51/48. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 5698 — Small or Large Amounts Are Unlawful
Reports Used by Those Who Permit the Drinking of Intoxicants
Hadith About Intoxicants in Small and Large Amounts
Sunan an-Nasai : 5698
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 5698
أَخْبَرَنَا سُوَيْدٌ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ التَّيْمِيِّ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِيرِينَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ الْمُسْكِرُ قَلِيلُهُ وَكَثِيرُهُ حَرَامٌ .
Ibn 'Umar Narrated from:
Intoxicants are unlawful in small or large amounts.
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 5698In-book reference : Book 51, Hadith 160English translation : Vol. 6, Book 51, Hadith 5701
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 5698
Ibn Umar says that intoxicants are unlawful in small or large amounts. The wording is brief, but it answers a common question clearly. The narration does not say that only drunkenness after a large amount matters. It speaks about the intoxicant itself and includes little and much. This hadith about small and large amounts of intoxicants helps close the door to excuses based on quantity. It also matches the wider theme of these drink narrations: the danger is intoxication, not only the label. A reader should take the wording as a warning against treating a small amount of an intoxicant as harmless.
What we learn from this hadith
- The narration includes both small and large amounts.
- It warns against making quantity an excuse for intoxicants.
- The teaching keeps the focus on the intoxicating nature of the drink.
