issued a definitive, iron-clad prohibition in His statement:

“O you who believe! Wine, gambling, stone altars and divining arrows are only filth from the handiwork of Satan, so shun it that you may prosper. Satan merely wishes, through wine and gambling, to sow enmity and hatred between you and to bar you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. Will you not then desist? Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and beware; but if you turn away, know that our Messenger’s duty is only clear conveyance.” (Al-Māʾidah 5:90–92)

Thus wine was declared absolutely forbidden—at every time, for the whole span of a person’s life. Not a single moment remains in which it is lawful; it is prohibited to the Muslim for his entire lifetime. This was the final stage: Allah relieved the believers of it, made it categorically unlawful, and commanded them to avoid it, saying, “so shun it that you may prosper.” The gradual manner in which wine was outlawed, and in which other matters that weigh heavily on the soul are legislated, is one of the manifestations of Allah’s mercy.

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Question: Allah the Exalted says, “Those of you who die leaving wives behind must bequeath for their wives a year’s maintenance and residence without expulsion. But if they leave (of their own accord), there is no blame on you for what they lawfully do with themselves. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” (Al-Baqarah 2:240). What is the meaning of this verse, and of His words, “for what they lawfully do with themselves”?

Answer: According to the majority of the exegetes, this verse governed the earliest ruling. A widow was required to remain in her deceased husband’s home for one full year, during which her maintenance was provided from his estate. The phrase “a year’s maintenance without expulsion” means that she was to stay in the marital home for a year and be supported from his wealth by virtue of his bequest. Likewise, the Almighty’s words, “Those of you who die leaving wives behind must bequeath for their wives a year’s maintenance…”