Why alcohol is prohibited in Islam?
In Islam, the prohibition on intoxicants including alcohol is well known. However, sometimes there are debates in the Muslim world into whether some small quantities of intoxicants may be deemed acceptable as long it does not lead to intoxication. But what does the Qur'an actually tell us on the prohibition of alcohol and what are the reasons for it being labelled as haram.
Sin is always prohibited
Before we look at intoxicants, we must first understand the concept of sin. The Qur'an orders believers to "...leave alone, publicly and privately, that which is a sin..." (6:120). This command is not to be taken lightly as the Qur'an says "...those who earn sin will be punished for what they have taken" (6:120). This means anything which is declared a sin must be abandoned in its entirety without any exceptions.
Some examples of sin other than intoxicants include:
- eating haram foods
- altering a will "...after having heard it..." (2:181)
- not writing a contract "... if you borrow for a future period..." (2:282)
- "...consuming money illicitly..." (5:62 and 5:63)
Intoxicants are sinful
When it comes to intoxicants and gambling, the Qur'an instructs Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) to declare that "...in them is
much sin, and a benefit for the people; but their sin is greater than
their benefit..." (2:219). The Qur'an acknowledges that people may perceive benefits in intoxication such as for social cohesion or for relaxation, but the Qur'an explicitly makes it clear that no amount of perceived benefit could ever come close to the weight of the sin.
Having being made aware of the sins of intoxication, if people were to continue with intoxicants, then they "..."...will be punished for what they have taken" (6:120).
Once the Qur'an has identified intoxicants as having ...in them is much sin..." (2:219), the ruling becomes immediate and known to the believers as haram. The excuse of ignorance is no longer valid as Allah will only forgive those who "...do not persist in what
they have done while they know" (3:135) because "repentance is only for those who commit a sin out of ignorance and then repent soon after..." (4:17).
If nothing else had been revealed after the Qur'an had stated "...in them is much sin, and a benefit for the people; but their sin is greater than their benefit..." (2:219), no person would have been able to conclude thereafter that intoxicants were somehow still permissible.
Work of the devil
Even after making intoxicants haram, the Qur'an does not stop there as it reinforces the severity of the sin. The Qur'an identifies the source of the sin as Satan himself and intoxicants are considered something impure. The Qur'an mentions intoxicants amongst other things as being "...made foul by the work of the devil..." (5:90). This puts on the same uncleanliness standard as "...gambling, and altars, and
arrows of chance..." (5:90), "...meat of pig—for it is foul..." (6:145) and the "...foulness of idols..." (22:30) and by extension describing "...the polytheists are impure..." (9:28).
Allah had already warned our father Adam to beware of Satan when He said "... that the devil is your clear enemy..." (7:22). The Qur'an then goes on to warns the believers to "... not follow in the footsteps of the devil. He is to you a clear enemy" (2:168, 2:208 and 6:142), "...he is to you a clear enemy" (43:62) and states "...whoever takes the devil as a supporter other than Allah, then he has indeed lost a great loss" (4:119).
However, we must recognise the determination of Satan to mislead humanity when he told Allah "...I will come to them from between their hands, and from behind them, and from their right, and from their left..." (7:17) and "...will stalk for them on Your straight path" (7:16).
Use of intoxicants is one of Satan's methods to take people away from the straight path. The Qur'an tells us clearly that when it comes to intoxicants specifically, "...the devil only wants to cause strife between you through intoxicants..." (5:91). as well as "...to turn you away from remembering
Allah and from the salat..." (5:91).
Even small quantities of alcohol which may not necessarily lead to intoxication are haram because Allah does not tell us to just avoid the intoxicant, but also to avoid the source, when the Qur'an states "...you shall avoid him so that you may be successful" (5:90).
Sabotage of salat
One of the conditions of offering salat is to be aware of what is being said in it. Intoxication is such a grave sin that it introduces the concept of compounding sin. The initial act of consuming an intoxicant is one sin, but it guarantees a second more severe sin, which is the failure to perform salat correctly or at its prescribed time.
The Qur'an warns "...do not come near the salat while you
are intoxicated, until you know what you are saying..." (4:43). Not being aware in salat is one of the key traits of the hypocrites who when offering salat, "...they do not remember Allah except very little" (4:142) or those in "...their salat they are absent minded" (107:5).
Therefore, intoxication directly fulfils Satan's stated goal which is "...to turn you away from remembering Allah and from the salat..." (5:91) making it a perfect tool for his sabotage.
Conclusion
The Qur'an presents intoxicants as prohibited at all times without concession. It is one of Satan's tools to mislead humanity from the straight path through causing enmity between people and to forget the remembrance of Allah. One of the key conditions of success is to avoid Satan entirely and one way is to reject intoxications in all its forms.