Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 219

(Ayah 219) ➊ {الْخَمْرِ:} Wine, its explanation was given by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) himself. Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ کُلُّ مُسْکِرٍ خَمْرٌ وَ کُلُّ مُسْکِرٍ حَرَامٌ] [ مسلم، الأشربۃ، باب بیان أن کل مسکر… : 2003/74] "Every intoxicating thing is khamr (wine), and every intoxicant is forbidden." Some people declared only grape wine as "khamr" and, by giving other names to the rest, made them lawful. These people are exactly as described in the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "There will be people from my Ummah who will make lawful the private parts of women, silk, khamr (wine), and musical instruments." [ بخاری، الأشربۃ، باب ما جاء فیمن یستحل الخمر … : ۵۵۹۰، عن أبی مالک الأشعری رضی اللہ عنہ] Abu Malik Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Some people from my Ummah will drink khamr (wine) and will call it by another name." [ أبو داوٗد،الأشربۃ، باب فی الدّاذیّ : ۳۶۸۸]

➋ {الْمَيْسِرِ :} Gambling, this {”يُسْرٌ“} means ease, because in gambling, one gets another's wealth easily without effort. Nowadays, the businesses running under the names of dice, lottery, insurance, and betting, etc., are all forms of gambling. Even if there is a bet in playing with walnuts, that too is gambling. For further details, see the footnotes of Surah Al-Ma'idah, Ayah (3) and (90).

➌ {وَ اِثْمُهُمَاۤ اَكْبَرُ مِنْ نَّفْعِهِمَا:} Allah Almighty has mentioned some benefits of wine and gambling, but at the same time said that along with some benefits, there is a great sin in them. Then, instead of comparing profit and loss by saying that their harms outweigh their benefits, He said that their sin is greater than their benefit. It is understood from this that no matter how beneficial something is in the world, if there is sin in it, a believer should avoid it. In this verse, there is an indication towards the prohibition of wine and gambling, because in them {”اِثْمٌ كَبِيْرٌ“} is mentioned, and Allah Almighty has declared {”اِثْمٌ“} forbidden. (See Al-A'raf: 33) From this, one should also compare the benefits and sins of photographs, the benefits and sins of keeping TV, VCR, etc., in the house, and the benefits and sins of living in the lands of the disbelievers.

➍ {قُلِ الْعَفْوَ :} The meaning of {”الْعَفْوَ“} according to Sahib Qamus is: {”خِيَارُ الشَّيْءِ وَ اَجْوَدُهٗ“} that is, the best and most excellent part of something. Tabari has also narrated this meaning from several commentators. In this case, this verse is similar in meaning to Surah Al-Imran, Ayah (92), and Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah (267), i.e., spend from your best and most beloved things. The translation has been done according to this meaning.

The second meaning is "excess thing." Although the meaning of excess can also be that which is superior in quality, many scholars have interpreted it as that which is surplus to one's and one's family's needs. Thus, our Sheikh Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) writes that {”الْعَفْوَ“} refers to the wealth that remains after spending on one's family and essential needs, and after spending which a person does not become so needy that he has to ask others. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best charity is that which is given when one is affluent, and you should first spend on your family." [ بخاری، الزکوٰۃ، باب لا صدقۃ … : ۱۴۲۶، عن أبی ہریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ] This ruling is for voluntary charity apart from zakat, and it is a fact that there is a right in wealth besides zakat. (Ashraf al-Hawashi) Nothing prevents taking both meanings. Some so-called Muslim communists have argued from this verse for the denial of personal ownership of things surplus to need, whereas its first meaning is to spend your best things in the way of Allah, which uproots the very basis of the socialist ideology. If the meaning of spending the surplus is taken, then too, if people have something in their ownership, they will spend it, and they will also have the choice to decide what they consider surplus to their needs. If ownership itself belongs to the government, then what will people spend? To declare forcibly taking everything as the intention of the Qur'an is an act of coercion against the Qur'an just as it is against people.

219. 1 This sin is in terms of religion. 219. 2 The benefits are related to the world, for example, with alcohol, there is temporary alertness and readiness in the body, and in some minds, sharpness increases, sexual power is enhanced, for which its use is common. In this way, its buying and selling is a profitable business. In gambling too, sometimes a person wins and gets some wealth. But these benefits are insignificant compared to the harms that come to a person's intellect and his religion from them. That is why it is said that their sin is much greater than their benefit. In this way, in this verse, alcohol and gambling have not been declared haram, but the groundwork has been laid for them. From this verse, a very important point is also known that everything, no matter how bad, has some benefits. And people, by mentioning some benefits, deceive themselves. What should be seen is the comparison of benefits and harms, especially in terms of religion, faith, morals, and character. If from a religious point of view, the harms and evils are greater, then for the sake of a few worldly benefits, it will not be declared permissible. 219. 3 In this sense, this is a moral instruction, or this command was given at the beginning of Islam, which after the obligation of zakat, is no longer necessary to act upon, though it is certainly preferable (Fath al-Qadeer), whatever is easy and convenient and does not weigh heavily on the heart. Islam has certainly greatly encouraged spending (in charity), but it has kept this moderation in view: firstly, it has ordered to give priority to the care and needs of those under your guardianship, and secondly, it has also forbidden spending in such a way that tomorrow you or your important family members may have to extend your hand in need before others.

