KARACHI – Pakistan’s self-acclaimed religious scholar Mufti Abdul Qavi once again found himself at the center of public backlash after a video went viral on social media in which he claimed that consuming alcohol is permissible in Islam, as long as it does not affect your mind.
A recent clip of Mufti Qavi went viral in which he can be heard comparing Alcohol with Tobacco and Naswar. He saod for 20 million Muslims living in subcontinent, tobacco-paan is considered halal, even though many cannot tolerate it for more than 5 minutes, and naswar is also accepted among Pashtuns. So why are three to four pegs of alcohol automatically deemed haram for others? he questioned.
Quran forbids ‘khamr’ (intoxicants), not alcohol itself, he added, causing outrage among social media users as drinking alcohol is among major sins and is strictly forbidden.
Qavi was of view that “as long as a person’s mind and speech remain unaffected, alcohol is not haram.
He even mentioend alcohol use in homeopathic medicines and was also applied on hands during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier, Qavi said drink containing less than 40% alcohol could be considered halal. He also argued that even a drink containing 100% alcohol could be permissible if it is derived from mineral sources.
As expected, Mufti Qavi’s latest comments triggered widespread criticism online. Social media users accused him of misinterpreting Islamic teachings to suit his narrative.
As the clip went viral, social media slammed Qavi for opposing basic Islamic principles, as Quran contains several verses warning against dangers of wine and advising believers to avoid it.
