Kaaba in Mecca Saudi Arabia
I speak on whatsapp almost every day with my friend, the prominent Indian journalist Saeed Naqvi, who is 6 years my elder ( having been born in 1940 )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saeed_Naqvi
Recently he invited me to his house in Delhi to have scotch whiskey.with him.
I told him drinking alcohol is forbidden in Islam, so how can he, a Muslim, drink along with me.? And how can I make his dharma bhrasht ?
He replied that drinking alcohol is not forbidden by Islam. Islam only forbids drinking to excess, i.e. drinking so much that one loses self control.
Saaeed saheb then narrated to me a story of Emperor Akbar and one of his close associates Birbal.
One day Emperor Akbar heard that Birbal drinks. So he summoned Birbal, and told him what he had heard.
Birbal denied it, and said his rivals often spread false rumours about him, the Emperor knows him well, etc, etc.
But the next day Akbar again heard that Birbal drinks.
This time the Emperor decided to personally investigate.
So when it became dark, he covered his face with a cloth ( so that no one could recognise him ), and quietly entered Birbal’s house, and sat down hidden in a dark corner, where no one could see him.
After some time Birbal came into his house, totally exhausted after working the whole day, and shouted to his servant ” Jaam-e-sehat lao ”.
The servant brought him a peg of an alcoholic beverage, which Birbal drank.
Birbal then shouted to his servant ” Jaam-e-mauj lao ”.
The servant brought him another peg.
Thereafter on his own, and without any request, the servant brought a third peg to Birbal.
At this Birbal started beating the servant, shouting at him ” You are a badmaash. You are wanting me to drink ”
On hearing this, Akbar came out of his hiding place, and told Birbal ” Birbal, what is this fraud you are doing ? You yourself asked your servant to give you two pegs of drink. And now you are beating this poor man saying he is making you drink ”
To which Birbal replied ” Your Majesty, the first two pegs are not drinks. The first, ‘jaam-e-sehat’ restores one’s health after a day’s hard work. The other, ‘jaam-e-mauj’ is to give some relaxation after a day’s hard work.
It is the third peg, which is harmful, and is forbidden by Islam
