so that calling it karm (1) is not prohibited, as in his statements about the poor person (2), the person with no surviving children (3), and the bankrupt person (4); or is the intention that calling it this, while making forbidden wine from it, attributes generosity, goodness, and benefit to the source of this vile, forbidden drink, thereby paving the way for praising what Allah has forbidden and arousing people’s desire for it? This is a possible interpretation (5), and Allah knows best what His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, intended. It is preferable not to call grapevines karm.
Section
He, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Do not let the Bedouins determine what you call your prayer. Indeed, it is ‘Ishā’ (the night prayer), whereas they call it ‘atamah (nightfall)” (6). It is also authentically reported that he said: “If they knew the reward of the ‘atamah and dawn prayers, they would come to them even if they had to crawl” (7). Some have said that this abrogates the prohibition, while others have said the reverse. The correct view differs from both, since their chronological order cannot be established, and there is no contradiction between
(1) Kāf, Jīm: “bi-hādhā al-karm (by this name, karm).”
(2) Narrated by al-Bukhārī (1479) and Muslim (1039/101), from Abū Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him.
(3) Narrated by Muslim (2608), from Ibn Mas‘ūd, may Allah be pleased with him.
(4) Cited by al-Bukhārī with a suspended chain of transmission (8/42), and narrated with a connected chain by Muslim (2581), from Abū Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him.
(5) Here the author hesitates between two explanations for the prohibition against calling grapes karm. However, he favoured the first in Tahdhīb al-Sunan (3/377) and Miftāh Dār al-Sa‘āda (2/659).
(6) Narrated by Muslim (644/228, 229), from ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Umar. The continuation in the first version reads: “and they milk their camels after nightfall”; in the second: “and they delay milking the camels until darkness.” Neither includes the additional wording: “and they call it al-‘atama (nightfall).” Similar wording appears in al-Humaydī (652) and Ahmad (4688). Al-Shāfi‘ī adds: “Whenever Ibn ‘Umar heard them say al-‘atama, he would shout and become angry.” See al-Awsat by Ibn al-Mundhir (3/69).
(7) Narrated by al-Bukhārī (615) and Muslim (437), from Abū Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him.