Intoxicants المسكرات

When questioned about intoxicants and gambling, the Quran does not deny that people find some use in them, but establishes a strict calculus: 'There is great sin in both, and some benefit for people: the sin is greater than the benefit' (2:219). The text acknowledges the human cultivation of dates and grapes, noting that people derive both 'sweet juice and wholesome provisions' from their fruits (16:67). Yet it ultimately classifies intoxicating substances as agents that cloud the human intellect and fracture the community, requiring believers to abandon them entirely.

What is the harm in intoxicants?

Rather than focusing solely on physical health, the Quran highlights social and spiritual destruction. The text groups intoxicants with gambling, idolatrous practices, and divining with arrows, condemning all four as 'repugnant acts' and 'Satan’s doing' (5:90). The specific mechanism of harm is spelled out in the following verse: Satan uses intoxicants and gambling 'to incite enmity and hatred among you, and to stop you remembering God and prayer' (5:91). The defining characteristic of these forbidden substances is the loss of reason. As Ibn Adil notes (al-Lubab, 3/323), anything that 'removes the mind,' such as wine or henbane, falls under this classification. Because the text targets the intoxicating effect itself, Wahba al-Zuhayli points out (al-Tafsir al-Munir, 2/274) that the prohibition encompasses all intoxicants, regardless of the quantity consumed.

How did the restriction begin?

The verses demonstrate a practical progression in restricting these substances. Before the absolute prohibition was issued, believers were commanded: 'do not come anywhere near the prayer if you are intoxicated, not until you know what you are saying' (4:43). Because Muslims observe regular daily prayers, this requirement created continuous windows of required sobriety, making it practically impossible to remain in a state of intoxication. As al-Sha'rawi observes (Tafsir al-Sha'rawi, 4/2257), tying sobriety to the condition of prayer served as an early, structural mechanism to wean the community off intoxicants. The final revelation then shifted from conditional restriction to an urgent, absolute demand for cessation, asking directly: 'Will you not give them up?' (5:91).

How is wine described in the afterlife?

While earthly intoxicants are forbidden, wine appears in the text both as a reality of ancient royal courts and as a pure, heavenly reward. In the narrative of Joseph in prison, a young man asks for the interpretation of a dream where he is 'pressing grapes,' which Joseph explains means the man will survive and return to 'serve his master with wine' (12:36, 12:41). Beyond earthly courts, however, wine is promised to the pious in a perfected form, completely stripped of its destructive qualities. Believers are told they will be served a 'sealed nectar' (83:25) that causes no enmity or loss of reason.

This heavenly provision operates differently from the earthly substances described as Satan’s handiwork. The Quran paints a picture of a Garden where believers will find forgiveness from their Lord, alongside rivers of pure water, fresh milk, and clarified honey. Flowing among these are 'rivers of wine, a delight for those who drink,' an eternal reward positioned against the fate of those in the Fire, whose bowels are torn by boiling water (47:15).