The Stages of the Prohibition of Intoxicants in the Qur'an

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The Shaykh : We say, yes, they drank it before it was prohibited, because intoxicants have four stages in the Qur'an: permissibility, warning without prohibition, prohibition at certain times, and absolute prohibition. These are four stages. What is the verse of permissibility? The verse of permissibility is the saying of Allah the Exalted:

And from the fruits of the palm trees and grapevines you take intoxicant and good provision

ومن ثمرات النخيل والأعناب تتخذون منه سكراً ورزقا حسناً

[An-Nahl 16:67]

The warning without prohibition is the saying of Allah the Exalted:

They ask you about wine and gambling. Say, "In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit."

يسألونك عن الخمر والميسر قل فيهما إثم كبير ومنافع للناس وإثمهما أكبر من نفعهما

[Al-Baqarah 2:219]

So the person of intellect, if he knows that their sin is greater than their benefit, will avoid them. The prohibition at certain times is the saying of Allah the Exalted:

O you who have believed, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying

يا أيها الذين آمنوا لا تقربوا الصلاة وأنتم سكارى حتى تعلموا ما تقولون

[An-Nisa 4:43]

This includes the prohibition of being intoxicated during prayer. The fourth is the final prohibition:

O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it

يا أيها الذين آمنوا إنما الخمر والميسر والأنصاب والأزلام رجس من عمل الشيطان فاجتنبوه

[Al-Ma'idah 5:90]

When the prohibition of intoxicants was revealed, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) hastened to comply, to the extent that the news reached a group of the Ansar while they were drinking and the cup was being passed among them. When the prohibition of intoxicants reached them, they went out with the containers of intoxicants to the markets, pouring them out in the markets and abandoning their consumption. This is because the Companions were the most people to comply with the command of Allah and His Messenger. So it was prohibited generally at all times, and people stopped this. However, despite that, intoxicants were consumed in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) after the prohibition.

Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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