Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Allah say in quran (2,43) "O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until ye can understand all that ye say." , What does it mean 

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Meaning of Surah 2 Verse 43

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol,  no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

The above aayah that you have quoted is not from 2:43, but rather the aayah is from Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 43; and the whole aayah is as follows:O ye who believe!  Approach not prayers with a mind befogged until ye can understand all that ye say,  nor in a state of ceremonial impurity (except when travelling on the road) until after washing your whole body;   if ye are ill or on a journey,  or one of you cometh from offices of nature,  or ye have been in contact with women and ye find no water,  then take for yourselves clean sand or earth and rub therewith your faces and hands.   For Allah doth blot out sins and forgive again and again.

 

The above aayah basically commands the believers that one should not make himself available to pray while he/she is intoxicated.    This aayah was revealed as a training for the believers before the command of the prohibition of intoxicants, as the command of forbidding intoxicants was not yet revealed.  Later, when the command of Allah was revealed in Surah Maidah, which absolutely forbids the believers to even go near any type of intoxicant, the above aayah of Surah Nisaa was abrogated; and all types of intoxicants were absolutely forbidden for the believers.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verses 93-94: O ye who believe!  Intoxicants, and gambling,  (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination of Satan's handiwork:  eschew such (abomination) that ye may prosper.   Satan's plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer:  will ye not then abstain?

 

Once the above aayah of Surah Maidah were revealed in Medina, all types of intoxicants became absolutely prohibited to all the believers.   The aayah that you have quoted from Surah Nisaa, which commands the believers not to approach prayer while intoxicated predates the aayahs of Surah Maidah, which absolutely prohibits the believers to even go near any type of intoxicants.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

 

Your Brother in Islam,

 

 

Burhan