The Nineteenth Deviation from the Sunnah: The Hadith (Every Intoxicant Is Forbidden)

The Shaykh : The hadith: They say, "No, not every intoxicant is forbidden; there is a distinction according to them." What is this distinction? They say, "If the intoxicant is from grapes, it is as in the hadith: But if it is from other than grapes, then only the amount that intoxicates is forbidden from it." This is a Zahirite view, not a modern one, but an old Zahirite view. It is not the Zahirite view of the Zahiris, but the Zahirite view of the Hanafis who oppose adhering to the apparent meaning. Thus, they have fallen into what is worse than what the people of the Zahir say. How can there be two intoxicating drinks? This is not permissible by Allah, one from grapes, and this is not permissible by Allah, from dates. You may drink as much as you wish from this, but do not get intoxicated. It is forbidden for you to take a sip from this. What is the difference? This is from grapes, and this is from other than grapes. It may be that this is more fermented than this, or that this is light and that one is heavy. It is not important. This is from grapes, so both its little and much are forbidden, and that is from other than grapes, so only the amount that intoxicates is forbidden from it.