humblemuslim
I am busy currently. Will be less active soon.
I will not attempt to discuss everything here because I am not personally interested; but I do contest your idea of abrogation. If alcohol is allowed earlier, then a verdict saying that you can't drink it under any circumstances would change the earlier verdict. You can't have drinking and non drinking at the same time. The easiest way to see this is by looking at the time chronology in which these commands were given. Earlier ayats would be canceled by more recent ayats. That seems logical and reasonable to me. What are your thoughts? repeating something with changes is abrogation. Thou shalt drink with conditions is contradictory to thou shalt not drink at all. One has to be subjected to the other. They cannot both be true in the same context and time; otherwise, they become contradictions.
peaceful soul gave you a good answer. To call it a clarification is not enough, as you can't do both things at the same time, e.g. to drink and not to drink alkohol. Therefore abrogation is the only answer that does make sense. If it was not so, then we would have many contradictions within the Qur'an... and how could this be as the Qur'an claims to be a perfect revelation from Allah?
Neither place demands/commands the drinking of alcohol. And actually neither prohibits it completely either. That is why I continue to say the action is not recommended.
Let us take a peek at the literal translation of the verses in question.
Qur'an Literal Translation 2:219 said:They ask/question you about the intoxicants/substances affecting the brain and the gambling , say: "In them (B) (is a) great sin/crime and benefits/uses to the people and their (B's) sin/crime (is) bigger/greater from (than) their (B's) benefit/use, and they ask/question you what they (should) spend, say: "The excess over expense/goodness ." Like that God clarifies for you the signs/verses/evidences, maybe you think.
Qur'an Literal Translation 5:90-91 said:O you who believe, intoxicants, and gambling, and sacraments, and fortunes are foul tools used by the devil. You shall avoid him so that you may be successful. The devil only wants to cause strife between you through intoxicants and gambling, and to repel you away from remembering God and from the connection. Will you be deterred?
Does either verse say there is absolutely no drinking? No. Such an understanding is an extreme view not explicitly expressed.
Does either verse say there is nothing wrong with drinking? No. Again this is another extreme view in the opposite direction that is not supported either.
Both verses form a cohesive idea. Drinking alcohol is a dangerous activity and not recommended.
If we still have a disagreement even after this post then answer the following questions so I can better understand where exactly you are formulating your understanding from.
Where does 2:219 verse say alcohol should be consumed?
Where does 5:90-91 verse say alcohol is strictly prohibited?
If one verse says go ahead and the other says no way, then yes that would be a contradiction. But that is not what I am seeing when I read these verses, although it appears that is what you two are seeing.
Up to this point the only thing that I have seen that would lead to such an understanding is quoted below:
To offer even a more broad view of the interpretations translators have taken for the verses of 5:90-91 consider this pool of translationsBeckyy25 said:The footnote for the word 'avoid' in verse 90 says the following:
This prohibition understood from the word "avoid" is stronger than if Allah had merely said, "Abstain." The former requires distancing oneself from anything remotely related to these practices.
So for me this is a clear case of abrogation. The verses were all revealed at different times and the latter do abrogate the previous ones.
11 English Translations of Qur'an 5:90 said:Free_Minds:
O you who believe, intoxicants, and gambling, and sacraments, and fortunes are foul tools used by the devil. You shall avoid him so that you may be successful.
Khalifa:
O you who believe, intoxicants, and gambling, and the altars of idols, and the games of chance are abominations of the devil; you shall avoid them, that you may succeed.
Yusuf_Ali:
O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination,- of Satan's handwork: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper.
Shakir:
O you who believe! intoxicants and games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (dividing by) arrows are only an uncleanness, the Shaitan's work; shun it therefore that you may be successful.
Pickthal:
O ye who believe! Strong drink and games of chance and idols and divining arrows are only an infamy of Satan's handiwork. Leave it aside in order that ye may succeed.
Arberry:
O believers, wine and arrow-shuffling, idols and divining-arrows are an abomination, some of Satan's work; so avoid it; haply So you will prosper.
George_Sale:
O true believers, surely wine, and lots, and images, and divining arrows are an abomination of the work of Satan; therefore avoid them, that ye may prosper.
Hilali_Khan:
O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), gambling, AlAnsab, and AlAzlam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaitans (Satan) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful.
Malik:
O believers! Intoxicants and gambling (games of chance), dedication to stones (paying tribute to idols) and division by arrows (lottery) are the filthy works of Satan. Get away from them, so that you may prosper.
Maulana_Ali:
O you who believe, intoxicants and games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (dividing by) arrows are only an uncleanness, the devil’s work; so shun it that you may succeed.
QXP:
O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Intoxicants, gambling and games of chance, sacrificing animals on stones i.e. altars of idols and idolatrous practices, and divining of the future by such means as arrows, raffles and omens, is all Satan's handiwork. Refrain from it that you may prosper.
Counts:
him - 1
it - 5
such - 1
that - 1
them - 3
So which translation is accurately translating here? The red ones are not direct faithful translations. They are interpretive translations. The blue ones are possible literal meanings for the pronoun being applied here.
The word in question is:
[FONT="]ﻓﺎﺟﺘﻨﺒﻮﻩ[/FONT]
The key portion of the key is highlighted in red. That portion is basically the equivalent of a pronoun.
"[...] when affixed to a verb or preposition as a personal pronoun it means him or it ;"
Source : http://www.aboutquran.com/res/lex/JohnPenrice_DictionaryKoran.pdf (Refer to the bottom of page 162 of the PDF)
So is the correct meaning him? Or it?
Him would suggest the avoiding of Satan.
It would suggest the avoiding of everything listed.
They should all be avoided is the understanding that makes sense. But does avoiding something mean prohibition? No.
Avoid - to keep away from somebody or something
Prohibit - to stop somebody from doing something by passing a law or rule that forbids it
These terms are not interchangeable.
The footnote quoted stated that the Arabic word being used is stronger than simply abstaining from.
Abstain - to choose not to do something
Such a footnote does not make sense when you compare the two definitions of the two words in English. To avoid is not a greater degree of abstaining. Avoiding can be an action of abstaining.
I avoid it because I abstain from it. Otherwise stated, I distance myself from it because I choose not to do it.
The footnote does not make sense since it attempts to relate two words as being relative magnitudes of the same thing when they are not.
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