Wine in Qur’an: Forbidden or Not?

In a certain year, Mahdi Abbasi, one of the Abbasid caliphs, visited the city of Madinah. After paying his respects at the shrine of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), he arranged a meeting with Imam Musa al-Kazim (peace be upon him). During the gathering, Mahdi sought to challenge the Imam on a scholarly matter. He posed a question concerning the Islamic ruling on wine as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.

The Caliph’s Question on Wine in the Qur’an

He asked, “Is wine explicitly forbidden in the Qur’an? Many people are aware that the Qur’an speaks negatively of wine, but they are uncertain whether it is clearly prohibited.”

Imam al-Kazim (A.S.) responded, “Yes, wine is indeed explicitly forbidden in the Qur’an.”

Mahdi then pressed further, “Where exactly is this prohibition stated?”

Imam al-Kazim (as) Responds with Divine Knowledge

The Imam replied by citing the verse: “Say: My Lord has only forbidden indecencies—those that are outward and those that are hidden—and sin (ithm) and unjust oppression…” (Surah al-A‘raf, 7:33)

He explained, “In this verse, Allah has clearly forbidden ithm—sin. Now, consider another verse in the Qur’an: ‘They ask you concerning wine and gambling. Say: In them is great sin (ithm) and some benefit for people, but their sin is greater than their benefit.’ (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:219)

In this verse, wine is directly described as ithm. Therefore, by connecting both verses, it becomes clear that wine is among the things explicitly forbidden by Allah in the Qur’an, as it falls under the category of ithm.”

The Caliph Admits to Imam’s Superior Knowledge

Impressed by the Imam’s reasoning, Mahdi turned to one of those present and remarked, “By Allah, this is a true Hashimi Fatwa!”

The man replied, “All praise is due to Allah, who has placed such knowledge with you—the family of the Prophet [sawa].”

Although Mahdi tried to suppress his irritation, he could not conceal his displeasure at the man’s words. He responded curtly, “You are right, O Rafidi!”

(Source: al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 406)