74/2. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5580 — Alcohol Prohibition in Medina
Alcoholic drinks prepared from grapes and other things
Hadith About Alcohol Prohibition and Date Liquor in Medina
Sahih Bukhari : 5580
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5580
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو شِهَابٍ عَبْدُ رَبِّهِ بْنُ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ يُونُسَ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ الْبُنَانِيِّ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْنَا الْخَمْرُ حِينَ حُرِّمَتْ وَمَا نَجِدُ ـ يَعْنِي بِالْمَدِينَةِ ـ خَمْرَ الأَعْنَابِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً، وَعَامَّةُ خَمْرِنَا الْبُسْرُ وَالتَّمْرُ.
Anas Narrated from:
Alcoholic drinks were prohibited at the time we could rarely find wine made from grapes in Medina, for most of our liquors were made from unripe and ripe dates.
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5580In-book reference : Book 74, Hadith 6USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 69, Hadith 486
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5580
This hadith about alcohol prohibition shows how the ruling reached people in Medina at a time when grape wine was not common there. Anas says that only a small amount of grape wine could be found, while most of their liquor was made from unripe and ripe dates. The main lesson is clear: the issue was not only the source of the drink. The concern was the drink being khamr, or alcoholic liquor. For readers searching for Sahih Bukhari 5580, this narration helps explain why Islamic teaching on intoxicants is not limited to wine made from grapes. It also helps separate the word khamr from a single recipe.
What we learn from this hadith
- Alcoholic drinks were prohibited even when grape wine was rare in Medina.
- Liquor in that setting was commonly made from ripe and unripe dates.
- The wording directs attention to the drink itself, not only to grapes.
