Why alcohol is prohibited in Islam.

This blog is designed to educate on why alcohol is forbidden in Islam. It is not designed to cause offence.

It has been reported on a number of news platforms that Marks & Spenser superstore have had a complaint that a Muslim refused to sell alcohol to a customer. M&S have since reviewed their policy and apologized

Other sources reveal that it is permissible to sell (Haram) goods.

The position of Imam Abu Hanifa is that yes you can if you are working for an employer who does so and your in a non-muslim place.
But it is not the ideal thing to do.

If it is your OWN store or business then it is haram.(Sinful)

But there is also the counter view that it is haram as you are encouraging it... Muslims are encouraged to use common sense. If it is a business JUST dealing with haram only then you should keep away (Alcohol specialist shops), whereas if you work for a supermarket that happens to also stock pork/wine then obviously you should dislike that part, but it is permissible as one needs to survive in a non-muslim land.

Which leads me to one conclusion, knowing that a particular place may sell such items (Supermarkets) would it not be fair to inform the stores HR team of religious requirements and avoid such mishaps in the future. Simply refusing to serve someone on religious grounds has been considered offensive in this particular case and could have quite easily been avoided, or not work there at all.

Explained............

Most devout Muslims follow the rules set out in the Quran, and I quote directly from sites which reflect the subject at hand.


There is a verse in the Quran which says, “Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression” [Qur'an 5:2]. And associating with alcohol is clearly assisting in sin especially when it involves giving it to others (even non-Muslims) or selling it as this only promotes the evil. (source)


Intoxicants were forbidden in the Qur'an through separate verses revealed at different times over a period of time. At first, it was forbidden for Muslims to attend to prayers while intoxicated (4:43). Then a later verse was revealed which said that alcohol contains some good and some evil, but the evil is greater than the good (2:219). This was the next step in turning people away from consumption of it. Finally, "intoxicants and games of chance" were called "abominations of Satan's handiwork," intended to turn people away from God and forget about prayer. Muslims were ordered to abstain (5:90-91).


In the first verse cited above, the word for "intoxicated" is sukara which is derived from the word "sugar" and means drunk or intoxicated. That verse doesn't mention which drink. In the next verses cited, the word which is often translated as "wine" or "intoxicants" is al-khamr, which is related to the verb "to ferment." This word could be used to describe other intoxicants such as beer, although wine is the most common understanding of the word.

Muslims interpret these verses in total to forbid any intoxicating substance -- whether it be wine, beer, gin, whiskey, or other. The result is the same, and the Qur'an outlines that it is the intoxication, which makes one forgetful of God and prayer, which is harmful. Over the years, the list of intoxicating substances has come to include more modern street drugs and the like.

The Prophet Muhammad also instructed his followers, at the time, to avoid any intoxicating substances "if it intoxicates in a large amount, it is forbidden even in a small amount." For this reason, most observant Muslims avoid alcohol in any form, even small amounts that are sometimes used in cooking.

Other sources below,

Here, Here

I hope this sheds some light on the subject. After all we cannot condemn that which we know little.