And how it veils the mind, meaning what affects the state of pleasure and delight; this is the khamr.
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The Shaykh : He said: “From Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: Sahih al-Bukhari 6034” Khamr is everything that veils the mind, as the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), declared. He said: “Khamr is what veils the mind”, meaning: covers it. And how does it veil the mind? It is what affects the state of pleasure and delight. This is khamr. When a person consumes it, he becomes intoxicated, experiences a high, and imagines himself to be a king or better than a king. This is khamr. However, if it covers the mind in a way that causes drowsiness and lack of sensation, this is not khamr, and its drinker is not punished with the punishment of a khamr drinker. Khamr is forbidden by the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Muslims, and its prohibition is known by necessity from the religion of Islam. For this reason, the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) said: Whoever denies its prohibition while living among the Muslims is an apostate from Islam, because he has denied what is known by necessity from the religion. And whoever denies what is known from the religion by necessity becomes an apostate, just as if he denied the prohibition of zina or the obligation of the five prayers, or the like. It is forbidden by the Book, the Sunnah, and consensus. Likewise, observation and reason require that it be forbidden because it associates its owner with whom? With the insane, may Allah protect us. For this reason, he divorces his wives, and perhaps he kills his children, and perhaps he commits indecency with his family. I read many years ago in a magazine—I do not like to mention where it is published—that a young man entered upon his mother at one o’clock in the night and tried to seduce her, wanting to commit indecency with her, may Allah protect us. She refused him, so he took a knife and threatened, saying: “If you do not allow me to have you, I will kill myself.” Compassion overcame her, so she allowed him to have her, may Allah protect us. He committed zina with her, may Allah protect us. When morning came, as if his conscience alerted him to it, he came to his mother and said to her: “O my mother, did I do such and such?” She said: “No,” out of fear for him. He swore to her that she must tell him, so she told him. Then he left her, took a can of gasoline, entered the bathroom, poured it on himself, and burned himself, may Allah protect us. So look: he drank khamr, committed zina with his mother, and in the end, killed himself. For this reason, it is called in the hadith the mother of all evils and the key to every evil. So reason supports the Shari'ah in forbidding khamr. But people had become accustomed to it before its prohibition. They became accustomed to it by Allah making it lawful, where He said, Blessed and Exalted is He: [An-Nahl 16:67] The intoxicant: the pleasure of intoxication. A good provision: by its sale, purchase, transport, and the like. This indicates that it was what? Lawful by explicit text. Then Allah the Exalted hinted at the prohibition of it, saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:219] When Allah the Blessed and Exalted said this, the sensible person will what? Avoid it. As long as their sin is greater than their benefit, the sensible person does not commit the greater sin for a lesser benefit. This is one stage. The third stage: Allah the Exalted said: [An-Nisa 4:43] And up to here, it is possible that it is explanatory and it is possible that it is purposive. The meaning is: do not approach it until you are sober. This, if it is?
The student: Purposive.
The Shaykh : Purposive, or explanatory. We only forbade you that so that you may know what you are saying in your prayer. It is suitable for this and that. If the Muslims comply with this and comply, and praise be to Allah, they will spend a large part of their time not drinking khamr. How many times is the prayer?
The student: Five.
The Shaykh : Five times. He needs to refrain from khamr before the time enters for a period in which he can become sober. This is the third stage. The fourth is in Surat al-Ma'idah, and it is among the last things revealed, and there is nothing in it that is abrogated at all. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:90] And look at the explanation: when He commanded avoiding it, He clarified what follows from it, which is success. And success is a comprehensive word for attaining what is desired and removing what is disliked. [Al-Ma'idah 5:91] What did the Companions say in answer to this interrogative? They said: We have stopped. This is if we make it an interrogative meaning “let them stop.” But if we make it an interrogative meaning a command, the meaning is: so stop, like His saying, the Exalted: [Al-Anbya 21:108] Meaning: so submit to Him. In any case, khamr is forbidden by consensus. Khamr can be turned into vinegar either by processing or by itself. If it turns into vinegar by itself, it is lawful according to the majority of scholars, even according to those who say that transformation does not purify; they hold that if khamr turns into vinegar by itself, it becomes pure. If it is turned into vinegar by treatment done by a human after it has fermented, this is a point of disagreement among scholars. Some said: If it is vinegar made by a vinegar-maker, there is no harm, because if we forbade the vinegar-maker from making vinegar, a lot of his money would be lost, so it is permissible for him to make it into vinegar out of necessity, meaning the necessity of preserving what?
The student: His money.
The Shaykh : His money. Do you know who the vinegar-maker is?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : The seller of vinegar, who makes and sells vinegar. And if it is not a vinegar-maker, and this is after it was khamr, then it is not lawful. Likewise, some scholars said: If it is turned into vinegar by someone for whom it is lawful to drink it in his religion, then it is lawful for others, even if the other does not consider it lawful in his religion. For example, if a Jew or a Christian turns it into vinegar, it is permissible for Muslims to drink this vinegar, because the one who turned it into vinegar is from those who consider it lawful in his religion. Okay, but if it is turned into vinegar before it ferments, by adding something sour or pure vinegar before it ferments, then this is lawful by consensus and there is no doubt in it. And the question is the question of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about khamr after it is turned into vinegar: “Is it made into vinegar?” He said: “No.” But if something is put in it before its fermentation, then there is no harm with it by agreement of the scholars, like putting on it the sour thing that prevents its fermentation. But what is the sign of khamr? The sign of khamr is that when it reaches a certain point, it starts to foam and rise, and it has foam, until perhaps half the vessel is near the fullness of the vessel. This is the sign of khamr. The summary: We say, if it turns into vinegar by itself, what is the ruling? It is pure and lawful. Some reported this as consensus, even according to those who say that impurity does not become pure by transformation. If it is turned into vinegar by the action of a human, then here are sections: First, that the one who turns it into vinegar is a vinegar-maker such that if he did not do it, he would be harmed. Some scholars hold that this is permissible. Second: that the one who turns it into vinegar is from those who consider it lawful for him in his religion, like a Christian or a Jew who turns khamr into vinegar. This is permissible, meaning it is permissible for a Muslim to drink it, because the action is authorized according to what? According to the Shari'ah of the one who turned it into vinegar. So I, as a Muslim, it reached me and it is? And it is vinegar, lawful, so it is not forbidden.
