The permission for nabidh, and those who drank it

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: We were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he asked for water. A man said: Shall we not give you nabidh to drink? He said: "Why not?" The narrator says: So the man went out running, then he came back with a cup containing nabidh. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Why did you not cover it, even if only by placing a stick across it?"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the Siqayah (the place where pilgrims are given water) and said: "Give me some of this to drink." Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Shall we not give you to drink from what we prepare in our homes? He said: "No, rather give me to drink from what the people in general drink." The narrator says: Then a cup of nabidh was brought to him and he tasted it. Then he frowned, and then he said: "Bring water." So he poured that water over the nabidh, then he said: "Add more to it," saying this two or three times. Then after that he said: "When you come across this, do likewise with it."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: We were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when a cup containing some drink was brought to him. He brought the cup close to himself and then sent it back. At this, some of those sitting with him asked him: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Is this unlawful? The narrator says: He said: "Bring this cup back." So the Companions brought the cup back. Then he called for water, poured that water into the cup, then drank it, and said: "Watch these drinks. When they exceed their limit on you, break their strength with water."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was performing the Tawaf of the House of Allah around the Ka'bah when he became thirsty and asked for water. So nabidh was brought for him from the Siqayah. He smelled it and then frowned, and said: "Bring me a bucket of Zamzam." So he mixed that Zamzam into it and drank it. At this a man said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Is this unlawful? He said: "No."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: Nabidh used to be prepared for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a waterskin. And when there was no waterskin, nabidh would be prepared for him in a drinking vessel.

Ash'ath said: A tawr is made from the bark of trees.

It is narrated from Zadhan, who said: I asked Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) about nabidh, and I said to him: Our language is different from yours, so explain it in our language. At this Sayyiduna Ibn Umar said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the hantamah, and this is a kind of jar. And he forbade the dubba', and that is a (fashioned) vessel made from a gourd. And he forbade the muzaffat, and this is a vessel coated with tar. And he forbade the naqir, and this is a vessel prepared from a palm tree. And he ordered that nabidh be prepared in waterskins.

It is narrated from Umaynah that she heard Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) saying: Is any one of you unable to make a waterskin every year from the hide of her sacrificial animal? For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the nabidh of jars and of the muzaffat (vessel). She also mentioned some other things, which al-Taymi (the student of Umaynah) forgot.

Simak reports about a man that he asked Sayyiduna al-Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) about nabidh, and he said: Drink, but when you fear that you will become intoxicated, then leave it.

It is narrated from Ibn Awn, who said: I asked Muhammad about the nabidh of a waterskin that has been tied up and hung. Muhammad said: I do not know of any harm in it.

It is narrated from al-Walid bin Amr, the nephew of Abu Nadrah, that he asked al-Hasan about the juff. Al-Hasan asked: What is a juff? The questioner explained that it is a waterskin on three legs, which is tied at the top and at the bottom. Al-Hasan said: There is no harm in it.

It is narrated from Amr bin Maymun, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say: We drink this strong drink so that by means of it we may digest the camel meat in our stomachs, so that it does not harm us. So whoever has any doubt about drinking it, let him mix water into it.

It is narrated from Qays bin Abi Hazim, who said: Sayyiduna Utbah bin Farqad (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated to me, saying: I came to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and he called for a large cup containing nabidh that was close to becoming vinegar. Sayyiduna Umar said: Drink it. I took the cup and drank from it, but it would hardly go down my throat. Then Sayyiduna Umar took the cup and drank from it, and then said: O Utbah! We drink this strong kind of nabidh so that by means of it we may break down (that is, digest) the camel meat in our stomachs, so that it does not cause us harm.

It is narrated from Hammam, who said: Raisin nabidh of Ta'if was brought to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). The narrator says: When he tasted it, he frowned, and he said: Indeed, the raisin nabidh of Ta'if is strong. Then he called for water, poured it in, and drank it. And he said: When nabidh seems strong to any of you, pour water into it and drink it.

It is narrated from Sa'id bin al-Musayyib that some people of the tribe of Thaqif met Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) when he was near Makkah. Sayyiduna Umar called them to come with their nabidh. So they came to Sayyiduna Umar, bringing a cup of nabidh with them. Sayyiduna Umar brought it close to his mouth, then he called for water and mixed water into it two or three times. Then he said: Break its strength with water.

It is narrated from Mujahid, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I am a man whose stomach remains hard. I drink this sawiq, and it does not agree with me; and I drink this milk, and it does not agree with me either. And I drink this strong nabidh, and it loosens my stomach.

