that a wine-drinker be put to death on the third or fourth occasion, although the majority hold that this ruling was abrogated. In authentic reports, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) forbade turning wine into vinegar and ordered that its containers be split open and its jars smashed. However, the reports from Ahmad differ as to whether this ruling remains in force or has been abrogated.

Since Allah, glorified and exalted is He, prohibited unwholesome things only because of their corrupting effects—whether upon the intellect, character, or otherwise—those who deemed certain prohibited foods or drinks lawful displayed deficiencies proportionate to the harm those things contain. Were it not for their interpretive reasoning, they would have deserved punishment.

Furthermore, Imam Ahmad and other scholars of hadith followed the Sunnah more closely than others by enjoining what Allah and His Messenger commanded to remove the harmful effects of certain permissible things, such as camel meat. It is lawful according to the Quran, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus, but it contains a satanic force to which the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) alluded when he said:

“They are jinn, created from jinn.”

He also said, as reported by Abū Dāwūd:

“Anger comes from Satan, and Satan is from fire. Fire is extinguished only with water, so when one of you becomes angry, let him perform ablution.”

Thus, he commanded ablution in response to a passing state caused by Satan. Eating camel meat imparts a satanic force that is removed by performing ablution after eating it, as the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) commanded. This is authentically reported from him through several chains of transmission, in the hadiths of Jābir ibn Samura and al-Barā’ ibn