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The question

Is drinking alcohol on special occasions only, and in a small amount that does not reach the point of intoxication, prohibited, taking into account that Allah Almighty said: "O you who have believed, indeed intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone altars [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may succeed," and He also said: "Approach not prayer while you are in a state of intoxication"?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The answer clarifies that the prohibition of alcohol (khamr) occurred in stages. The verse: [Do not approach prayer while you are in a state of drunkenness] (An-Nisa: 43) was a stage before the final prohibition, and people felt constrained because the time for drinking it was narrowed for them. The answer emphasizes the necessity of referring to scholars for understanding legal rulings and avoiding independent reasoning without knowledge, because that is speaking about Allah without knowledge, and among the things Allah has forbidden. It concludes by stating that all alcohol is forbidden, whether in large or small quantities, citing the Hadith: "Whatever intoxicates in large quantities, a small quantity of it is forbidden."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy