Four verses were revealed about wine, revealed in Mecca. Mahmoud, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Four verses were revealed about wine, revealed in Mecca... etc. Ahmad said: It appears to me that there is a secret in what he mentioned regarding this matter. The first question among the questions coupled with 'and' is the same as the first question among the questions that are not coupled with 'and'. However, its answer was given first regarding the spending because it is more important, even though the one being asked about is the spender, not the direction of the spending. Then, since the first answer did not explicitly mention the one being asked about, the question was repeated to answer explicitly about the one being asked. It was said: the excess, meaning the surplus of the obligatory spending on dependents, or something similar as it was mentioned in its interpretation. Therefore, this question must be coupled with 'and' to relate it to the first. It is also possible that when they were first answered by clarifying the direction of the spending and were not explicitly told about the spender, they repeated the question to receive an explicit answer. Thus, the inclusion of 'and' was necessary. As for the second question among the questions coupled with 'and', it was about their conditions with orphans and whether it is permissible for them to mix with them in spending, clothing, and housing, as they used to be hesitant about that in the pre-Islamic era. Since it was appropriate to ask about spending in terms of the spender and in terms of the direction of the spending, it was added to complete their understanding of the legality of spending and its religious etiquette in a clear manner. Because they had gathered knowledge about what they spend, in what they spend, and in what condition they spend regarding mixing with the orphan and separating from him. As for the third question, which is about menstruating women, it was reported that in the pre-Islamic era they used to avoid menstruating women in eating and living, following the Jews in that. They asked the mentioned question, just as they used to avoid orphans in living and eating out of pre-Islamic hesitation. There was a connection between these two questions, as you see, so it was good to add the latter to the former to indicate the similarity between them, and Allah knows best. If you consider the questions that are not coupled with 'and', you will find no proximity or relation between them at all. The first is about spending, the second about fighting in the sacred month, and the third about wine and gambling. Between these questions, there is a disparity and intersection that is not hidden. Thus, they were mentioned as unconnected and unrelated to each other. Pay attention to this secret, for it is remarkable and you will not find it observed except in the Noble Book, due to its mastery over the secrets of eloquence and the subtleties of fluency. It can only be benefited from by delving into the art of expression and the science of language. The answer of Al-Zamakhshari contains a misconception that I want to point out, as he said: The last three questions occurred at one time and were like one question, so they were linked to each other by 'and'. This implies, as you see, that the second and third questions should be specifically coupled with 'and' without the first, as 'and' only connects what comes after it with what comes before it. Thus, coupling it with the first does not connect it to the second but rather connects it to what precedes it. Based on this, the questions that occurred at one time would be four questions, not just three. He said that the linked questions that occurred at one time are the last three, and he is mistaken without a doubt. Everyone is taken from his words and left except for the infallible. And from the fruits of the date palms and the grapes, you take from them intoxicants. The Muslims used to drink it, and it was lawful for them. Then Umar and Muadh and a group of the companions said: O Messenger of Allah, give us a ruling on wine, for it is a destroyer of the mind and a waste of wealth. Then it was revealed: In them is great sin and [some] benefit for people. Some drank it, and others left it. Then Abdul Rahman bin Awf called some of them, and they drank and became intoxicated. One of them led the prayer and recited: Say, O disbelievers, I worship what you worship. Then it was revealed: Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated. So few drank it. Then he called Ubay bin Malik and a group among them, including Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas. When they became intoxicated, they boasted and recited poetry until Sa'd recited poetry that insulted the Ansar. An Ansari struck him with the jaw of a camel, causing him a severe wound. He complained to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him. Umar said: O Allah, clarify for us a clear ruling on wine. Then it was revealed: Indeed, wine and gambling... until the saying: So will you not desist? Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: We have desisted, O Lord. Thus, Al-Thalabi mentioned this in his interpretation without a chain of narration, and it will come in the interpretation of Surah An-Nisa from the hadith of Abu Huraira, with a similar meaning. And Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: If a drop fell into a well and I built a minaret in its place, I would not call the adhan on it. I did not find this from him. And Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: If I put my finger in it, it would not follow me. This was narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah from Ibn Al-Mubarak from Al-Awza'i from Sulayman bin Habib that Ibn Umar said: If I put my finger in wine, I would not want to return to it. This is true faith, and they are the ones who fear Allah as He should be feared. Wine is what has fermented and intensified and has bubbled with foam from grape juice, and it is forbidden. Likewise, the liquid from raisins or dates that has not been cooked. If it is cooked until two-thirds of it is gone, then it ferments and intensifies, its impurity and the share of the devil are removed, and drinking it is permissible as long as it does not lead to intoxication if the intention of drinking it is not for amusement and entertainment, according to Abu Hanifa. Some of his companions said: For me to say repeatedly that it is lawful is more beloved to me than to say once that it is forbidden. And for me to fall from the sky and be cut into pieces is more beloved to me than to take a drop from it. And according to most jurists, it is forbidden like wine, and likewise everything that intoxicates from any drink. It was called wine because it covers the mind and discernment, and it was called intoxication because it intoxicates them, meaning it restrains them. It is as if it was named from the source of 'khammara khamran' if it covers it for emphasis. Gambling is the game of chance, a source from 'yasara', like 'maw'id' and 'marja' from their actions. It is said: I gambled him, if I played with him, and its derivation is from 'yusr', because it takes a man's wealth easily and without effort or toil, or from 'yasar'.

