The exegesis of Qur'anic verses pertaining to khamr (wine) and maisir (gambling), especially verse 219 of Surah Al-Baqarah and related verses in Surahs Al-Ma'idah and Al-A'raf, has been examined from a multifaceted perspective encompassing rhetoric, jurisprudence, and social psychology. This interpretation, with emphasis on the gradual approach of the Holy Qur'an in prohibiting these two phenomena, analyses its indirect and literary style of expression and, by critiquing social behaviours such as backbiting, slander, and hypocrisy, provides a moral and guiding paradigm. The structure of this treatise is designed to systematically present the complete details of the original lecture and supplementary analyses, suitable for an academic audience. Employing refined allegories and literary allusions, this work elucidates Qur'anic concepts and their semantic connections while preserving scientific integrity.
The Noble Qur'an adopts a gradual and sagacious approach in confronting the phenomena of khamr and maisir. Instead of an explicit declaration of prohibition, these two phenomena are criticised in four stages or phases: ithm (sin), rijs (filth), ghayah (devilish objective), and fawahish (abominations). This method, aligning with the principle of wisdom and expediency in legislating rulings, has facilitated social acceptance of the injunctions within the cultural context of early Islam. It is as if the Qur'an, like a skilled physician, first diagnoses the ailment and then gradually prescribes the cure so that the patient, i.e. society, is guided towards health.
Unlike other rulings that are sometimes explicitly stated, the Qur'an focuses on clarifying the effects and consequences of khamr and maisir. This style of discourse, which relies more on description and analysis than on issuing a command, leads, from the viewpoint of Qur'anic rhetoric, to a deeper impact on the audience. It is as if the Qur'an, like a wise teacher, invites the intellect of the listener to contemplation and reflection through elucidation of truth.
The prohibition of khamr and maisir is presented in four key Qur'anic verses:
These stages, from the perspective of thematic exegesis, indicate the gradual strategy of the Holy Qur'an in reforming social behaviours, as if a light gradually shining upon the darkness of society to guide it towards illumination.
يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ ۖ قُلْ فِيهِمَا إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثْمُهُمَا أَكْبَرُ مِنْ نَفْعِهِمَا ۗ وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنْفِقُونَ قُلِ الْعَفْوَ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ
Translation: They ask you about wine and gambling. Say, There is great sin in both of them, as well as some benefit for people; but their sin is greater than their benefit. And they ask you what they should spend. Say, The excess beyond needs. Thus Allah makes clear to you the verses, that you may reflect.
This verse introduces khamr and maisir with two aspects: sin and benefits, emphasising that their sin, due to permanence and destructive effects, predominates over their transient benefits. From the perspective of religious psychology, this explanation refers to the long-term effects of sin on the individual and society, as if sin is a shadow cast over the light of short-term benefits.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنْصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
Translation: 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.
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ ف
