties, on the basis of which man has developed systems of education,

economics, politics and all other spheres relating to his collective life. And

these are the faculties, on the basis of which humans shall be held

accountable for their good and bad deeds on the Day of Judgment. Thus, Any

thing that has even the minutest of potentials of rendering these human

faculties ineffective actually has the potential of reducing a human being to

a level far below that which his Creator has liked for him. We all know that “Khamr” has this potential and is therefore prohibited in the

Islamic Shari`ah.

Elaborating further on the same point, I subsequently wrote in another one of

my responses[4]:

… Islam prohibits intoxicants because of the potential effect that such

intoxicants may have on the human intellect, the human faculty of reasoning

and the human conscience and consciousness.

As we know, according to Islam, the life of this world is a testing time

for man. We are being tested intellectually — whether or not we behave as

true seekers of truth — as well as in our general behavior — whether or

not we act according to what we hold to be right. We, as human beings, qualify

for this test because of our intellect, our faculty of reasoning and our

conscience and consciousness. All such things that temporarily or permanently

deprive us of these distinctive qualities that our Creator has bestowed upon

us are actually a refusal to take and face the test of life. They are actually

a self-imposed disqualification from taking the test in which our Lord — in

His absolute wisdom and mercy — has put us. All such things, in other words,

are in effect a refusal to take the test, which our Lord has decided for us to

take and are therefore, not allowed by the Islamic Shari`ah.

Thus, it is clear that the reason for the prohibition of intoxicants in the Shari`ah

is their potential effect on the stated human faculties and the potential

consequences of these effects.

Keeping the stated reason of the prohibition of intoxicants in perspective,

it is clear that the consumption of all such beverages that produce the effects,

due to which intoxicants have been prohibited by the Shari`ah, should be

refrained from. On the contrary, the consumption of all such beverages, which do

not produce the stated undesired effects, should obviously not be considered

prohibited. In other words, if it is said that liquor is prohibited because it

intoxicates the mind, it would automatically follow that any drink (liquor) that

does not intoxicate the mind is not prohibited.

If the third and the fourth cited verses are taken independent of the other

stipulations of the Qur’an regarding the ‘wine’ served in Paradise, it

would then have to be submitted that they contradict the first two cited verses

of the Qur’an. However, if all the stipulations of the Qur’an, relating to

the ‘wine’ served in Paradise are taken, as a whole, we see that the

Qur’an has informed us about some of the important qualities of this wine. For

instance, in Al-Insaan 76: 21, the Qur’an says:

Upon them shall be green silk and brocade garments and they shall be

adorned with bracelets of silver; their Lord having given them a cleansed

drink.

It should be noted that the words ‘cleansed drink’ as used in the Arabic

language, clearly imply ‘cleansed from all vices’.

Then again in Al-Saaffaat 37: 43 — 47, the Qur’an says:

[They shall be] in blissful gardens; on esteemed thrones, facing each

other; glasses of a pure drink shall be served to them, [a drink] pure white,

an exquisite taste for those who would drink; In it shall neither be headiness

nor shall they lose their senses due to it.

In these verses, it is clearly stated that the ‘wine’ served in paradise

shall not cause loss of senses or consciousness and thus, shall be absolutely

clear of those effects, which render it prohibited and which renders its

drinking a ‘Satanic Deed’.

Furthermore, in Al-Waaqi`ah 56: 17 — 19, the Qur’an says:

Perpetually young boys shall be serving them goblets, beakers and glasses

of a [special kind of pure drink]; They shall neither suffer headaches nor

shall they lose their senses from it.

Thus, keeping all the stipulations of the Qur’an in perspective, the

complete information received may be represented thus:

• Liquor (wine) has been prohibited due to the potential effects that follow

  its consumption;

• Liquor, which is clear of all the negative potential effects, shall be

  served to the pious in Paradise.

Now, let the reader decide whether or not it is a case of contradictory

statements.

© Copyright January 2001. All Rights

Reserved with the Author