Why Alcohol and Gambling is Not Forbidden in the Quran
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This short article will attempt to put an end to the questions and debates on this issue by analyzing the straightforward verses relating to alcohol and gambling in the Quran:
O you who believe: do not approach the duty/salat while you are intoxicated, until you know what you are saying. Nor if you have had intercourse, unless travelling, until you bathe. And if you are ill, or traveling, or one of you has excreted feces, or you had sexual contact with the women, and could not find water, then you shall select from the clean soil; you shall wipe your faces and hands. God is Pardoning, Forgiving. (4:43)
O you who believe: intoxicants, and gambling, and altars, and arrows of chance are tainted by the work of the devil. You shall avoid him so that you may be successful. (5:90)
They ask you about intoxicants and gambling. Say: “In them is great harm, and a benefit for the people; but their harm is greater than their benefit.” And they ask you how much are they to give, Say: “The excess.” It is thus that God clarifies for you the revelations that you may think. (2:219)
And from the fruits of the palm trees and the grapes you make wine and a good provision. In that is a sign for a people who comprehend. (16:67)
Is the example of Paradise; that the righteous have been promised with rivers of pure water, and rivers of milk whose taste does not change, and rivers of wine that are delicious for the drinkers, and rivers of strained honey, and for them in it are all kinds of fruits, and a forgiveness from their Lord; like that of those who abide in the Fire, and are given to drink boiling water that cuts-up their intestines? (47:15)
The usual arguments presented on this subject are listed below with their relevant responses:
Argument #1: Alcohol and gambling are "haram/forbidden".
This statement is usually uttered by followers of the hadith with no ability to provide direct evidence from the Quran. This statement is based on no knowledge or research as the Quran is very explicit in the items that are haram (see verse 5:3 for an example of how forbidden items are directly stated).
When confronted with obvious contradictions to their statement such as the verse (see 4:43) stating that the duty/salat is not to be approached if a person is intoxicated, they will go into a spin that alcohol was permitted at the beginning of the Quran's revelation as God did not want to scare people away from the "new religion" (God had no problem ripping the very fabric of their religious and political lives, but did not want to upset people by taking away their drink!). Ultimately, when this "new religion" was finally established, God went ahead and forbade it.
Argument #2: God tells us that alcohol and gambling are "to be avoided" which is far stronger than being "haram/forbidden".
This statement, although wrong, is somewhat creative. The debaters have decided to create a new category called "stronger than being forbidden" and they base their view on verse 5:90 which they claim God tells people to "avoid" alcohol/gambling and therefore this is more powerful than being forbidden as you have to make a conscious effort to even get out of places and situations where alcohol and/or gambling are present.
SHAKIR: O you who believe! intoxicants and games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (dividing by) arrows are only an uncleanness (Rijs), the Shaitan's work; shun it therefore that you may be successful. (5:90)
Why is this argument wrong?Simply because the verse being quoted and used as evidence has been mistranslated.
The word in question is the Arabic "faijtanibuh". Nearly all translators (and even Arabic speakers) automatically relate this word (which means: "avoid / stay-away") as addressing the subject of alcohol and gambling quoted in the beginning of 5:90. What is obvious to a careful reader is that the wording ends with the "H" which is in Arabic called "dhameer" and is referring to a singular.
Now, the verse in question has two singular items that it may be referring to:
1. Rijs/Uncleanness
2. Satan
While the majority have obviously selected the "Rijs" to support their theory of alcohol/gambling being avoided, the verse is correctly referring to the Devil "Shaitan" as can be seen in the very next verse:
The devil only wants to cause strife between you through intoxicants and gambling, and to repel you away from remembering God and from the duty/salat. Will you be deterred? (5:91)
The correct translation therefore becomes:
O you who believe: intoxicants, and gambling, and altars, and arrows of chance are tainted by the work of the devil. You shall avoid him so that you may be successful. (5:90)
Argument #3: Alcohol and gambling are "ithm" (sin) and "ithm" has been forbidden.This argument is based on verses 2:219 and 7:33.As with point #2, this argument is not valid based on a simply study of the Quranic text.
