[Sca-cooks] Moslems and alcohol

[Terry Decker]

> I believe the range is from "no amount, however small, of anything that in 
> sufficiently large amounts can intoxicate" to "nothing from fermented 
> grapes, and don't get really drunk on anything."
>
> And the division isn't, I think, so much by sects as by schools of the 
> law. The Sunni recognize four mutually orthodox schools.
>
> Another poster mentions "fruit of the grape" as being the original 
> category. I haven't checked the Koranic passage, but my memory from the 
> Hattox book on coffee is that it wasn't that explicit.
> -- 
> David/Cariadoc

You are correct the prohibition is not that explicit.

The prohibition rides primarily on sura 5 verse 90 of the Koran, "[5.90] 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."

In 16.67, some intoxicants are defined, "[16.67] And of the fruits of the 
palms and the grapes-- you obtain from them intoxication and goodly 
provision; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who ponder."

Bear