Surah Al Baqarah Tafseer

The Gradual Prohibition of Khamr (Alcoholic Drink)

Allah says;

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ قُلْ فِيهِمَا إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثْمُهُمَأ أَكْبَرُ مِن نَّفْعِهِمَا

They ask you (O Muhammad) concerning alcoholic drink and gambling.

Say:"In them is a great sin, and (some) benefits for men, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit."

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Maysarah said that;

Umar once said, "O Allah! Give us a clear ruling regarding Al-Khamr!" Allah sent down the Ayah of Surah Al-Baqarah:

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ قُلْ فِيهِمَا إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ

(They ask you (O Muhammad) concerning alcoholic drink and gambling. Say:"In them is a great sin...). Umar was then summoned and the Ayah was recited to him.

Yet, he still said, "O Allah! Give us a clear ruling regarding Al-Khamr."

Then, this Ayah that is in Surah An-Nisa' was revealed:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ لَا تَقْرَبُواْ الصَّلَةَ وَأَنتُمْ سُكَارَى

(O you who believe! Approach not As-Salah (the prayer) when you are in a drunken state), (4:43).

Then, when the prayer was called for, a person used to herald on behalf of Allah's Messenger, "No drunk person should attend the prayer."

Umar was summoned again and the Ayah was recited to him. Yet, he still said, "O Allah! Give us a clear ruling regarding Al-Khamr."

Then, the Ayah (5:91) that is in Surah Al-Ma'idah was revealed, Umar was again summoned and the Ayah was recited to him. When he reached:

فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّنتَهُونَ

(So, will you not then abstain) (5:91) he said, "We did abstain, we did abstain."

This is also the narration that Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i collected in their books.

Ali bin Al-Madini and At-Tirmidhi said that the chain of narrators for this Hadith is sound and authentic. We will mention this Hadith again along with what Imam Ahmad collected by Abu Hurayrah Allah's saying in Surah Al-Ma'idah:

إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالَانصَابُ وَالَازْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

Intoxicants and gambling, and Al-Ansab, and Al-Azlam are an abomination of Satan's handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful. (5:90)

Allah said:

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ

They ask you (O Muhammad) concerning alcoholic drinks and gambling.

As for Al-Khamr, Umar bin Khattab, the Leader of the faithful, used to say, "It includes all what intoxicates the mind."

We will also mention this statement in the explanation of Surah Al-Ma'idah, along with the topic of gambling.

Allah said:

قُلْ فِيهِمَا إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ

Say:In them is a great sin, and (some) benefits for men.

As for the harm that the Khamr and gambling cause, it effects the religion.

As for their benefit, it is material, including benefit for the body, digesting the food, getting rid of the excrements, sharpening the mind, bringing about a joyous sensation and financially benefiting from their sale.

Also, (their benefit includes) earnings through gambling that one uses to spend on his family and on himself. Yet, these benefits are outweighed by the clear harm that they cause which affects the mind and the religion.

This is why Allah said:

وَإِثْمُهُمَأ أَكْبَرُ مِن نَّفْعِهِمَا

but the sin of them is greater than their benefit.

This Ayah was the beginning of the process of prohibiting Khamr, not explicitly, but it only implied this meaning. So when this Ayah was recited to Umar, he still said, "O Allah! Give us a clear ruling regarding Al-Khamr."

Soon after, Allah sent down a clear prohibition of Khamr in Surah Al-Ma'idah:

يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالاٌّنصَابُ وَالاٌّزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَـنِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَـنُ أَن يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَأءَ فِى الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلَوةِ فَهَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُّنتَهُونَ

O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al-Ansab, and Al-Azlam are an abomination of Shaytan's handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful.

Shaytan wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from As-Salah (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain! (5:90-91)

We will mention this subject, by the will of Allah, when we explain Surah Al-Ma'idah.

Ibn Umar, Ash-Sha`bi, Mujahid, Qatadah, Ar-Rabi bin Anas and Abdur-Rahman bin Aslam stated that the first Ayah revealed about Khamr was:

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ قُلْ فِيهِمَا إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ

They ask you about Khamr and gambling. Say:"In them there is great sin."

Then, the Ayah in Surah An-Nisa was revealed (on this subject) and then the Ayah in Surah Al-Ma'idah which prohibited Khamr.

Spending whatever One could spare of his Money on Charity

Allah said:

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ قُلِ الْعَفْوَ

And they ask you what they ought to spend.

Say:"That which is (spare) beyond your needs."

Al-Hakam said that Miqsam said that Ibn Abbas said that this Ayah means,

whatever you can spare above the needs of your family.

This is also the opinion of Ibn Umar, Mujahid, Ata, Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Muhammad bin Ka`b, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Al-Qasim, Salim, Ata Al-Khurasani and Ar-Rabi bin Anas.

Ibn Jarir related that Abu Hurayrah said that a man said,

"O Messenger of Allah! I have a Dinar (a currency)."

The Prophet said:

أَنْفِقْهُ عَلى نَفْسِك

Spend it you on yourself.

He said, "I have another Dinar."

He said:

أَنْفِقْهُ عَلى أَهْلِك

Spend it on your wife.

He said, "I have another Dinar."

He said:

أَنْفِقْهُ عَلى وَلَدِك

Spend it on your offspring.

He said, "I have another Dinar."

He said:

فَأَنْتَ أَبْصَر

You have better knowledge (meaning how and where to spend it in charity).

Muslim also recorded this Hadith in his Sahih.

Muslim recorded that Jabir said that Allah's Messenger said to a man:

ابْدَأْ بِنَفْسِكَ فَتَصَدَّقْ عَلَيْهَا فَإِنْ فَضَلَ شَيْءٌ فَلَِهْلِكَ فَإِنْ فَضَلَ شَيْءٌ عَنْ أَهْلِكَ فَلِذِي قَرَابَتِكَ فَإِنْ فَضَلَ عَنْ ذِي قَرَابَتِكَ شَيْءٌ فَهكَذَا وَهكَذَا

Start with yourself and grant it some charity. If anything remains, then spend it on your family. If anything remains, then spend it on your relatives. If anything remains, then spend it like this and like that (i.e., on various charitable purposes).

A Hadith states:

ابْنَ ادَمَ إِنَّكَ أَنْ تَبْذُلَ الْفَضْلَ خَيْرٌ لَكَ وَأَنْ تُمْسِكَهُ شَرٌّ لَكَ وَلَا تُلَمُ عَلى كَفَاف

O son of Adam! If you spend whatever you can spare, it would be better for you; but if you keep it, it would be worse for you. You shall not be blamed for whatever is barely sufficient.

Allah said:

كَذَلِكَ يُبيِّنُ اللّهُ لَكُمُ الايَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