Question: I would like to know on something. I have been told by one Sheikh that we are allowed to drink alcohol (intoxicants) with a limit of 28% percentage. Is this true?

Answer: In Islam, alcoholic beverages—or any intoxicant—are strictly forbidden "harām". Intoxicants were forbidden in the Qur'an through several separate verses revealed at different times over a period of years. At first, it was forbidden for Muslims to attend to prayers while intoxicated. Allah says "O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until ye can understand all that ye say..." (Qur'an 4:43).

Then a later verse was revealed which said that alcohol contains some good and some evil, but the evil is greater than the good (Qur'an 2:219). The verse states "They ask Thee concerning Wine and Gambling, Say: In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit."). This was the next step in turning people away from consumption of it.

Finally, "intoxicants and games of chance" were called "abominations of Satan's handiwork," intended to turn people away from God and forget about prayer, and Muslims were ordered to ABSTAIN (Qur'an 5:90-91). Thus, from this last verse, Muslims are completely forbiden from taking intoxiants.