Why drinking is prohibited in Islam?

Sources

• ✓ 2:219 · Al-Baqara

  2:219 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  ۞ يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْخَمْرِ وَٱلْمَيْسِرِ ۖ قُلْ فِيهِمَآ إِثْمٌۭ كَبِيرٌۭ وَمَنَٰفِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثْمُهُمَآ أَكْبَرُ مِن نَّفْعِهِمَا ۗ وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ قُلِ ٱلْعَفْوَ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ

  They question thee about strong drink and games of chance. Say: In both is great sin, and (some) utility for men; but the sin of them is greater than their usefulness. And they ask thee what they ought to spend. Say: that which is superfluous. Thus Allah maketh plain to you (His) revelations, that haply ye may reflect.

• ✓ 5:90 · Al-Maaida

  5:90 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا ٱلْخَمْرُ وَٱلْمَيْسِرُ وَٱلْأَنصَابُ وَٱلْأَزْلَٰمُ رِجْسٌۭ مِّنْ عَمَلِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ فَٱجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

  O ye who believe! Strong drink and games of chance and idols and divining arrows are only an infamy of Satan's handiwork. Leave it aside in order that ye may succeed.

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 5:90

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 5:90

  Allah Almighty prohibits His believing servants from engaging in drinking wine (al-khamr) and gambling (al-maysir), the latter being a form of games of chance or betting. Regarding the term "maysir" (gambling), it is narrated from the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib, that chess (shatranj) is considered part of maysir. This was reported by Ibn Abi Hatim from his father and a chain leading to Ali. Ibn Abi Hatim also transmitted from Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Ahmasi through a series of scholars that anything involving gambling is included under maysir, even children playing with nuts or shells for stakes. Similarly, it is reported from Rashid ibn Sa'd and Hamza ibn Habib that even children's play objects such as knucklebones, nutshells, and eggs used in children’s games were counted among games of chance. Musa ibn Uqbah narrated from Nafi‘ ibn Umar that all gambling (maysir) is essentially similar to qimar (gambling). The commentator Ad-Dahhak, narrating from Ibn Abbas, explained that maysir means qimar; people used to gamble in the pre-Islamic period until Islam forbade such harmful and immoral practices. Malik, from Dawud ibn Al-Husayn, heard Said ibn Al-Musayyib say that the pre-Islamic Arabs used to play maysir by exchanging meat for sheep and goats. Al-Zuhri, transmitting from Al-A‘raj, said that maysir and "darab bil-qidah" referred to striking or casting lots over wealth and crops. Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad defined maysir broadly as anything that distracts one from the remembrance of Allah and prayer. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Ahmad ibn Mansur al-Ramadi who heard that the Prophet ﷺ forbade certain marked dice which were considered part of maysir, likely referring to the game of backgammon (nard) mentioned elsewhere in authentic hadith, where playing it is severely condemned. Imam Ahmad narrated from Makki ibn Ibrahim, from Al-Ju‘ayd, from Musa ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Khatmi, who heard Muhammad ibn Ka‘b asking ‘Abd al-Rahman about the Prophet’s view on playing backgammon. ‘Abd al-Rahman said he heard the Prophet ﷺ say that the one who plays backgammon and then prays is like one who makes ablution with filth and pig's blood before prayer. Regarding chess, Abdullah ibn Umar said it is worse than backgammon, and Ali classified it as maysir. Malik, Abu Hanifa, and Ahmad explicitly considered it forbidden, while Shafi‘i disliked it. As for "al-ansab" (stakes or idols), Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Ata, Said ibn Jubayr, Al-Hasan, and others said these were stones near which people would make offerings or sacrifices. And "al-azlam" were arrows or darts used for decision-making or casting lots. Concerning the phrase "an-najas min 'amal ash-shaytan" (an abomination from the work of Satan), Ali ibn Abi Talhah, citing Ibn Abbas, explained it refers to a reprehensible act stemming from Satan’s mischief; Said ibn Jubayr called it a sin; Zayd ibn Aslam called it an evil. The command "fajtannibuhu" means leave this abomination, with a promise of success if He obeys. Then Allah states that Satan aims through wine and gambling to sow enmity and hatred among people and to divert them from remembrance and prayer — a threatening warning. Regarding the prohibition of wine, Imam Ahmad narrates that it was forbidden in three stages: first, the verse in Surah Al-Baqarah (They ask you about wine and gambling; say, 'In them is great sin and some benefit for people'), which made people aware of its harm but allowed its consumption; later, a stricter verse forbade praying while intoxicated; finally, the verse in Surah Al-Ma'idah prohibitied wine and gambling outright, labeled as abomination from the work of Satan, and commanded avoidance. The companions accepted this law and obeyed strictly, even destroying remaining wine and gambling equipment in cities, as narrated by many, including incidents where some warriors had drunk wine before battle and were martyred, clarifying that those who believe and do good are not blamed for what they consumed before the prohibition. There are detailed hadiths showing that the Prophet ﷺ prohibited not only drinking but also serving, selling, producing, transporting, or benefiting from wine, and cursed all involved. It is narrated that former forbidden practices like melting animal fats to trade them were compared to selling wine, which was similarly forbidden. Messengers to the Prophet brought wine as gifts before prohibition, and he ordered it to be sold off or destroyed afterwards. The hadith literature contains severe warnings against those who indulge repeatedly in drunkenness and neglect prayer, including metaphoric punishment in the Hereafter. Many narrations exist about the stages of prohibition, the practical response of the companions, the communal destruction of wine, and directives to eradicate this sin from society. Also mentioned is the point that the price of wine (money gained from selling it) is forbidden, and it cannot be returned or traded. The cumulative evidence - Qur'anic verses, prophetic sayings, and the practices of the Sahabah - establishes the prohibition of alcohol and gambling, their evil consequences, and the comprehensive scope of this prohibition including all related dealings. Allah knows best.