Abd Al-Noor: The Secret Spiritual History of Wine

When we speak about wine or alcohol today, whether from a social or religious perspective—we often encounter a predominantly negative image. Many view alcohol as a dangerous intoxicant, and indeed, there is some truth to that. But we must ask: Is this the whole truth? Or is an essential piece of the puzzle missing?

To answer this question, let us first look into the religious history and spiritual traditions surrounding wine.

A Journey to the Origins: Wine and the Prophets of God

In the early divine laws given to Adam and Noah, there were no prohibitions regarding wine or other alcoholic drinks.

Noah, who is portrayed as a prophet in Genesis, planted a vineyard, drank its wine, and became drunk. Other prophets, such as Abraham and David, also consumed wine. Even under Mosaic law, wine was not banned; it was permitted and even used as an offering to God.

In Judaism and Christianity, wine was never fundamentally forbidden. Restrictions existed only in particular sacred circumstances — for example, priests were forbidden to drink wine when entering the sanctuary so that their judgment remained clear. The issue was not wine itself, but the clarity of mind.

Jesus incorporated wine into his ministry and message:

• His first miracle was turning water into wine.

• At the Last Supper, he drank wine with his disciples.

• In the Catholic tradition, wine becomes the sacramental Blood of Christ.

  
  

Thus, in these traditions, wine is not a symbol of negativity but of joy, community, and the divine.

During the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, alcohol was widely consumed among the Arabs. However, the society of that time misused wine, and drunkenness often led to disorder, conflict, and moral decline.

The Qur’an therefore introduced a gradual revelation:

1. First, believers were forbidden to approach prayer while intoxicated.

2. Eventually, alcohol was fully prohibited.

   
   

This raises an important question: Was wine itself the problem, or human immaturity?

Modern Insights and Mysticism

Today we have abundant scientific evidence showing the harmful effects of alcohol. From a spiritual perspective, many claim wine lowers one’s “frequency” or disrupts one’s energy field. These insights contain truth, but they represent only part of the picture.

Both the Qur’an and the Bible also speak positively of wine:

In Paradise there are rivers of wine, “delicious to those who drink.” (Qur’an 47:15)

“…and wine gladdens the human heart.” (Psalm 104:15)

Can something impure exist in Paradise?

Mystical Teachings: Wine as Light

Particularly fascinating are certain spiritual traditions that describe wine as a substance filled with divine light.

Imam Al-Sadiq is reported to have said that wine is “a light from our lights.”

From Bashar Al-Shairi who said:“I asked my Master Al-Sadiq : ‘Is wine permissible or impermissible?’ So he said: ‘O Bashar, as for wine, it is a light from our lights, so drink from our lights and eat from our fruits, and speak about our news, it is permissible for you amongst yourselves but impermissible for you amongst others.’ I said: ‘O my Master, clarify it for me so that I may hear it from you and not from anyone else.’ Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) said: ‘O Bashar, as for wine, it is a light from our lights, if you see a man drinking wine and his face brightens and his color shines and his angels calm down and there appears from him compassion and love and prayer for his brothers and speaking goodness and thankfulness for his Master, and he glorifies (Tasbih) and magnifies (Tahlil), then light would have met with light, because wine is light. And the light of that man is light, so be friends with him and seek him, for in him is some knowledge.’” (The Goal of the Wise, Aba Al-Sadiq Abdullah Hashem, Door 15, p. 197)

As mentioned in The Goal of the Wise, Manichaean teachings similarly described fruit juice as matter penetrated by light.

Certain wines were even referred to as Abd Al-Nur — “Servant of the Light.”

Spiritual Gatherings Among the Faithful

It is said that during the time of the Imams, certain close followers secretly gathered for spiritual brotherhood rituals in which wine was consumed in a sacred context. These gatherings have been compared to the Last Supper of Jesus, involving a symbolic and spiritually charged drink.

Aba Al-Sadiq said in the lecture regarding the permissibility of alcohol:

“Wine was made forbidden for all those whom were shortcomers. But in reality, behind the scenes, the true Shia were given permission by God to continue to live in a state of paradise, and to join the ranks as the previous prophets and messengers. And that Allah would never make haram for the believers and companions of Mohammed, something which he made halal for the companions of Jesus, and Abraham, and Moses, and the rest of the prophets and the messengers. And so he grants them this ability to do this, but he tells them that they must conceal it and be in a state of taqiyya and don't tell the others, because the others are not going to understand it, and the others are going to persecute them for the consumption of alcohol and basically would call them disbelievers.”

If wine is a “Servant of Light,” then it reveals both the light and the darkness within us.

This is why the Prophet Muhammad prohibited wine: the majority of people were not ready for it. And this is also why modern society sees alcohol as dangerous — because many misuse it and lack inner stability.

Wine in the Future and the Hereafter

• In Paradise, there are rivers of wine.

• Some traditions say that in the time of the Qaim (Imam Al-Mahdi), wine will once again be permitted openly.

• Imam Mahdi’s legal system will resemble that of earlier prophets — Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus — none of whom forbade wine.

This suggests that wine cannot be inherently impure.

Aba Al-Sadiq confirms this in the lecture on the permissibility of alcohol:

“Finally, we come to the question, and that is, will wine become permissible in the future? And I think that the answer is extremely clear and it is an absolute "Yes" that it will be in the time of the Qaim openly permissible. And the reason for that was already stated in the narrations of Mohammed and the Family of Mohammed, for all those who go back to their words, and take their words - not the words of the scholars. Because the permissibility of wine was part of the sharia of the former prophets and the messengers. And we have traditions that the scholars know about and spoke about before that when the Qaim comes, he rules by the jurisprudence of Adam. He rules by the jurisprudence of Abraham, he rules by the jurisprudence of Moses, and of Jesus, and of Muhammed (peace and blessings be upon him). And that jurisprudence of these previous prophets and messengers allowed and made permissible the consumption of wine and alcohol.”

Therefore, religious texts, spiritual teachings, and our own observations all reveal: Wine is not inherently negative.

In our modern age, filled with confusion, moral decline, and inner turmoil, it is understandable that alcohol harms most people and is best avoided.

But the deeper spiritual truth is: The wine is not the problem — the human being is.

This article does not encourage anyone to drink wine. It aims only to revive forgotten knowledge: The true essence of wine lies not in intoxication, but in light — and in the inner state of the one who encounters it.

Those who want to drink wine should consume it in moderation. Here too, the dose makes the poison.