Question 500: What is the ruling on the prayer of a person who drinks wine, since it is said that their prayer is not accepted for 40 days?

215 13 Feb 2021
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✅Answer:

1 عن أَحدهما قال: مَنْ شَرِبَ مِنَ الْخَمْرِ شَرْبَةً لَمْ يَقْبَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ منه صَلَاةً أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْماً

📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 401

Imam Baqir or Imam Sadiq (peace be upon them) said: Whoever drinks a sip of wine, Allah will not accept any prayer from him for 40 days!

2 الْحُسین بن خالد قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِی الْحَسَنِ إِنَّا رُوِّینَا عَنِ النَّبِیِّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَنْ شَرِبَ الْخَمْرَ لَمْ تُحْتَسَبْ لَهُ صَلَاتُهُ أَرْبَعِینَ یَوْماً قَالَ فَقَالَ صَدَقُوا قُلْتُ وَ کَیْفَ لَا تُحْتَسَبُ صَلَاتُهُ أَرْبَعِینَ صَبَاحاً لَا أَقَلَّ مِنْ ذَلِکَ وَ لَا أَکْثَرَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ قَدَّرَ خَلْقَ الْإِنْسَان فَصَیَّرَهُ نُطْفَةً أَرْبَعِینَ یَوْماً ثُمَّ نَقَلَهَا فَصَیَّرَهَا عَلَقَةً أَرْبَعِینَ یَوْماً ثُمَّ نَقَلَهَا فَصَیَّرَهَا مُضْغَةً أَرْبَعِینَ یَوْماً فَهُوَ إِذَا شَرِبَ الْخَمْرَ بَقِیَتْ فی مُشَاشِه أَرْبَعِینَ یَوْماً عَلَی قَدْر انْتِقَالِ خِلْقَتِهِ قَال ثُمَّ قَال وَ کَذَلِکَ جَمِیعُ غِذَائِهِ أَکْلِهِ وَ شُرْبِهِ یَبْقَی فِی مُشَاشِهِ أَرْبَعِینَ یَوْماً

📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 402

Husayn ibn Khalid said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated to us from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) that whoever drinks wine, his prayer will not be accounted for him for 40 days! The Imam said: They have spoken the truth! I said: How is it that his prayer is not accounted for him for 40 days, no less and no more? He said: Indeed, Allah, the Exalted and Glorified, decreed the creation of man, so He made him a sperm drop for 40 days, and then He transferred him and made him a leech-like clot for 40 days, and then He transferred him and made him a chewed lump of flesh for 40 days. So when he drinks wine, it remains in his nature for 40 days, as long as the transfer of his creation. Then he said: Likewise, all of his food and drink remains in his nature for 40 days!

3 عن أَبِي عبداللَّه قال: سُئِلَ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ إِذَا شَرِبَ الْمُسْكِرَ مَا حَالُهُ قَالَ لَا يقبل الله صلاته أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْماً وَ لَيْسَ لَهُ تَوْبَةٌ فِي الْأَرْبَعِينَ وَ إِنْ مَاتَ فِيهَا دَخَلَ النَّارَ

📚Uqubat al-A'mal, p. 292

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked about a person who drinks an intoxicating substance, what is his condition? He said: Allah will not accept his prayer for 40 days, and there is no repentance for him during these 40 days, and if he dies during this period, he will enter the Fire!

4 الْفُضَيْل بن يسار قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَر يَقُولُ مَنْ شَرِبَ الْخَمْرَ فَسَكِرَ مِنْهَا لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلَاةٌ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْماً فَإِنْ تَرَكَ الصَّلَاةَ فِي هَذِهِ الْأَيَّامِ ضُوعِفَ عَلَيْهِ الْعَذَابُ لِتَرْكِه الصَّلَاة

📚Al-Faqih, Vol. 3, p. 570

Fudayl said: I heard Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) say: Whoever drinks wine and becomes intoxicated from it, no prayer is accepted from him for 40 days, and if he abandons the prayer during these days, his punishment is doubled because of his abandoning the prayer!

Shaykh Saduq, after narrating this hadith, continues by saying: And in another narration, it is stated that his prayer is held between the heaven and the earth, so if he repents, it is returned to him and accepted from him.

📚Uqubat al-A'mal, p. 290

5 أَبِي الصَّحَارِيِّ النَّخَّاس عن أَبِي عَبْد اللَّهِ قال: قُلْتُ الرَّجُلُ يَشْرَبُ الْخَمْرَ قَالَ بِئْسَ الشَّرَابُ الْخَمْرُ یكَرَّرَ ذَلِكَ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ قال تُرِيدُ مَا ذَا قُلْتُ يَقْبَلُ اللَّهُ صَلَاتَهُ قَالَ إِنْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ إِذَا قَامَ مِنْهَا اسْتَغْفَرَهُ وَ لَمْ يَنْوِ أَنْ يَعُودَ إِلَيْهَا أبدا قَبِلَ اللَّه صَلَاتَهُ مِنْ سَاعَتِه و إِنْ كَانَ غَيْر ذَلِكَ فَذَاكَ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَتَى شَاءَ قَبِلَهُ و مَتَى شَاءَ رَدَّهُ

📚Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 9, p. 110

Abi Sahari said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): A person drinks wine!

The Imam said: Wine is a bad drink! The Imam repeated this phrase three times!

Then the Imam said: What do you want?! I said: Does Allah accept his prayer? He said: If Allah knows from him that when he leaves wine, he seeks forgiveness for it and intends never to return to it again, Allah will accept his prayer in that very hour, and if it is not so, his matter is in the hands of Allah. Whenever He wills, He accepts his prayer, and whenever He wills, He rejects it!

✅This is a small part of the punishments of wine and intoxicants, which cause a person's prayer to be rejected for 40 days. And of course, this does not mean that a person should abandon the prayer, because according to narration 4, if he abandons the prayer, his punishment is doubled, and the acceptance of his prayer depends on repentance and the intention of never returning to it forever.