Bulugh al-Maram

The questioner : What is the meaning of the statement, "Whatever intoxicates in large quantity, a small amount of it is forbidden"? I took it. My dear. That is enough. It does not contradict. Yes, indeed. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified in a great principle that khamr (intoxicants) intoxicates in large quantity, so a small amount of it is haram (forbidden). For example, if a person drinks, say, five liters of khamr and it intoxicates him, then one liter is haram. One liter. Who wants to buy a law? Five bags or one bag? There is a statement in it.

The Shaykh : In any case, we are speaking here in terms of exaggeration. That is to say, if he drank five bags and it intoxicated him, then a handful is haram. Why? Because it is haram in its essence. No, if he drank a small amount that does not intoxicate at all, it is normal. This is to block the means (sadd al-dhara'i'). Let them have the principle that whatever the soul is inclined toward, the Lawgiver forbids every means leading to it, even if it is distant. Look, for example, at riba (usury or interest), look at zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), look at drinking khamr. Everything that souls are inclined toward, the Lawgiver surrounds it with a distant barrier so that people do not graze freely in it. Yes, very well.

The questioner : Does the hadith include the case where a small amount of khamr is mixed with water such that it has no effect?

The Shaykh : It is not included, correct? Because when the effect of the khamr is gone and it is submerged in what it is mixed with, it has no effect at all, unless the hadith applies to it, meaning that if you increased it, you would become intoxicated. That is, if a person increased it, he would become intoxicated.