Because it takes away his left side. And from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him: A man in the pre-Islamic era would gamble with his family and wealth, saying: "I say to them in the valley when they make me win... Did you not despair that I am the son of the brave man, Zahdam, the son of Suhaym al-Riyahi?" The valley is the name of a place. It is said: he made him win, if he overcame him in the game of gambling, which is gambling. And despair here means knowledge. Zahdam originally refers to a young falcon, and it is called so for the speed of the horse. That is, I say to them at this site when they overcame me in gambling and struck me with their arrows: Did you not know that I am the son of the brave man, the knight of that horse? The question is for confirmation and reproach.

And it is narrated: when they capture me, meaning they take me as a captive among them. It is possible that the meaning is: Did you not despair and cut off your hopes regarding what you want from me because I am the son of that famous knight? So the question is for reproach and urging despair from that.

That is, they do to me what the gamblers do to the one who is gambled upon. If you ask: What is the description of gambling? I say: They had ten cups, which are: the arrows, the pens, the single, the pair, the watcher, the mat, the competitor, the spreader, the high, the good, and the low. Each one of them has a known share from a camel that they slaughter and divide into ten parts. It is said: twenty-eight except for three, which are the good, the low, and the lowly. And some of them say:

"For me in this world are arrows... in which there is no profit."

"And their names are lowly... and lowly and good." The three names refer to the arrows of gambling that have no share from the camels, each name is for knowledge, and the lowly originally means: the base, the lowly, and the fruit of the eggplant, unlike the remaining seven which have shares. The speech is in the form of a parable, comparing his condition in this world to that of one who drew those arrows in gambling due to not achieving his aim. It is unlikely that it is a metaphor for generosity, where one gives and does not take.

It is narrated instead of "and their names" as "my arrow," meaning my arrows, as indicated by the arrows before it. For the single, there is one arrow, for the pair, there are two arrows, for the watcher, there are three, for the mat, there are four, for the competitor, there are five, for the spreader, there are six, and for the high, there are seven. They place them in the rababa, which is a map, and put it in the hands of a just person, then he shakes it and puts his hand in and pulls out a cup from it named after a man. Whoever draws a cup from those with shares takes the designated share of that cup. And whoever draws a cup from those without shares takes nothing and incurs the cost of the entire camel. They would give those shares to the poor and would not eat from them. They would boast about that and blame those who did not participate in it, calling them the 'brim.' And in the ruling of gambling: there are types of gambling, such as backgammon, chess, and others. And from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: "Beware of these two cursed games, for they are from the gambling of the Persians." It was narrated by Ibn Mardawayh from the hadith of Samurah ibn Jundub. And from the hadith of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari similarly, and it was narrated by Ahmad and al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad from two chains from Abu al-Hawwas from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud with the wording: "Beware of these two cursed games that lead to prohibition, for they are from the gambling of the Persians." And from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him: that backgammon and chess are from gambling. It was narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim, al-Bayhaqi, and al-Thalabi from the path of Hatim ibn Ismail from Ja'far ibn Muhammad from his father: "That Ali said regarding backgammon and chess: They are from gambling," and it is disconnected. And from Ibn Sirin: Everything that involves risk is from gambling.