Third: If it is turned into vinegar by one for whom it is not lawful to turn it into vinegar, and he is a Muslim. We said if it is before it ferments, there is no harm. And if it is after, it is forbidden. However, I saw some, but I do not remember their names, that if a Muslim turns it into vinegar, it is lawful and pure, and the forbidden thing is his action. But it in itself and in its reality now is pure, there is nothing in it, pure and not intoxicating. But this is questionable regarding the authenticity of the hadith, and the rest of the discussion on it will come, if Allah wills.
Narrated Jabir: Never was the Prophet (ﷺ) asked for a thing to be given for which his answer was 'no'.
سئل النّبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عن الخمر تتخذ خلًّا؟And from the fruits of the palm trees and grapevines you take intoxicant and good provision
ومن ثمرات النّخيل والأعناب تتّخذون منه سكرًا ورزقًا حسنًاThey 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 نفعهماO you who have believed, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying
يا أيّها الذين آمنوا لا تقربوا الصّلاة وأنتم سكارى حتى تعلموا ما تقولونThe student: Purposive.
The Shaykh : Purposive, or explanatory. We only forbade you that so that you may know what you are saying in your prayer. It is suitable for this and that. If the Muslims comply with this and comply, and praise be to Allah, they will spend a large part of their time not drinking khamr. How many times is the prayer?
The student: Five.
The Shaykh : Five times. He needs to refrain from khamr before the time enters for a period in which he can become sober. This is the third stage. The fourth is in Surat al-Ma'idah, and it is among the last things revealed, and there is nothing in it that is abrogated at all. Allah the Exalted said:
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 that you may be successful.
يا أيها الذبن آمنوا إنّما الخمر والميسر والأنصاب والأزلام رجس من عمل الشيطان فاجتنبوه لعلّكم تفلحونSatan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist?
إنّما يريد الشّيطان أن يوقع بينكم العداوة والبغضاء في الخمر والميسر ويصدّكم عن ذكر الله وعن الصّلاة فهل أنتم منتهونSay, "It is only revealed to me that your god is but one God; so will you be Muslims [in submission to Him]?"
قل إنّما يوحى إليّ أنّما إلهكم إله واحد فهل أنتم مسلمونThe student: His money.
The Shaykh : His money. Do you know who the vinegar-maker is?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : The seller of vinegar, who makes and sells vinegar. And if it is not a vinegar-maker, and this is after it was khamr, then it is not lawful. Likewise, some scholars said: If it is turned into vinegar by someone for whom it is lawful to drink it in his religion, then it is lawful for others, even if the other does not consider it lawful in his religion. For example, if a Jew or a Christian turns it into vinegar, it is permissible for Muslims to drink this vinegar, because the one who turned it into vinegar is from those who consider it lawful in his religion. Okay, but if it is turned into vinegar before it ferments, by adding something sour or pure vinegar before it ferments, then this is lawful by consensus and there is no doubt in it. And the question is the question of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about khamr after it is turned into vinegar: “Is it made into vinegar?” He said: “No.” But if something is put in it before its fermentation, then there is no harm with it by agreement of the scholars, like putting on it the sour thing that prevents its fermentation. But what is the sign of khamr? The sign of khamr is that when it reaches a certain point, it starts to foam and rise, and it has foam, until perhaps half the vessel is near the fullness of the vessel. This is the sign of khamr. The summary: We say, if it turns into vinegar by itself, what is the ruling? It is pure and lawful. Some reported this as consensus, even according to those who say that impurity does not become pure by transformation. If it is turned into vinegar by the action of a human, then here are sections: First, that the one who turns it into vinegar is a vinegar-maker such that if he did not do it, he would be harmed. Some scholars hold that this is permissible. Second: that the one who turns it into vinegar is from those who consider it lawful for him in his religion, like a Christian or a Jew who turns khamr into vinegar. This is permissible, meaning it is permissible for a Muslim to drink it, because the action is authorized according to what? According to the Shari'ah of the one who turned it into vinegar. So I, as a Muslim, it reached me and it is? And it is vinegar, lawful, so it is not forbidden.
Third: If it is turned into vinegar by one for whom it is not lawful to turn it into vinegar, and he is a Muslim. We said if it is before it ferments, there is no harm. And if it is after, it is forbidden. However, I saw some, but I do not remember their names, that if a Muslim turns it into vinegar, it is lawful and pure, and the forbidden thing is his action. But it in itself and in its reality now is pure, there is nothing in it, pure and not intoxicating. But this is questionable regarding the authenticity of the hadith, and the rest of the discussion on it will come, if Allah wills.