Why does Islam prohibit the consumption of alcohol?

First off it is always nice when someone asks a question out of sincere inquiry, and I hope I might be able to help you, as to why we believe Allah (the Arabic word for God) has commanded us to not consume alcohol.

However, I should just mention the Qur'an and its importance to Muslims everywhere. The Qur'an is mankind's last revelation, divinely inspired to the Prophet Muhammad (saaw) by the angel Gabriel, and the unchanged and literal word of God (Please do not let you imagination run wild here, as the Qur'an does NOT promote violence).

With that being said, we can now look at what the Qur'an has to say about the matter of drinking.

They question thee about strong drink and games of chance. Say: In both is great sin, and (some) utility for men; but the sin of them is greater than their usefulness.. [Qur'an 2:219]

As you can see the Qur'an clearly understands that there may some good in drinking, but we shouldn't be fooled into thinking that that little good outweighs the overall harmful affects and thus it should be avoided.

O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), gambling, and idols and divining arrows are only an infamy of Satan's handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful. Shaitân (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allâh and from As-Salât (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain? [Quran 5:90-91]

Here the Qur'an further spells out some of the ills of alcohol, although najia has further expounded a larger number of other vises that come with allowing alcohol.

So I would think that rather than possible alienating the Muslim character from society, he/she ought to be the sound of reason if anything. Also, let us keep in mind that countless people of all both religious and non-religions backgrounds likewise choice not to drink alcohol and that this isn't strictly characteristic of Muslims.

But in an case, this should at least give you a clear understanding as to why we believe God would not want us to part take in drinking alcohol.

Peace

P.s. - If you have further questions, feel free to send an email.

i don't think anyone can say for sure Allah has prohibited alcohol for this or that unless Allah himself reveals that. because no one can encompass the full wisdom of Allah. but we can say maybe it's because so and so.

so my opinion (which is the obvious one) is because it intoxicates your mind and body and makes you do stupid things. Allah has blessed the human being with the ability to think and analyze and differentiate right from wrong and it's a sin to waste that blessing by consuming alcohol which hinders your ability to differentiate right from wrong. just look at how many crimes and stupid things being committed "under the influence". the same goes for drugs and anything else which intoxicates your mind, all that stuff is prohibited in islam.

also alcohol has been connected to many disease like liver diseases and some gastrointestinal cancers.

for me as a muslim it's enough to know that Allah has prohibited Alcohol for me to not drink it. i don't need to know all the reasons behind it because i know that my limited understanding can not be compared to Allah's wisdom.

It is concern for both the individual and society at large. As an individual, it intoxicates and makes the person lose their senses, especially in a good dose. For any person, it may or may not be a bad thing but for Muslims, it weakens the link to God, especially if we are trying to pray and we can't concentrate b/c we are too intoxicated or loose for it.

The Quran says not to lead prayer when intoxicated; originally it might have referred to a time when drinking was still allowed but afterward, it understanding was broadened. A person who is very sleepy or a person in deep emotion like anger or sadness would not have full control of his mental faculties and not good enough to lead prayer or even do a lengthy prayer him/herself. A wife of the Prophet (saw) tied a rope from herself to the wall so that she could do long prayers w/o falling asleep but Muhammad (saw) this is not allowed as the prayer is worthless if you are too drowsy to even comprehend it.

In regards to society, there are a number of vices that, while have not present in every person, have affected society at large negatively and can affect individual people who are not affected directly and in the end, the health of the society is more important than any individual. Drunk driving, accidents caused by drunk driving, lewdness, infidelity, use of other drugs, immorality in general, breaking of families, etc. have all been increased and intensified by drinking over the years.

As I said above, not every person is this way but that doesn't mean they can't be affected by someone who is. Family and marriage are very important in Islam but there are so many people who have lost their inhibitions to drinking and destroyed their family or marriage unnecessarily. Numerous people every year are killed by drunk drivers when they had nothing to do with drinking.

I hope this was informative and has addressed your question.

There is reason behind everything that is prohibited. This question would be appropriate to ask a Scholar. Scholars are people who dedicate their entire lives learning about Islam and are there to answer questions. Google "www.bayynat.org." He is my scholar and scholar to millions of other Shia Muslims around the world. He wont reply soon if you email him, but their should be common questions on the website you can look up.

But the common reasons are pretty obvious:

-it is bad for you

-you are not in your original state, which usually contributes to ignorance and bad judgement

-most importantly of all i think it is considered as a sin so that we fight temptation and have control over our bodies and minds.

Im sure there are many more reasons, hope I helped.

Well, I guess then that it is safe to assume that alcohol wasnt the cause of 9/11.... Which means that the terrorists beliefs in ISLAM must have been the problem in that case. Go figure.

"Alcohol is undoubtedly harmful and adversely affects the mind and the body. It clouds the mind, causes disease, wastes money, and destroys individuals, families, and communities. Researchers have proven that there is a strong link between alcohol and gambling. Drinking impairs judgement, lowers inhibition, and encourages the type of risk taking involved in gambling and dangerous activities. God tells us in the Quran that intoxicants and gambling are abominations from Satan and orders us to avoid them."

Because it distorts your judgement? Alcohol also takes away people's inhibitions, so a goofy guy will end up being really goofy, but an aggressive guy that can ordinarily keep himself together will get violent! Some men come home drunk and beat their wives. Other guys get drunk and go around the bar saying "I love you man!". Overall, our inhibitions serve us well, and are important for society to function. Lots of groups have wanted to eliminate drinking thoughout history, including non-religious groups.

More than 80% family violence and breakdown, traffic deaths, street crimes and many other crimes are attributed to alcohol and drugs. Do you need any more good reasons for prohibition?

Have a nice day,

Many cannot control themselves even without alcohol. It is too dangerous to allow them to have alcohol.

for us, anything that harms us more then it benefits us (like alcohol and drugs) are prohibited

so they may have positive side to them but their harm is more