Surah Al-Maidah — Verse 90

Word Meanings:

• Al-Khamr (الْخَمْرُ): Intoxicants — everything that clouds the intellect and impairs reasoning.
• Al-Maysir (الْمَيْسِرُ): Gambling — games of chance involving stakes from both sides, including betting and wagering.
• Al-Ansab (الْأَنصَابُ): Stone idols or altars erected for worship or sacrifice, dedicated to false deities.
• Al-Azlam (الْأَزْلَامُ): Arrows or lots used for seeking omens or divination before undertaking any matter.
• Rijs (رِجْسٌ): Filth, impurity, abomination — morally and spiritually unclean.

Explanation of the Verse:

O you who have sincerely believed in Allah and His Messenger and strive to live by His guidance! Know with certainty that intoxicants — whatever substance dulls your mind and steals your senses — and gambling — every form of wagering and games of chance that feed greed and enmity — and the stone altars and idols that were set up for false worship, and the divining arrows used to seek knowledge of the unseen — all of these are nothing but filth and abomination. They are not merely forbidden acts; they are spiritual impurities that defile the heart and distance the soul from its Creator.

This entire category of evils is from the handiwork of Satan — he decorates them, beautifies them, and whispers to you that they bring pleasure, relief, or fortune. In reality, they are his traps to destroy your peace, your wealth, your relationships, and ultimately your connection with Allah.

Therefore, Allah commands you: avoid them completely — not merely reduce them or approach them cautiously, but shun them entirely and keep a safe distance. This command is not a restriction on your freedom; it is a protection for your wellbeing. By abandoning these impurities, you purify your heart, safeguard your intellect, protect your wealth, and preserve the harmony of your society.

A Call to Reflection and Success:

Dear believer, reflect on the wisdom behind this divine instruction. The One who created you knows what harms you and what benefits you. He does not forbid anything except that it carries hidden destruction, and He does not permit anything except that it carries hidden good. When you obey this command, you are not losing pleasure — you are gaining true success: a dignified life in this world, tranquility in your home, soundness in your mind, and the eternal bliss of Paradise in the Hereafter.

This verse is a mercy in disguise. It liberates you from the chains of addiction, the ruin of gambling, the emptiness of superstition, and the degradation of idolatry. It calls you to a life of clarity, purpose, and divine connection. So embrace this guidance with an open heart, and you will taste the sweetness of faith and the joy of true success — success that no intoxicant can give and no gamble can provide. Let this be your invitation to a life of purity, dignity, and closeness to Allah, for indeed, in obedience lies the ultimate victory.