Hadith Translation & Commentary: “Alcohol gathers many sins.”
Disclaimer: This hadith is taken from زاد الطالبين (Provisions for the Seekers) originally written by Shaykh Maulana Muhammad Ashiq Ilahi al-Bulandshehri in Arabic. Provision for the Seekers is the English version, with the translation and additional commentary by Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf. No copyright infringement intended whatsoever. All rights belong to the publisher(s).
Original and Translation
اَلخَمرُ جُمَّاعُ الإِثمِ
“Alcohol constitutes/gathers many sins.”
Sentence Analysis (Tarkeeb)
خَمر is usually translated to “alcohol” but actually خَمر is anything that intoxicates. This is the general definition irrespective of the source of the intoxicant. In Islam, however, it’s anything that is derived from fermented grapes and dates. Root letters are خ, م, ر and this root word خَمَرَ means “to cloud” or “to cover”.
جُمَّاع means “gathers” or “constitutes”
الإِثم means “sin”
اَلخَمرُ is the mubtada. جُمَّاعُ is the mudhaaf to الإِثمِ which is the mudhaaf ilayh. Together they make a murakkab idhaafiyy and this murakkab is the khabr. The mubtada and khabr together make this a jumla ismiyyah khabriyyah.
How does alcohol gather so many sins?
There is a saying that a person was once called to prostrate before an idol, but refused. He was then asked to commit murder, but refused. He was then invited to commit adultery, but refused. However, when he was offered alcohol he accepted and he then committed all of the other sins (Mirqaat al-Mafaateeh 9:65).
Additional Note:
In addition to the disclaimer, please note that I have not created this information. Rather, I have shared my notes on what was taught to me by my reputable teachers as I am a student of the deen (religion) Islam. All thanks to Allah, the Most High. Any mistake, misuse, or misinterpretation of the teachings would be entirely due to my lack of knowledge. If you have any questions or concerns about these notes, please feel free to leave a comment below or reach me privately through my blog here or @hadithexplained on Twitter.
