Alcohol Is Absolutely Forbidden
Islam is crystal clear that alcohol is forbidden (haram) in this life. The Quran couldn't be more emphatic:
"O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful. Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist?" — Quran 5:90-91
Alcohol is classified with Satan's work. It causes "defilement." It creates animosity and hatred. It prevents prayer and remembrance of Allah. The command is clear: avoid it completely.
This prohibition is absolute in Islamic law. All four Sunni schools of jurisprudence and Shia law agree: producing, selling, buying, or consuming alcohol is sinful. Muslims who drink can face lashing as punishment under Sharia law.
But Paradise Is Flowing With Wine
Here's the contradiction: the same Quran that absolutely forbids alcohol on earth promises rivers of wine in paradise (Jannah):
"The description of Paradise, which the righteous are promised: wherein are rivers of water unaltered, rivers of milk the taste of which never changes, rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of purified honey." — Quran 47:15
Paradise literally has rivers of wine. Not just rivers of water or milk—rivers of wine, described as "delicious to those who drink."
The Quran mentions paradisaical wine multiple times:
"There will circulate among them young boys made eternal, with vessels, pitchers and a cup [of wine] from a flowing spring. No headache will they have therefrom, nor will they be intoxicated." — Quran 56:17-19
"Upon the couches, adorned, reclining on them, facing one another. There will circulate among them young boys made eternal, with vessels, pitchers and a cup [of wine] from a flowing spring." — Quran 76:13-15
"And they will be given to drink a cup [of wine] whose mixture is of ginger." — Quran 76:17
"They will be given to drink [pure] wine [which was] sealed. The last of it is musk. So for this let the competitors compete." — Quran 83:25-26
Young eternal boys will circulate serving wine. There will be cups, pitchers, vessels of wine. Wine mixed with ginger. Sealed wine ending with musk. This isn't metaphorical—it's explicit and repeated.
The Attempted Justifications
Muslim apologists offer several explanations, none of which resolve the ethical contradiction:
Explanation 1: "Paradisaical wine won't intoxicate."
Muslims often point to Quran 56:19 which says there will be "no headache" and "nor will they be intoxicated" from paradise wine.
Problems:
• If it doesn't intoxicate, it's not wine—it's grape juice. Why call it wine?
• The whole point of wine is its intoxicating effect. Non-intoxicating "wine" is a contradiction in terms.
• This doesn't explain why something classified as "defilement from Satan" on earth becomes a reward in heaven
• If the problem with earthly wine is intoxication, why not just create non-intoxicating wine on earth?
Explanation 2: "The rules are different in paradise."
Some argue that Jannah operates under different rules, so what's forbidden here is permitted there.
Problems:
• This suggests Islamic law is arbitrary and circumstantial, not based on intrinsic right and wrong
• If alcohol itself isn't inherently evil (since it's in paradise), why is it "defilement from Satan" on earth?
• This makes morality relative to location rather than absolute
• It implies Allah forbids things that aren't actually wrong
Explanation 3: "It's a reward/test—forbidden here makes it more desirable there."
Some claim the earthly prohibition makes paradise wine more appealing as a reward.
Problems:
• This makes Allah seem manipulative, like a parent who forbids candy only to make it more desirable
• Why would a just God forbid something good just to create desire for it later?
• This contradicts the claim that alcohol is intrinsically harmful and from Satan
• It suggests Islamic prohibitions are about control, not protection
The Deeper Ethical Problem
This contradiction reveals a fundamental problem with Islamic ethics:
1. Morality appears arbitrary. If wine is "defilement from Satan" on earth but a reward in paradise, Islamic law isn't based on inherent right and wrong but on arbitrary divine command. Allah could reverse any prohibition tomorrow and it would be "right."
2. The prohibition seems insincere. If Allah truly believed wine was harmful and from Satan, he wouldn't serve it in paradise. The heavenly wine suggests the earthly prohibition was about control, not genuine concern.
3. It reveals a carnal paradise. The fact that paradise's rewards include wine, along with houris (virgins), silk garments, and couches, reveals an earthly, sensual concept of paradise—fulfilling earthly desires denied on earth.
4. The logic is circular. Wine is forbidden because it's harmful. But paradisaical wine isn't harmful. So the actual wine isn't the problem—but that's what's forbidden. The reasoning collapses.
Biblical Contrast
The Bible's approach to wine is dramatically different. Wine is neither absolutely forbidden nor promised as a heavenly reward:
Wine is acknowledged as a gift from God:
"He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts." — Psalm 104:14-15
Jesus himself drank wine and made wine:
"The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard.'" — Matthew 11:19
"Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water'; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, 'Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.' They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine." — John 2:7-9
However, drunkenness (not wine itself) is condemned:
"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." — Ephesians 5:18
The biblical ethic is consistent: wine is permitted; drunkenness is wrong. This applies equally on earth and in eternity. The principle is based on self-control and avoiding excess, not arbitrary prohibition.
Regarding heaven, the Bible doesn't promise wine as a reward. Instead, it describes the joy of God's presence:
"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." — Psalm 16:11
The reward is God himself, not sensual pleasures like wine and houris.
Questions to Consider
- If wine is "defilement from Satan" on earth, why is it a reward in paradise?
- If paradisaical wine doesn't intoxicate, why call it wine at all?
- Does this contradiction suggest Islamic morality is arbitrary rather than based on inherent right and wrong?
- Why would Allah forbid something good on earth only to provide it in heaven?
- Doesn't promising wine in paradise undermine the sincerity of the earthly prohibition?
- What does it say about Islamic paradise that it promises fulfillment of prohibited earthly desires?
- If the problem is intoxication, couldn't Allah just create non-intoxicating wine on earth?
Conclusion
The Quran's prohibition of wine on earth combined with its promise of wine in paradise creates an ethical contradiction. Wine cannot simultaneously be "defilement from Satan" and a divine reward. The attempted explanations—that paradisaical wine doesn't intoxicate, or that rules are different in heaven—only highlight the arbitrary nature of the prohibition.
This contradiction suggests Islamic law is based on arbitrary divine command rather than inherent morality. If wine itself isn't wrong (since it's in paradise), the earthly prohibition appears to be about control rather than genuine concern for human wellbeing.
The contrast with biblical teaching is significant. The Bible consistently treats wine as a gift to be enjoyed responsibly, condemning abuse (drunkenness) rather than use. This ethic doesn't change based on location or circumstance—it's grounded in the principle of self-control, not arbitrary prohibition and reward.
Related articles: Paradise in Islam, Quranic Contradictions