يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلۡخَمۡرِ وَٱلۡمَيۡسِرِ ۖ قُلۡ فِيهِمَآ إِثۡمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَٰفِعُ لِلنَّاسِ
Occasion of Revelation (Hasan — Ahmad & Tirmidhi):
When the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Medina, he found people drinking wine and gambling. His companions — including Umar and Abu Musa — asked about their ruling. The first verse revealed was:
"They ask you about wine and gambling. Say: In them is great sin and some benefit for people" (2:219).
The Gradual Prohibition:
- Al-Baqarah 219: "great sin" — discouragement without explicit prohibition
- An-Nisa 43: "do not approach prayer while intoxicated" — prohibited at specific times
- Al-Maidah 90-91: "avoid it" — complete and final prohibition
Legislative wisdom: Gradual prohibition is one of the Quran's greatest legislative techniques — deep-rooted habits cannot be uprooted all at once.
Question: How many stages did the Quranic prohibition of wine go through? List them in order.
Answer: Three stages: (1) great sin (2:219) — (2) no prayer while intoxicated (4:43) — (3) avoid it completely (5:90)