What does Khamr mean?

Islam > Glossary > Khamr

Discover the meaning of the term Khamr (خامر) in Islamic vocabulary.

Definition Khamr

Khamr according to Al-Qamus al-Fiqhi

Khamara behind it: to cover oneself. Khamara the thing: to ply it and keep company with it. Khamara the place: to keep to it and dwell there. Khammara: to take khamr (wine). Khamara the thing: to cover it; one says: the woman covered (khamarat) her head with the khimar. In the noble hadith: 'The believer is not found but in one of three states: a mosque he maintains, or a house he shelters (yakhmuruhu), or means of livelihood he manages,' that is: in a house that shelters him and whose condition he keeps in good order. Khamara the opinion: to leave it until it appears and becomes clear. Al-khumar: the remnant of drunkenness. Al-khimar: everything that covers (plural: akhmirah, khumur, khumur). In the Noble Revelation: '... and let them draw their khumur over their bosoms' (An-Nur, 31). The woman's khimar: the garment with which she covers her head. The turban, because the man covers his head with it and passes it under the chin. In the noble hadith: 'The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to wipe over the khuffs and the khimar,' that is, the turban. Al-kamar: what shelters the thing: tree, building, mountain or the like. Al-khamr: what intoxicates, made from grape juice, so named because it covers the intellect. Ibn Sidah said: strictly speaking (haqiqah), khamr applies only to grapes; other intoxicants are called khamr figuratively. The word is feminine, sometimes masculine, the feminine being the more classical. Plural: khumur. Every intoxicant. Grapes. In the Noble Quran: '... my fellow prisoner... I see myself pressing khamr' (Yusuf, 36). The people of Oman call grapes khamr. In the word of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): 'Every intoxicant is khamr, and every khamr is unlawful.' In the word of the Companions: every intoxicant, whether from grapes or from other things (Ibn Hajar); that is the view of the people of Madinah, the people of the Hijaz and all the people of hadith (Ibn 'Abd al-Barr). According to the Malikis: like the Companions' view, transmitted from Malik; or: what is made from grape juice into which the bubbling fermentation (mutarribah) has entered. According to the Hanafis: raw grape juice when it boils, thickens and casts off the foam, that is: throws it off and removes it, so that it disappears and the liquid settles; if it has not cast off the foam it is not khamr according to Abu Hanifa, contrary to Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan. The word khamr may also be used figuratively beyond what has been mentioned. Al-Qurtubi said: that is a view contrary to the Arabic language, to the authentic Sunnah and to the Companions. According to the Shafi'is: like the Companions' view, transmitted from al-Shafi'i; or: khamr strictly speaking is what is made from grapes, and figuratively the rest. According to the Hanbalis and Zahiris: like the Companions' view. According to the Ja'faris: grape juice that has thickened and intoxicates; or grape or date juice when it boils and thickens; or whatever of drink intoxicates. Al-khamrah: the khamr, a rare usage in the language. Al-khumrah: what remains in a person of the drunkenness of khamr; the mat on which the worshipper prostrates; a small prayer place made of palm leaves, which, if large, is called hasir. Al-khamir: what is put into dough (leaven).

Related terms: Khamr