عہد نامہ جدید میں شراب کی حُرمت وحِلت: ایک تجزیاتی و تنقیدی مطالعہ------------------------------------------------------------------------------Prohibition or Permissibility of Wine in the New Testament: An Analytical and Critical Study

Abstract

Use of wine and alcohol is strictly prohibited by the Qur’an and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Mu╒ammad (PBUH). Wine and its uses have also been mentioned and discussed in various writings of the New Testament (NT) which is a basic source of Christian belief and practices. In the NT, we note that the use of wine has been described in connection with John the Baptist, and Jesus Christ (PBUH) and his disciples. Moreover, in his letters, Paul says many things about wine. A cursory look at all the relevant verses shows that NT permits the use of wine in some verses while it prohibits its drinking in many other verses. Different attitudes of Christians regarding the use of wine also makes the issue complicated. In today’s multicultural world, there is increased interaction between Muslims and Christians. They indulge in joint activities and are also partners and participants in religious dialogue. Many a times, they sit together during meals and interact casually. . In the annual reports of Council of Islamic Ideology, one can see that many questions were asked about the business and use of wine by non-Muslims including Christians. Therefore, particularly in the socio-religious context of Pakistani Muslim society, it becomes very important to understand the issue in its various dimensions. Although much literature is published on this topic in various languages, no one has comprehensively undertaken the thematic study of all the verses relevant to the topic. Keeping its limits to the NT in Urdu language, this study investigates the answers given to the following questions: What are the different contexts in which wine has been mentioned? Is wine prohibited or permissible in these contexts? How can Muslims benefit from the results of this study? The study ends by offering a number of results and suggestions.