"They Ask You About Wine and Gambling" — First Stage in the Prohibition Sequence
asbab
Level: intermediate
madani-events
as-087
يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلۡخَمۡرِ وَٱلۡمَيۡسِرِ قُلۡ فِيهِمَآ إِثۡمٌ كَبِيرٌ
— البقرة 219
Verse: "They ask you about wine and gambling — say: in them is great sin and benefits for people." (2:219)
Occasion (Sahih): Narrated from Ibn Abbas and Umar: when this verse was revealed Umar said: "O Allah, make clear to us about wine with a fully satisfying clarification." Then "do not approach prayer while intoxicated" was revealed; he said: "O Allah make it even clearer." Then "Satan only wants to sow enmity and hatred through wine and gambling" was revealed — Umar said: "We have stopped, our Lord, we have stopped."
Lesson: Three-stage prohibition: informing of sin, then prohibiting prayer while drunk, then total prohibition.
Source: Sunan Abi Dawud; Sunan Al-Tirmidhi (3049); Lubab Al-Nuqul
Question: How many stages did the prohibition of wine pass through and what is their order?
Answer: Three stages: (1) Al-Baqarah 219: great sin (2) An-Nisa 43: do not approach prayer while drunk (3) Al-Maidah 90: wine and gambling are filth — avoid it.