It is narrated from Suwayd bin Ghaflah, who said: In Syria I used to drink nabidh, in very large jars, with Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) and other Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from al-Shammas, who said: The saying of Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) is: People continue in the state that their drink is lawful, until it becomes unlawful for them.

It is narrated from Amr bin Maymun, who said: When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was stabbed and the physician came to him, he asked: Which drink is most beloved to you? He said: Nabidh.

It is narrated from Abu Husayn, who said: I saw Zirr bin Hubaysh drinking the nabidh of large jars.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: I used to prepare nabidh for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and I would take a handful of raisins and put it in.

It is narrated from Mujalid, who said: The saying of Amir is: Drink the nabidh of the wedding feast (walimah), but do not become intoxicated by it.

It is narrated from Ibn Abi Layla, who said: I bear witness concerning the Companions who were at Badr that they used to drink the nabidh of the wedding feast (walimah).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: It suffices me every day to take one drink of water, or one drink of nabidh, or one drink of milk, and on Friday, one qafiz of wheat.

It is narrated from Abdul Malik, who said: I asked Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) about strong nabidh, and he said: Once the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting in Makkah when a man came to him and sat down at his side. He perceived a kind of strong smell from him, so he asked: "What is this that you have drunk?" The man replied: Nabidh. He said: "Bring it to me." The narrator says: Then he called for water, poured it in, and drank it. Then he said: "When your waterskins exceed their limit on you, break them with water."

It is narrated from Abu Ishaq, who said: (Once) I prepared some food and invited the companions of Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), namely Amr bin Shurahbil, Abdullah bin Dhi'b, Umarah, Murrah al-Hamdani and Amr bin Maymun. I gave them nabidh and tila' to drink, and they drank. Al-A'mash says: I said to him (Abu Ishaq): Were they looking at the large jars? Abu Ishaq said: Yes. They were looking at the large jars, and they were being served from them.

Ja'far reports about his father that he used to drink nabidh, (in this way that) nabidh would be prepared for him in the morning, and he would drink it in the evening.

It is narrated from Yunus that he said: Al-Hasan used to be invited to wedding feasts, and he would drink their nabidh.

It is narrated from Abu Ishaq that he said: I held a wedding feast, and I invited the companions of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and of Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him). From the companions of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) I invited Umarah bin Abd, Hubayrah bin Yarim and al-Harith al-A'war, and from the companions of Sayyiduna Abdullah I invited Alqamah bin Qays, Abd al-Rahman bin Yazid and Abdullah bin Dhi'b. Then I prepared nabidh for them in large jars, and they drank from those jars. (The narrator says:) I said: Were they looking at the jars? Abu Ishaq said: Yes, they were looking at the jars.

It is narrated from Abu Ja'far that he said: Nabidh is lawful.

It is narrated from Sufyan al-Attar that he said: A man asked Mahan al-Hanafi, saying: O Abu Salim! What do you say about nabidh? He said: I say about nabidh that whoever declares unlawful the things Allah Almighty has made lawful is just like one who declares lawful the things Allah Almighty has made unlawful.

It is narrated from Abu al-Ala that he said: The statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) concerning drinks reached the point where he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not drink whatever corrupts your minds and destroys your wealth."

It is narrated about Muhammad (Ibn Sirin) that he would prepare nabidh only in a waterskin with its mouth tied.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Talq bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: We were sitting in the noble presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when the delegation of Abd al-Qays arrived. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked (them): "What is the matter with you, that your colour has turned yellow, your bellies have swollen and your veins have become prominent?" The narrator says: They replied: Our chief came to you and asked you about a drink that agrees with us, and you (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade him from it. And we live in a land where the epidemic of fever is very common. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then drink whatever drink agrees with you."

It is narrated from Ibrahim that he said: When nabidh is sweet, there is no good in it.

It is narrated from Sa'id bin Masruq that he said: A man invited us to a meal, so we ate. Then the man brought us a drink, and all the people drank it, but I did not drink. The narrator says: At this Bakr bin Ma'iz looked at me in such a way that I began to think he had become disgusted with me.

It is narrated from al-Hasan that he said: When you go to visit your (Muslim) brother, ask him about his drink. If his drink is the nabidh of a waterskin, then drink it.

It is narrated from Huzayl bin Shurahbil that he said: Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by the tribe of Banu Thaqif and asked them for water. They said (to one another): Hide your nabidh and give him water to drink. At this Sayyiduna Umar said: O people of Thaqif! Give me some of your nabidh to drink. The narrator says: So they gave him nabidh to drink. Sayyiduna Umar ordered the servant, and he poured water; then he stopped him with his hand. Then he said: O people of Thaqif! You drink this strong drink. So whoever among you is made doubtful by it to any degree, let him break it with water.