His statement, “Nor for medical treatment”: that is, it is not permissible to consume it as treatment, for we know with certainty that there is no cure in it. Rather, it is as the Prophet ﷺ said: “It is not a remedy; rather, it is a disease” (1). Had it been a remedy, Allah would not have forbidden it to His servants, for Allah does not forbid His servants that which benefits them.

His statement, “Nor because of thirst”: this applies, for example, to a man dying of thirst, at his very last breath, who has before him a cup of wine and says that he wishes to drink it because of his thirst. This is not permissible, because it only increases thirst: it neither quenches the parched nor cures the sick.

His statement, “Nor for any other reason”: such as boasting, experimentation, and the like—except in one case, which may be rare but can occur. The author said:

“Except to dislodge a morsel with which he is choking, when nothing else is available to him.” This is an unusual case. Consider how the scholars’ minds extend to such far-fetched matters, just as some poets venture into remote imagery. One poet said:

I would be worn away by the ruins, were I not to stand beside them
as a miser stands when his ring is lost in the dust.

“I would be worn away by the ruins,” meaning the ruins of his beloved’s dwelling. He loves a woman, and her ruins are what remains of her houses and home. “Were I not to stand beside them,” meaning beside these ruins, “as a miser stands”—that is, one who is miserly with his wealth and clings tightly to it—