696 – ʿAbd Allah ibn Buraidah narrates on the authority of his father (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever withholds grapes at the time of harvest so that he may sell them to someone who will make wine from them has thrown himself into the Fire in full awareness.” It was reported by al-Ṭabarānī in al-Awsat with a ḥasan chain of transmission (1).
Status of the ḥadīth
Al-Ḥāfiẓ said: its isnād is ḥasan. In al-Talkhīṣ he added: al-Ṭabarānī transmitted it through Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Abī Khaythamah, with his chain, from Buraidah as a marfūʿ report.
Vocabulary
• ḥabs al-ʿinab: leaving the grapes unpicked when their harvest time arrives until they turn into raisins.
• al-qiṭāf: (with kasrah or fatḥah on the qāf) the time when fruit is plucked from the tree.
• taqaḥḥama al-nār ʿalā baṣīrah: he flung himself into the Fire knowingly, aware of the sin that necessitates his entry.
Lessons derived from the ḥadīth
- Wine can be produced from many substances, but most commonly it is made from raisins. Thus, whoever leaves his grapes unpicked at harvest so that they become raisins and then sells them to people who will brew wine from them has put in motion the very cause that obligates his entry into the Fire. He does so knowingly and deliberately, for he has embarked upon a forbidden act while fully aware of it.
- The general import of the ḥadīth shows that this is forbidden even if the purchaser is among those who are permitted to