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The third stage came with Allah’s words: “O you who believe, do not approach the prayer while you are intoxicated until you understand what you are saying” (Q. 4:43). He thus forbade them to draw near to the prayer in a drunken state, which implicitly meant that drinking wine was still tolerated at times other than the prayer.
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The fourth stage was the clear‐cut, final prohibition. Allah Most High said in Sūrah al-Māʾidah—one of the last chapters to be revealed—“O you who believe, wine, gambling, idolatrous altars, and divining arrows are filth from the work of Satan; so shun them” (Q. 5:90). When this verse came down, the people immediately abstained from wine.
Yet because human souls are naturally drawn to it, a deterrent was established: punishment. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not, however, stipulate a fixed amount, so the penalty for drinking is not a ḥadd punishment but a discretionary chastisement (taʿzīr). On one occasion a man who had drunk wine was brought before him, and the Prophet ﷺ ordered, “Beat him,” without specifying forty, eighty, a hundred, or even ten lashes. The Companions set about striking him—one with his cloak, another with his hand, another with his sandal—until roughly forty blows had been delivered.
When they had finished and the man departed, someone in the gathering remarked, “May Allah disgrace him,” meaning: may Allah humiliate and expose him. The Prophet ﷺ replied, “Do not say that; do not wish disgrace upon him. A man drank an intoxicant, was flogged, and has been purified by that flogging—do not help Satan against him.” Thus he forbade them to revile the man even though he had consumed wine.
What, then, should be our stance toward a drinker? We should pray for his guidance: “O Allah, guide him; O Allah, rectify him; O Allah, keep him away from this,” and the like. To curse him is only to aid Satan against him. This narration is clear evidence that wine is forbidden and that a punishment is due for it.