In one of his articles
Mr. Jochen Katz has pointed out a contradiction in 2:219, 5:90, and 47:15 and
83:22, 25.
2:219 reads as:
They ask you
about [drinking] wine and gambling. Say: ‘Both these are great sins and [yet]
have few benefits for people; and the sin of the two is greater than their
benefits’. (2:219)
5:90 reads as:
Believers,
[drinking] wine, gambling, [animals sacrificed at] shrines and [food distributed
by] raffling through arrows are all unclean, satanic deeds; therefore refrain
from them so that you may be successful [in the test of this life]. (5:90)
47:15 reads as:
The parable of Paradise, which the God-fearing are
promised: In it are rivers of incorruptible water, rivers of milk of which the
taste never deteriorates, rivers of wine of joyous taste for the drinkers, and
rivers of clear and pure honey. In it, shall they be bestowed all kinds of
fruits and [complete] forgiveness from their Lord. Are they like him who is to
dwell forever in fire and shall be given boiling water, which shall cut-up their
bowels? (47:15)
83:22-26 reads as:
The faithful
shall indeed be in blessings watching from their esteemed thrones; You shall
recognize from their faces the sparkle of bliss; They shall be given to drink
from exquisite, sealed wine – sealed with musk – for this [life of bliss] should
the aspirants aspire. (83:22-6)
It is clear that according to the first two cited verses,
wine is forbidden by the Qur’ān, while according to the third and the fourth
verse, it shall be served to the pious in the Hereafter. According to Mr Katz,
it is either that 1) during the life of this world, Muslims have been forbidden
something which is good enough to be served in Paradise, or 2) something, which
is evil enough to be termed as ‘Satan’s handiwork’ in the life of this world is
not only allowed but also provided in overflowing quantities – as is evidenced
by the phrase ‘rivers of wine…’ – in Paradise.
Two aspects inherent in these verses, if properly
understood, should adequately answer the questions voiced by Mr Katz. Firstly,
the reason due to which liquor -- intoxicants -- is prohibited by the Sharī‘ah;
Secondly, the quality of wine that the pious would be served in Paradise.
It is quite clear from the first cited verse that the
reason for the prohibition of liquor is due to the potential effects it entails.
The words ‘the sin of the two is greater than their benefits
’ clearly point toward the fact that the reason for the prohibition of drinking
liquor and gambling is the potential moral vice (sin) involved in them.
Explaining the potential moral vice (sin) involved in intoxicants, I had stated
in response to a related question:
Man has been
bestowed an exalted position over that of most of the other creatures of God
only because of his faculties of reasoning, understanding and thoughtfulness.
These are the very faculties which have produced the tremendous speed and amount
of development in human life over centuries, as compared to that of other
creatures inhabiting the earth. These are the very faculties on the basis of
which man has developed systems of education, economics, politics and all other
spheres relating to his collective life. And these are the faculties on the
basis of which humans shall be held accountable for their good and bad deeds on
the Day of Judgment. Thus, anything that has even the minutest of potentials of
rendering these human faculties ineffective actually has the potential of
reducing a human being to a level far below that which his Creator has liked for
him. We all know that ‘Khamr’ has this potential and is therefore prohibited in
the Islamic Sharī‘ah.
Elaborating further on the same point, I subsequently wrote
in another one of my responses:
… Islam
prohibits intoxicants because of the potential affect that such intoxicants may
have on human intellect, the human faculty of reasoning and human conscience and
consciousness.
As we know,
according to Islam, the life of this world is a trial and test for man. We are
being tested intellectually -- whether or not we behave as true seekers of the
truth as well as in our general behavior -- whether or not we act according to
what we hold to be right. We, as human beings, qualify for this test because of
our intellect, our faculty of reasoning and our conscience and consciousness.
All such things that temporarily or permanently deprive us of these distinctive
qualities that our Creator has bestowed upon us are actually a refusal to take
and face the test of life. They are actually a self-imposed disqualification
from taking the test in which our Lord – in His absolute wisdom and mercy – has
put us. All such things, in other words, are in effect a refusal to take the
test, which our Lord has decided for us to take and are therefore, not allowed
by the Islamic Sharī‘ah.
Thus, it is clear that the reason for the prohibition of
intoxicants in the Sharī‘ah is their potential effect on the stated human
faculties and the potential consequences of these effects.
Keeping the stated reason for the prohibition of
intoxicants in perspective, it is clear that the consumption of all such
beverages that produce the effects, due to which intoxicants have been
prohibited by the Sharī‘ah should be refrained from. On the contrary, the
consumption of all such beverages, which do not produce the stated undesired
effects, should obviously not be considered prohibited. In other words, if it is
said that liquor is prohibited because it intoxicates the mind, it would
automatically follow that any drink (liquor) that does not intoxicate the mind
is not prohibited.
If the third and the fourth cited verses are taken
independent of the other stipulations of the Qur’ān regarding the ‘wine’ served
in Paradise, it would then have to be submitted that they contradict the first
two cited verses of the Qur’ān. However, if all the stipulations of the Qur’ān,
relating to the ‘wine’ served in Paradise are taken, as a whole, we see that the
Qur’ān has informed us about some of the important qualities of this wine. For
instance, in 76:21, the Qur’ān says:
Upon them shall be green silk and brocade garments and
they shall be adorned with bracelets of silver; their Lord having given them a
cleansed drink. (76:21)
It should be noted that the words ‘cleansed drink’ as used
in the Arabic language, clearly imply ‘cleansed from all vices’.
Then again in 37:43-7, the Qur’ān says:
[They shall
be] in blissful gardens; on esteemed thrones, facing each other; glasses of a
pure drink shall be served to them, [a drink] pure white, an exquisite taste for
those who would drink; In it shall neither be heaviness nor shall they lose
their senses due to it. (37:43-7)
In these verses, it is clearly stated that the ‘wine’
served in Paradise shall not cause loss of senses or consciousness and thus,
shall be absolutely clear of those effects, which render it prohibited and which
renders its drinking a ‘Satanic Deed’.
Furthermore, the Qur’ān says:
Perpetually
young boys shall be serving them goblets, beakers and glasses of a [special kind
of pure drink]; They shall neither suffer headaches nor shall they lose their
senses from it. (56:17-19)
Thus, keeping all the stipulations of the Qur’ān in
perspective, the complete information received may be summarized thus:
-
Liquor (wine) has been prohibited due to the potential
effects that follow its consumption;
-
Liquor, which is clear of all the negative potential
effects, shall be served to the pious in Paradise.
Now, let the reader decide whether or not it is a case of
contradictory statements.
Courtesy: ‘Understanding-Islam’ (http://www.understanding-islam.com/articles/responses/wgob.htm)
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