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“Do not say, according to the falsehood your tongues utter: ‘This is lawful and this is forbidden,’ so as to invent lies about God. Truly, those who invent lies about God will not succeed.”

(Qur’an, an-Naḥl 16:116

This verse sets a methodological boundary that many religious systems quietly cross: the authority to declare ḥalāl and ḥarām belongs to revelation, not to tradition, not to preventive policy, not to pious fear. Any discussion about alcohol must begin here—because the central question is not “What do later jurists say?” but rather: Where does the Qur’an explicitly declare alcohol ḥarām?

The Non-Negotiable Principle: Ḥarām Is Not Invented

The Qur’an does not treat ḥalāl/ḥarām as a product of communal consensus or inherited religious culture. It treats them as claims about God—therefore, they require explicit textual warrant. When revelation uses a direct legal formula (e.g., “forbidden to you…”), the law is established. When revelation uses warning language, moral evaluation, or practical regulation, the text remains exactly that: warning, evaluation, regulation—not a legally binding blanket prohibition unless explicitly stated.

What Does “Ḥarām” Mean? Semitic Etymology (Not Theology)

The Arabic root ḥ-r-m (ح ر م) carries the sense of: to forbid; to make inviolable; to set apart as sacred/restricted. Across Semitic languages the core idea remains: a formal boundary is established. In practice, “ḥarām” is not merely “risky” or “morally discouraged”—it is a declared restriction.

Therefore the crucial test is simple: Does the Qur’an employ its explicit prohibition-formula for alcohol? The Qur’an repeatedly uses direct legal phrasing for certain prohibitions (food categories, sexual immorality, injustice). That direct “you are forbidden” formula is never used for alcohol.

Alcohol in the Qur’an: What the Text Actually Says

1) an-Naḥl 16:67 — Description, Not Legislation

“From the fruits of palm trees and grapes you take from it sakar and good provision.” (16:67)

Linguistically, the verse distinguishes two outcomes from the same source: sakar (an intoxicating product) and good provision. The verse does not call the intoxicating product ḥarām; it does not issue a legal ban. It describes human practice and contrasts outcomes. If alcohol were to be declared ḥarām “by essence,” this verse would be an obvious place to state it explicitly—yet it does not.

2) al-Baqara 2:219 — Ethical Evaluation

“In them is sin and benefit for people, but the sin is greater than the benefit.” (2:219)

The text acknowledges benefit and harm. This is an ethical weighing—not a legal prohibition formula. Importantly: the verse does not abolish the category of benefit; it prioritizes a moral warning.

3) an-Nisā’ 4:43 — Regulation of a State (Sukr), Not a Substance

“Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated (sukārā) until you know what you are saying.” (4:43)

The decisive focus is the state of impaired awareness. The Qur’an draws a line at the point where speech and understanding collapse: “until you know what you are saying.” A blanket “substance is ḥarām” reading would make this verse strangely redundant. Instead, the verse supports a consistent pattern: the moral/legal concern is intoxication (loss of clarity), not mere consumption.

4) al-Mā’ida 5:90–91 — The “Shayṭān Mechanism”: Conflict, Forgetfulness, Neglect

“Shayṭān only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling, and to avert you from the remembrance of God and from prayer. So will you not desist?” (5:91)

The verse itself explains its concern: animosity, hatred, forgetting God, neglecting prayer. These are the well-known outcomes of intoxication and addiction—social breakdown and spiritual neglect. The text frames alcohol as a channel through which destructive patterns operate. It does not say that a created liquid is an independent “evil creator-product.” It highlights a behavioral and spiritual mechanism.

Shayṭān: A Being, a Role, or a Pattern?

The term shayṭān is tied to the idea of rebellion and distancing—“the defiant one.” The Qur’an also speaks about “shayāṭīn” among humans and jinn (cf. 6:112), showing that “shayṭān” is not only a single entity but also a role/pattern of defiant, corrupting behavior.

Crucially: shayṭān does not create substances. Creation belongs to the Creator alone. Therefore, “work of shayṭān” in this context cannot mean “shayṭān created alcohol.” It means: intoxication is a pathway by which destructive impulses spread—conflict, hatred, forgetfulness, negligence. The Qur’an targets the impaired state and its outcomes.

Continuity with the Torah: Wine as Joy—Bound by Context

The Torah does not treat wine as an ontological evil. It can be part of celebration and gratitude:

“Buy whatever your soul desires… wine or strong drink… and you shall rejoice, you and your household.”

(Deuteronomy 14:26)

Yet the same biblical world draws functional boundaries: priests are restricted from drinking during sacred service (Leviticus 10:9), and the Nazirite vow can prohibit even grapes (Numbers 6)—not because grapes are “evil,” but because certain contexts demand maximum clarity and separation. This is the same logic found in Qur’an 4:43.

Wisdom Literature as a “Reality Check”: Proverbs & Psalms

1) Proverbs: The Issue Is Being Led Astray

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1)

This is not a blanket ban; it is a wisdom judgment: intoxication can corrupt judgment and behavior. Proverbs 23:31–35 warns against the seductive path of drinking that ends in distorted perception and loss of control. Proverbs 31:4–5 warns leaders against drinking lest they forget justice. Yet Proverbs 31:6 acknowledges a harsh reality: strong drink can be given to one in deep distress— which would be impossible language if wine were inherently “demonic.”

2) Psalms: Wine as Provision and Joy

Psalms speaks of wine as a sign of blessing and joy: “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” (Psalm 4:7) and “wine that gladdens the heart of man…” (Psalm 104:15). The biblical stance is balanced: wine can be gift; intoxication can be ruin.

This wisdom framework prevents two errors: (1) hedonism (“there is no danger”), and (2) dogmatism (“the substance is evil by essence”).

Where Tradition Crosses the Text

Traditional Islam commonly treats alcohol as an absolute legal ḥarām in any amount. That conclusion may be defended as a preventive social policy—yet it should not be presented as if the Qur’an itself stated it with explicit prohibition language.

When communities feel the tension between the Qur’an’s wording and later legal certainty, they often appeal to abrogation (naskh) as a rescue mechanism. But this creates a deeper problem: it can function as a theological tool to protect tradition rather than to submit to the text.

1) The Qur’an’s Own Boundary: The Messenger Follows Revelation

The Qur’an repeatedly states that the Messenger follows only what is revealed (cf. 6:50; 10:15). Therefore, attributing to the Messenger a final law that the Qur’an never states explicitly risks shifting authority from revelation to inherited doctrine.

2) Judgment by What Was Revealed

The Qur’an also warns against judging outside what God has revealed (cf. 5:44–47). Regardless of how one translates the labels (wrongdoers / transgressors / disbelievers), the principle stands: law must be anchored in revelation, not invented as if it were revelation. This returns us to the opening foundation: an-Naḥl 16:116.

Conclusion: Truth Remains Truth

The Qur’an does not declare alcohol ḥarām with its explicit prohibition formula. Instead, it consistently targets: intoxication (loss of clarity), social harm (animosity/hatred), and spiritual neglect (forgetfulness of God and prayer). The Torah, Proverbs, and Psalms present the same balanced logic: wine can be provision and joy; intoxication can be folly and ruin.

Therefore, a tradition that turns warnings and regulations into an absolute legal ban—then calls it “God’s law”— risks violating the very Qur’anic boundary that forbids inventing ḥarām.

Truth is truth. And light still shines in the dark.