The Narration of: “When he gets drunk, he raves; and when he raves, he fabricates lies” A Study of Its Usul (Jurisprudential) Implications

Abstract

This study examines the statement of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him): “When one drinks, he becomes intoxicated; when intoxicated, he raves; and when he raves, he fabricates.” The research highlights its uṣūlī (legal-theoretical) implications and its role in formulating several fundamental issues in the science of Uṣūl al-Fiqh. This report served as the basis for ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) and the Companions in establishing the punishment of eighty lashes for drinking alcohol, making it a widely cited precedent in uṣūl works. The study employs an inductive method to trace references to the report, a historical method to observe the evolution of its use, and a deductive method to derive the juristic principles implied therein. Findings show that uṣūl scholars utilized this particular report to establish diverse issues, including the liability of the intoxicated, the validity of consensus founded on ijtihād and qiyās, its role as a path to causal reasoning, the application of analogy in ḥudūd, and the use of maṣlaḥah mursalah. The study concludes that Uṣūl al-Fiqh is, at its core, a text-based discipline rooted in the Companions’ ijtihād, and that their reasoning constituted a cornerstone for the development of its principles, reflecting both methodological authenticity and the flexibility of partial evidences in shaping universal rules.