Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 219
| ۞ يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ ۖ قُلْ فِيهِمَا إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثْمُهُمَا أَكْبَرُ مِنْ نَفْعِهِمَا ۗ وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنْفِقُونَ قُلِ الْعَفْوَ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ |
| Transliteration | : | yas'alon -ka can al- khamr wa- al- maysir qul fe -himaa 'ithm kaber wa- manaafic li- an- naas wa- 'ithm -humaa akbar min nafc -himaa wa- yas'alon -ka maa-dhaa yunfiqon qul al- cafw ka- dhaalika yubayyin 'allaah la- -kum al- 'aayaat lacalla -kum tatafakkaron |
| Pickthall | : | 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. And they ask thee what they ought to spend. Say: That which is superfluous. Thus Allah maketh plain to you (His) revelations, that haply ye may reflect-- |
| Asad | : | THEY WILL ASK thee about intoxicants and games of chance. Say: "In both there is great evil204 as well as some benefit for man; but the evil which they cause is greater than the benefit which they bring."205 And they will ask thee as to what they should spend [in God's cause]. Say: "Whatever you can spare." In this way God makes clear unto you His messages, so that you might reflect |
| Malik | : | They ask you about drinking and gambling. Tell them: "There is great sin in both, although they may have some benefit for men; but the sin is greater than the benefit." They ask you what they should spend; tell them: "Whatever you can." Thus Allah makes His revelations clear to you, so that you may reflect upon |
| Yusuf Ali | : | They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: "In them is great sin and some profit for men; but the sin is greater than the profit." They ask thee how much they are to spend; say: "What is beyond your needs." Thus doth Allah make clear to you His Signs: in order that ye may consider. 240 241 242 |
Note - 204Lit., "sin", or anything that is conducive to sinning. As
some of the classical commentators (e.g., Razi) point
out, the term ithm is used in this verse as the
antithesis of manafi' ("benefits"); it can, therefore, be
suitably rendered as "evil".
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Note - 205Lit., "their evil is greater than their benefit". For a
clear-cut prohibition of intoxicants and games of chance,
see {5:90-91} and the corresponding notes.
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Note - 240Wine: Khamr: literally understood to mean the fermented
juice of the grape; applied by analogy to all fermented
liquor, and by further analogy to any intoxicating liquor
or drug. There may possible be some benefit in it, but
the harm is greater than the benefit, especially if we
look at it from a social as well as an individual point
of view.
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Note - 241Gambling: maisir: literally, a means of getting something
too easily, getting a profit without working for it;
hence gambling. That is the principle on which gambling
is prohibited. The form must familiar to the Arabs was
gambling by casting lots by means of arrows, on the
principle of a lottery: the arrows were marked, and
served the same purpose as a modern lottery ticket.
Something e.g., the carcase of a slaughtered animal, was
divided into unequal parts. The marked arrows were drawn
from a bag. Some were blank and those who drew them got
nothing. Others indicated prizes, which were big or
small. Whether you got a big share or a small share, or
nothing, depended on pure luck, unless that was fraud
also on the part of some persons concerned. The
principle on which the objection is based is: that, even
if there is no fraud, you gain what you have not earned,
or lose on a mere chance. Dice and wagering are rightly
held to be within the definition of gambling. But
insurance is not gambling, when conducted on business
principles. Here the basis for calculation is statistics
on a large scale, from which mere chance is eliminated.
The insurers themselves pay premia in proportion to
risks, exactly and statistically calculated.
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Note - 242Hoarding is no use either to ourselves, or to any one
else. We should use the wealth we need; any
superfluities we must spend in good works or in charity.
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Lit., "sin", or anything that is conducive to sinning. As some of the classical commentators (e.g., Razi) point out, the term ithm is used in this verse as the antithesis of manafi' ("benefits"); it can, therefore, be suitably rendered as "evil". |
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Wine: Khamr: literally understood to mean the fermented juice of the grape; applied by analogy to all fermented liquor, and by further analogy to any intoxicating liquor or drug. There may possible be some benefit in it, but the harm is greater than the benefit, especially if we look at it from a social as well as an individual point of view. |
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Gambling: maisir: literally, a means of getting something too easily, getting a profit without working for it; hence gambling. That is the principle on which gambling is prohibited. The form must familiar to the Arabs was gambling by casting lots by means of arrows, on the principle of a lottery: the arrows were marked, and served the same purpose as a modern lottery ticket. Something e.g., the carcase of a slaughtered animal, was divided into unequal parts. The marked arrows were drawn from a bag. Some were blank and those who drew them got nothing. Others indicated prizes, which were big or small. Whether you got a big share or a small share, or nothing, depended on pure luck, unless that was fraud also on the part of some persons concerned. The principle on which the objection is based is: that, even if there is no fraud, you gain what you have not earned, or lose on a mere chance. Dice and wagering are rightly held to be within the definition of gambling. But insurance is not gambling, when conducted on business principles. Here the basis for calculation is statistics on a large scale, from which mere chance is eliminated. The insurers themselves pay premia in proportion to risks, exactly and statistically calculated. |
