Re: Alcohol and Prayer...
Peace All
Hadith - Al-Tirmidhi #3643, narrated Abdullah ibn Umar ; Abdullah ibn Amr
Allah's Messenger said, "If anyone drinks wine Allah will not accept prayer from him for forty days, but if he repents Allah will forgive him. If he repeats the offence Allah will not accept prayer from him for forty days, but if he repents Allah will forgive him. If he again repeats the offence Allah will not accept prayer from him for forty days, but if he repents Allah will forgive him. If he repeats it a fourth time Allah will not accept prayer from him for forty days, and if he repents Allah will not forgive him, but will give him to drink of the river of the fluid flowing from the inhabitants of Hell."
This is basically saying even if a person is not drunk but has consumed alcohol will not have his prayer accepted, for 40 days.
Not really my expertise or concern since I believe God will accept your prayers at any time if they are sincere and offered from the heart. I have prayed many a times while under the influence. But I guess I am one step further in kafir land since I believe spontaneous, sincere prayers are more meaningful than scheduled, symbolic prayer rituals.
But this hadith is an example of how these 'reported sayings' can give such dire consequences and IMO poor advice on such important matters. After the 4th prayer under the influence you are not forgiven and sent to hell? That is incomprehensible. Alcoholsim is a disease. Ad addictive disease. It can take years of therapy and life long dedication to become free of it. And here it says, as if it is fact, that you are going to hell for violating this rule 4 times.
I have never received the answer - when were these 'reported sayings' revealed to the prophet? If they were revelations from God, why didn't they make it to the protected promise of the Quran? If they weren't revelations from God, are we to assume the prophet had this knowledge implanted in him? It had to be one or the other for his 'reported' words to be given God-like status.