Sharh Riyad as-Saliheen by Ibn Uthaymeen — Volume 4 (شرح رياض الصالحين) — Page 433

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

بَابُ تَحْرِيمِ سَبِّ الْمُسْلِمِ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ.

(from previous page) ⟵ See: Al-Muhalla by Ibn Hazm, Chapter on the prohibition of reviling a Muslim without right.

وَقَالُوا: شَارِبُ الْخَمْرِ إِذَا جُلِدَ فَإِنَّهُ يُقْتَلُ فِي الرَّابِعَةِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ أَصْبَحَ عُنْصُرًا فَاسِدًا لَمْ يَنْفَعْ بِهِ الْإِصْلَاحُ وَالتَّقْوِيمُ، وَقَالَ جُمْهُورُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: إِنَّهُ لَا يُقْتَلُ، بَلْ يُكَرَّرُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَلْدُ، فَكُلَّمَا شَرِبَ جُلِدَ، وَتَوَسَّطَ شَيْخُ الْإِسْلَامِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، فَقَالَ: إِذَا كَثُرَ شُرْبُ الْخَمْرِ فِي النَّاسِ، وَلَمْ يَنْتَهِ النَّاسُ بِدُونِ الْقَتْلِ فَإِنَّهُ يُقْتَلُ فِي الرَّابِعَةِ، وَهَذَا قَوْلٌ وَسَطٌ رُوعِيَ فِيهِ الْجَمْعُ بَيْنَ الْمَصْلَحَتَيْنِ، مَصْلَحَةِ مَا يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ بَعْضُ النُّصُوصِ الصَّرِيحَةِ؛ لِأَنَّ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَمْ يَرْفَعِ الْعُقُوبَةَ إِلَى الْقَتْلِ، مَعَ أَنَّهُ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ النَّاسَ كَثُرَ شُرْبُهُمْ، وَبَيْنَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ الَّذِي اخْتَلَفَتِ النَّاسُ فِي صِحَّتِهِ، وَفِي بَقَاءِ حُكْمِهِ، هَلْ هُوَ مَنْسُوخٌ أَوْ غَيْرُ مَنْسُوخٍ، وَهَلْ هُوَ صَحِيحٌ أَوْ غَيْرُ صَحِيحٍ.

Some argue that a habitual drinker, once flogged, should be executed upon the fourth offense, as they have become a corrupting influence beyond reform. The majority of scholars maintain that execution is not the penalty; rather, the flogging is repeated each time the offense is committed. Shaykh al-Islam, may Allah have mercy on him, adopted a balanced position: if alcohol consumption becomes rampant and the people cannot be deterred otherwise, the offender is to be executed on the fourth offense. This middle ground reconciles two competing interests: the explicit texts—noting that Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, did not impose the death penalty despite acknowledging the prevalence of drinking—and the hadith in question, which remains a subject of scholarly debate regarding its authenticity and whether its ruling has been abrogated.

فَعَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ فَمَا اخْتَارَهُ شَيْخُ الْإِسْلَامِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ عَيْنُ الصَّوَابِ: أَنَّهُ إِذَا كَثُرَ شُرْبُ الْخَمْرِ، وَلَمْ يَنْتَهِ النَّاسُ دُونَ قَتْلٍ فَإِنَّهُ يُقْتَلُ الشَّارِبُ فِي الرَّابِعَةِ، وَلَيْتَ وُلَاةَ الْأُمُورِ يَعْمَلُونَ هَذَا الْعَمَلَ، وَلَوْ عَمِلُوا هَذَا الْعَمَلَ حَصَلَ خَيْرٌ كَثِيرٌ، وَانْدَرَأَ شَرٌّ كَثِيرٌ، وَقَلَّ شُرْبُ النَّاسِ لِلْخَمْرِ الَّذِي بَدَأَ يَنْتَشِرُ وَالْعِيَاذُ بِاللَّهِ فِي بَعْضِ الْبِلَادِ الْإِسْلَامِيَّةِ كَانْتِشَارِ الشَّرَابِ الْمُبَاحِ كَعَصِيرِ اللَّيْمُونِ وَعَصِيرِ الْبُرْتُقَالِ وَمَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ.

In any case, the position chosen by Shaykh al-Islam is undoubtedly correct: if drinking becomes widespread and people refuse to stop, the offender should be executed on the fourth offense. If only the authorities would implement this, much good would follow, much evil would be averted, and the consumption of alcohol—which, God forbid, has begun to spread in some Muslim lands as casually as lemon or orange juice—would decline.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (29 verbs · 70 nouns)

• جَلَدَ — to whip
• قَتَلَ — to kill
• أَصْبَحَ — to become
• بَاب — chapter
• تَحْرِيم — prohibition
• سَبّ — insult