While "ithm/sin" is indeed clearly forbidden in 7:33, the verse linking alcohol and gambling with "ithm" is saying "fihima ithm" ("in them is ithm") and not they are "ithm". Thus, alcohol and gambling themselves are not "ithm", but may be used in a way that produces "ithm" (which is in-line with the previous point that the devil uses these tools against people). In essence, what the Qur'an is saying here is that the drinking of alcohol is not a sin in itself, but can easily lead to sin.
HARM OR SIN?
They ask you about intoxicants and gambling. Say: “In them is great harm, and a benefit for the people; but their harm is greater than their benefit.” And they ask you how much are they to give, Say: “The excess.” It is thus that God clarifies for you the revelations that you may think. (2:219)
It is worth mentioning here that the word "harm" has been replaced as "sin" by the promoters of the religion of "Islam". It is really a mind-boggling issue whether the word "sin" is an appropriate opposite of "benefit"?
Philologists or the experts of languages tell us that they find groups of languages that have similar root words and similar ways of expressing the same idea. They, however, find in other areas of languages, an altogether different grammatical scheme. With all these linguistic characteristics, the antonyms or the opposite words of all languages are the same. For instance the opposite of 'good' is 'bad' and definitely not 'dog'. Thus, when the opposite of 'benefit' is arbitrarily made to mean 'sin', question arises as to the credence to the interpretation and its validity.
Despite having total absence of the fear of hellfire and prohibitive connotation, it is really a thought provoking question: Why alcohol is known as a prohibited (haram) drink by God? Perhaps, the answer is not apparent, rather buried under the rubbles of historical antiquities.
Unlike today, access to the Quran was limited to a few people in the early days because of the absence of paper and printing press. Paper, though an ancient commodity in China, came to the Arab's hand and subsequently to the West only during the tenth century. And not until Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century, the mass production of any book was feasible, including the Quran.
Obviously, those religious elite, possessing copies of the Quran in parchment with golden calligraphy, had no rival in challenging their marinated interpretation, with their own recipe. Over the years, the unchallenged interpretations got ingrained in the religious belief and kept passing from generations to generations.
Unfortunately, that's the way the Quranic verses have been interpreted, translated and propagated. In other words, the Quranic interpreters had to bend linguistic rules to suit the whim of Islam's promoters during those early days, closer to 300 years after Prophet Muhammad.
It's ironic that wine has always been a normal beverage during the time of the prophets prior to Muhammad. Wine was a significant item when Jesus was having his last supper with his twelve disciples. Even one of his miracles involved the making of wine for the guests in a party. In fact, the use of wine could be traced in the Old Testament to all the notable prophets including Moses, David and Solomon.
The Quran tells us that wine is one of the significant attributes and rewards in heaven. Yet the early Imams arbitrarily made it a forbidden drink despite the fact that neither the word, 'forbidden', nor the warning of 'hellfire' relates to alcohol in the verses of the Quran.
Presumably, it is a high time for rational believers to ponder and read the verses of the Quran for themselves instead of relying solely on the hearsay. After all, God has declared the Quran as:
"A Qur'an in Arabic, without any crookedness, that they may be righteous." (39:28)
Could the Quran then be so complicated? Have the "Muslims" not been assured in the very preamble of Surah Al-Baqarah that the Quran is a "guidance"?
Taken advantage of by the ill-educated mullahs, misinterpreting the message of the Quran for political and military purposes, the Muslims today are a backwards people with nothing to offer to the rest of the world.
CONCLUSION
Nowhere does God forbid alcohol and gambling in the Quran.
God informs us that the duty/salat is not to be approached while intoxicated. This nullifies the "haram" argument in its infancy.
The verse used most to outlaw alcohol and gambling speaks of the "devil" and that he should be avoided.
The only restriction found in the Quran when it comes to alcohol, is to avoid the duty/salat if intoxicated.
Below is a summary of what God told us in the Qur'an about alcohol:
- Alcohol has benefits but it's harmful effects outweigh it's benefits (2:219).
- People can make a lawful trade from alcohol (16:67).
- If a person is intoxicated, he or she should avoid the duty/salat (4:43).
- The devil will attempt to utilize our consumption of alcohol in a negative way, so be extra careful from this potential weakness (5:90-91).
- In paradise we will also have alcohol, but without the negative side-effects/risks (47:15).