On the Islamic Normative Prohibition of Wine and the Practices that Contradicted It in the Medieval Near East

Authors:

Pages: 271-283
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/JQKJ5270

Abstract:

The present article deals with a contradiction that often makes the understanding of Muslim law and practice hotly debatable. On the one hand, alcohol and its consumption are strictly forbidden (ḥarām) in Islam. On the other hand, abundant evidence from medieval sources indicates that wine was a highly valued and socially accepted substance serving as the lyrical subject of beautiful poems some of which are considered among the finest literary forms in languages, such as Arabic and Persian. This study foregrounds the contradiction between religious norm and social practice that has raised vivid discussions among both Muslim religious scholars and Western Islamicists. The analysis thus aims to frame the issue by delineating the major Islamic scriptural sources and legal positions against the backdrop of selected (post-)modern conceptualizations, such as the approach recently suggested by Shahab Ahmed.

Keywords:

wine; Islamic law; social practice; ḥarām; Islamic poetry.

Download

NA