219. They ask you about wine and gambling. Say, “In both of them is great sin [290], and (some) benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit.” And they ask you what they should spend (in charity). Say, “Whatever is surplus [291] (to your needs).” Thus Allah makes His commandments clear to you, so that you may reflect upon this world and the Hereafter [292].

[290] This is the initial ruling regarding wine. In which the only purpose was to instill aversion to wine. After this, in the second ruling, it was stated that performing prayer in a state of intoxication is prohibited. Then, for the third time, the final ruling is in Surah Al-Ma'idah, verse number 90, in which wine, gambling, and other similar things have been absolutely forbidden, that although drinking wine gives temporary pleasure, its harms and those of gambling are far greater than their benefits. For example, by drinking wine, a person's intellect becomes intoxicated, and this very defect becomes the cause of many kinds of mischief and corruption. Similarly, in gambling, one feels joy at receiving wealth without effort, but these very things later become the cause of many evils, quarrels, and enmities. Therefore, it is better to avoid them.

[291] That is, spending all wealth beyond necessity is the ultimate limit of voluntary charity. It should not happen that a person spends all his wealth in the way of Allah and later becomes needy himself. Thus, Abu Hurairahؓ says that the Holy Prophetﷺ said: The best charity is that after which a person does not become needy, and begin with those who are under your care. [بخاري، كتاب الزكوٰة، باب لا صدقه الا عن ظهر غني] Hazrat Abu Sa'id Khudriؓ says that during a journey, the Prophetﷺ said: Whoever has extra riding animal should give it to the one who has none, and whoever has extra provisions should give it to the one who has none. In short, the Prophet mentioned each type of wealth separately in this way, until we began to think that we have no right over our surplus wealth. [مسلم، كتاب اللقطة، باب الضيافة ونحوها نيز باب استحباب المواسات بفضول المال]

The Ultimate Limit of Charity:

And the minimum limit of charity is the obligatory charity, i.e., Zakat, which lies on the border between disbelief and Islam. In other words, the one who does not pay Zakat is a disbeliever, not a Muslim, as Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ fought against such people. And between these two limits is a vast field, and the people of virtue can earn as many good deeds as they wish.

Refutation of Individual Ownership and the Communist Theory:

Those with a communist mindset have severely misinterpreted the meaning of «العفو». Whereas it is clearly evident from the verse that the questioners themselves were owners of their wealth and had the power to dispose of it as they wished. Therefore, the theory that is attempted to be derived from this verse, this verse absolutely does not support it. According to the communist theory, the government is the owner of everything, and in a communist government, the concept of individual ownership cannot even be imagined. Now the question is, if someone does not have personal ownership, what will he save and what will he spend, and what question will he ask regarding spending? In other words, the very verse from which the communist theory is attempted to be derived is itself a clear argument against this theory. The question regarding spending in the way of Allah was asked by the questioners at a time when there was a severe need for resources for jihad, as is also proven by the above-mentioned hadith. Even at that time, Allah did not give the government the authority to seize all the surplus wealth of the people, rather, the training of Muslims was being done in such a way that if they, of their own will and choice, gave all their surplus wealth, this would be the best and the greatest proof of the Muslims' trust in Allah. But those Muslims who could not or did not want to give all their surplus wealth, no restriction was imposed on them either, and the communist theory is exactly the opposite, which, even in ordinary circumstances, let alone times of war, deprives people of the right of ownership. A clear example of such spending in the way of Allah is seen on the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk. Hazrat Uthmanؓ and Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Awfؓ participated most actively in giving as much wealth as possible. At that time, Umarؓ was wealthier than Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ. He thought in his heart that today, by spending half of all his assets, he would surpass Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ. So, when he brought his wealth to the service of the Messenger of Allahﷺ, the Prophet asked, "Umar! What have you brought?" He replied, "I have brought half of all my wealth." Then after this, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ came with a small amount of wealth, and the Prophet asked him the same question, "Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ! What have you brought?" He replied, "I have brought everything. Only the name of Allah and His Messenger remains at home." Hearing this answer, Umarؓ became certain that despite his abundance of wealth, he could not surpass Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ. [ابو داؤد، كتاب الزكوٰة۔ باب الرجل يخرج من ماله] Here, it is worth noting that the Prophet accepted all the wealth of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ, even though he had said, "The best charity is that after which a person does not become needy himself." [بخاري، كتاب الزكوٰة، باب لاَصَدَقَةَ الآَ عَنْ ظَهْرِ غِنًي] The reason for this is that Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ had unparalleled trust in Allah, which the Prophet fully understood. Now, in comparison, consider another incident. On the same occasion, a person brought an egg-sized piece of gold and said, "I found this in the mine, and this is charity, and I have nothing else." The Prophet turned away from him, so the person repeated the same thing on the right side, but the Prophet still turned away. Then on the left side, then behind, he kept repeating the same thing. Finally, the Prophet took the gold and then gave it back to him and said, "This is for you, we have no need of it." When he left, the Prophet said, "One of you comes and says this is charity, then starts begging in front of people." On this occasion too, the Prophet said, "The best charity is that after which a person does not become needy himself." [ابو داؤد، كتاب الزكوٰة، باب الرجل يخرج من ماله] The reason for not accepting this person's charity is also mentioned in this hadith. Keeping all these incidents in view, tell me, is there any room to derive the communist theory from "Qul al-'Afw"?

[292] That is, what are your real worldly needs? And the great reward for charity that you will receive in the Hereafter. Keeping both these things in mind, you should think.