And the meaning is: They ask you about what is in engaging in them, as evidenced by His saying, "Say, 'In them is great sin.'" And their sin and the punishment of sin in engaging in them is greater than their benefit, which is the pleasure of drinking alcohol and gambling, and the joy in them, and the means by which one reaches the companionship of young men and their associations, and taking from their food and drink and gifts, and taking money through gambling, and boasting over the uninitiated. [The saying 'and boasting over the uninitiated' refers to those who do not participate with the people in gambling. This is as stated in the authentic sources.] And it has been read: 'A great sin' - with a thaa - and in the reading of Ubayy: 'And their sin is closer.' And the meaning of the abundance is that the drinkers and gamblers commit sins in many ways. Al-'afw is the opposite of effort, which is to spend what does not reach the effort of spending it and exhausting one's capability. It is said: 'Take the easy from me, you will maintain my affection.' [Take the easy from me, you will maintain my affection... and do not speak in my presence when I am angry. For I have seen that love in the heart and harm, when they come together, love does not last. And do not strike me time after time, for you do not know how the end will be.] This is addressed by Asma ibn Khārijah al-Nazari, one of the wise men of the Arabs, to his wife when he married her. And al-'afw means the easy and light. And al-surah refers to intense anger. And 'they came together' means they were about to meet. And 'it goes away' is a resumption that occurs as an answer to an implied question, and 'striking' is a metaphor for causing harm, and 'the end' refers to the outcome of the matter, meaning take the easy from my character so that my love for you does not go away and does not carry the scent of striking, meaning rather it goes away.

And the flat land is called 'al-‘afw.' It has been recited in both the nominative and accusative forms. And from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, that a man came to him with a gold egg that he had found in one of the battles and said: 'Take it from me as charity.' The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, turned away from him. Then he came to him from the right side and said the same, and he turned away from him again. Then he came to him from the left side and he turned away from him. He said: 'Bring it here angrily.' He took it and threw it at him with a throw that if it had hit him, it would have wounded him or harmed him. Then he said: 'One of you comes with all his wealth to give charity and sits begging from the people! Charity is only from a position of wealth.' [Narrated by Abu Dawood, Ibn Hibban, Al-Bazzar, Al-Darimi, Abu Ya'la, Ibn Abi Shaybah, Abd Ibn Hamid, and Ishaq in their collections: all from the narration of Mahmoud Ibn Labid from Jabir. It was narrated by Ibn Sa'd in the biography of Abu Husayn Al-Sulami from the narration of Umar Ibn Al-Hakam Ibn Thuban from Jabir, who said: 'Abu Husayn Al-Sulami came with gold that he had found from their mine and paid off a debt that he had.' He mentioned the hadith similar to the narration of Abu Dawood. In its chain is Al-Waqidi.]' In this world and the Hereafter, it may relate to 'that you may reflect,' meaning: perhaps you will reflect on what pertains to the two abodes and take what is better for you, as I have indicated that 'al-‘afw' is better than exertion in spending. And you reflect on the two abodes and prefer the one that lasts and has more benefits. It may also refer to His saying: 'And their sin is greater than their benefit' so that you may reflect [The phrase 'greater than their benefit so that you may reflect' may mean: so that you may reflect.] on the punishment of sin in the Hereafter and the benefit in this world. So that you do not choose immediate benefit over salvation from the great punishment. Or it may relate to 'He clarifies to you the signs in the matter of the two abodes and what pertains to them so that you may reflect.' When the verse 'Indeed, those who consume the wealth of orphans unjustly' was revealed, they distanced themselves from the orphans and avoided them, leaving their interaction and concern for their interests. This troubled them and nearly put them in hardship. So it was said: 'Reconciliation for them is better,' meaning that their interaction in a manner of reconciliation for them and their wealth is better than avoiding them. And if you mix with them and associate with them and do not avoid them, then they are your brothers in religion. And it is the right of a brother to associate with his brother. The association has been understood in the context of marriage. And Allah knows the corruptor from the reformer, meaning that nothing is hidden from Allah regarding their inner corruption and reform, and He will reward them according to their interaction. So beware of Him and do not seek anything other than reform. And if Allah had willed, He would have burdened you with hardship and made it difficult for you, and He would not have allowed you to interact with them. And Tawus read: 'Say, reconciliation to them.' Its meaning is to convey goodness. And it has been recited: 'Your curse,' by dropping the hamzah and placing its movement on the lam. And likewise, 'So there is no sin upon him.' [The phrase 'And likewise, so there is no sin upon him' may mean: likewise in dropping the hamzah, not in transferring the movement, and the alif of elongation is dropped due to the meeting of two consonants. This should be clarified.] Indeed, Allah is Exalted and Powerful, able to burden His servants and make it difficult for them, but He is Wise and does not impose upon them except what is within their capacity.