An-Nawawi's Forty HadithHadith 46

Every intoxicant is forbidden

تحريم كل مسكر

Asked about drinks made from honey and barley, the Prophet ﷺ gave a rule for all of them: whatever intoxicates is forbidden, whatever it is made of.

Sahih

The hadith

كُلُّ مُسْكِرٍ حَرَامٌ

Narrated Abi Burda:That Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari said that the Prophet (ﷺ) had sent him to Yemen and he asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about certain (alcoholic) drink which used to be prepared there The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "What are they?" Abu Musa said, "Al-Bit' and Al-Mizr?" He said, "Al-Bit is an alcoholic drink made from honey; and Al-Mizr is an alcoholic drink made from barley." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "All intoxicants are prohibited

Reported by
al-Bukhari, Muslim
Added by
Ibn Rajab, completing the fifty of Jami' al-'Ulum wal-Hikam

Lessons

Ibn Rajab explains that wine was forbidden in stages, ending with 5:90-91, and that the Companions understood khamr as whatever covers the mind, not only drink from grapes. So every intoxicant is forbidden whatever its source, including those that appeared after the Prophet's ﷺ time, and so is a small amount of what intoxicates in quantity.

He notes that a group of Kufan scholars restricted the name to grape wine, and that the great majority, including Malik, ash-Shafi'i and Ahmad, held the general rule, which he supports. In practice: anything that takes away the mind is avoided, in small amounts or large, whatever it is called.

Evidence

Sahih

Sahih al-Bukhari 4343

Grades
GraderVerdict
al-BukhariSahih (included by al-Bukhari in his Sahih) (Sahih)
Full narration

حَدَّثَنِي إِسْحَاقُ، حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدٌ، عَنِ الشَّيْبَانِيِّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي بُرْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الأَشْعَرِيِّ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعَثَهُ إِلَى الْيَمَنِ، فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ أَشْرِبَةٍ تُصْنَعُ بِهَا، فَقَالَ ‏"‏ وَمَا هِيَ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ الْبِتْعُ وَالْمِزْرُ‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ لأَبِي بُرْدَةَ مَا الْبِتْعُ قَالَ نَبِيذُ الْعَسَلِ، وَالْمِزْرُ نَبِيذُ الشَّعِيرِ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ كُلُّ مُسْكِرٍ حَرَامٌ ‏"‏‏.‏ رَوَاهُ جَرِيرٌ وَعَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ عَنِ الشَّيْبَانِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي بُرْدَةَ‏.‏

Narrated Abi Burda:That Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari said that the Prophet (ﷺ) had sent him to Yemen and he asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about certain (alcoholic) drink which used to be prepared there The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "What are they?" Abu Musa said, "Al-Bit' and Al-Mizr?" He said, "Al-Bit is an alcoholic drink made from honey; and Al-Mizr is an alcoholic drink made from barley." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "All intoxicants are prohibited

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