Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: None of you should Call (grapes) karm, for the karm is a Muslim man, but call (grapes) garden of grapes (hada’iq al-a’nab).
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
The requirement of Islamic and religious honor is that improper words should not be uttered by a Muslim, especially when the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has prohibited them, as will also be mentioned in the following chapter.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 4974
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
This means that nothing except the heart of a Muslim—such as grapes, etc.—should be called "karam."
By bringing these hadiths, the purpose of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah is to show that the word "innama" in Arabic is used for restriction (hasr). So when it is said, "Innama al-karamu qalbu al-mu'min" (Indeed, the true nobility is the heart of the believer), it means that it is not correct to call anything other than the heart of the believer "karam."
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 6183
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
When Allah, the Exalted, declared alcohol (khamr) unlawful, He also prohibited those names which, when mentioned, would incite the desire for drinking alcohol.
In another hadith, this is further clarified: The name of a believer in the previous scriptures is "Karam" (noble/grapevine), because Allah, the Exalted, granted him superiority and honor over all creation. However, you people call the grapevines that grow along the walls "karam."
(al-Mu'jam al-Kabir of al-Tabarani: 7/277, no. 7087, and Fath al-Bari: 10/696)
The intent here is to emphasize the prohibition of alcohol, such that all those names have also been declared unlawful which incite a person towards drinking alcohol.
And Allah knows best.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 6183
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
The Arabs used to call it "karam" (generosity) because, in their view, drinking wine would produce generosity and nobility. For this reason, using this word in such a manner was declared prohibited.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 6182
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
It is the habit of most people that upon witnessing something unpleasant or indecent, they say without reason that the times are bad, or that the era is not good. However, what fault does time or the era have in this? Whatever happens is from Allah Ta'ala; therefore, to speak ill of the era is, in effect, to speak ill of Allah Ta'ala.
Similarly, the Arabs used to call grapes "karm" because wine was extracted from grapes, and according to them, wine-drinking led to generosity and nobility. On this basis, the use of this word for grapes was declared impermissible.
And Allah knows best.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 6182
Shaykh Muhammad Ibrahim bin Basheer
Benefit:
It is established from this hadith that reviling time is, in reality, reviling Allah Ta’ala, because the hardships and difficulties of circumstances are from Allah Ta’ala; time itself has no role in this. When someone speaks ill of time and the era, it is as if he is speaking ill of Allah Ta’ala. However, it is correct to say that people have become corrupt, people have become wicked.
Source: Musnad al-Humaydi: Commentary by Muhammad Ibrahim bin Bashir, Page: 1125
Shaykh Muhammad Ibrahim bin Basheer
Benefit:
In this hadith, it is mentioned that in Madinah Munawwarah, some people used to call grapes «عِنَبٌ » instead of “karm.” The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade this, because “karm” actually refers to the heart of the believer.
Imam Khattabi (rahimahullah) has provided a very good explanation: at that time, people used to make wine from grapes, and they called grapes “karm.” If the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had not forbidden calling grapes “karm,” someone might have fallen into the misconception that wine is honorable, since it is made from “karm,” and “karm” is the heart of the believer. This is because in the believer’s heart there is the light of faith and the guidance of Islam.
Ibn al-Abnari (rahimahullah) said that in the time of ignorance (Jahiliyyah), people considered wine to be honorable, and after drinking wine, they regarded themselves as honored. Therefore, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade calling grapes “karm.” (Fath al-Bari: 4/431)
Source: Musnad al-Humaydi: Commentary by Muhammad Ibrahim bin Bashir, Page: 1128