Fabrication of the Raafidis claiming that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) drank alcohol!
Question

                is there anything in the books of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah to suggest that Ameer al-Mu’mineen ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) drank wine even after he became Muslim, and this is to be found in our books? Because some of the Shi‘ah with whom I am debating mentioned that, and I do not know how to respond to them.
Praise be to Allah.
		This accusation is a lie and fabrication. It is 
		well-known to every Muslim that it is not permissible for a Muslim to 
		accuse anyone of a sin except with clear evidence in which there is no 
		ambiguity.

	If accusing ordinary people without evidence is a major sin, 
	then how about accusing a person such as ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with 
	him)? Al-Farooq ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) declared war on 
	alcohol from the time he became Muslim, and it was a matter of concern to 
	him before it was prohibited. 

	It was narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: Before the 
	prohibition of alcohol was revealed, ‘Umar said: O Allah, give us a clear 
	ruling on alcohol, then the verse which is in Soorat al-Baqarah was 
	revealed: “They ask you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
	him)) concerning alcoholic drink and gambling. Say: ‘In them is a great 
	sin…’” [al-Baqarah 2:219]. ‘Umar was summoned and it was recited to him. 
	He said: O Allah, give us a clear ruling on alcohol, and the verse which is 
	in Soorat al-Nisa’ was revealed: “O you who believe! Approach not As‑Salaah 
	(the prayer) when you are in a drunken state …” [al-Nisa’ 4:43]. When 
	the iqaamah for prayer was given, the caller of the Messenger of Allah 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would call out: Do not approach 
	the prayer drunk. ‘Umar was summoned and it was recited to him. He said: O 
	Allah, give us a clear ruling on alcohol, and this verse was revealed: 
	“So, will you not then abstain?” [al-Maa'idah 5:91]. ‘Umar said: We have 
	abstained.

	Narrated by Abu Dawood (3670)

	Then after ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was 
	appointed as caliph, he paid attention to warning the people against alcohol 
	and explaining the ruling on it.

	It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with 
	him) said: I heard ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) on the minbar of 
	the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saying: 
	

	To proceed; O people, when the prohibition on alcohol was 
	revealed, it was made from five things: grapes, dates, honey, wheat and 
	barley, but alcohol is that which clouds the mind. 

	Narrated by al-Bukhaari (4619) and Muslim (3032).

	He also paid attention to defining the punishment for 
	drinking alcohol, because there was no clear text concerning that, and he 
	consulted the senior Sahaabah about this matter.

	It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik that a man who had drunk 
	wine was brought to the Prophet (pbuh) and he whipped him with two palm 
	branches approximately forty times. He said: And Abu Bakr did that, but when 
	‘Umar was caliph he consulted the people and ‘Abd al-Rahmaan said: The least 
	of the hadd punishments is eighty, so ‘Umar enjoined that.

	Narrated by Muslim (1706)

	Does it make sense, in terms of human nature, that a man who 
	was concerned with cleansing Muslim society of alcohol to such a degree, and 
	continued with that mission until he died, would take lightly the matter of 
	drinking alcohol?

	This fabrication on the part of the Raafidis is nothing 
	strange as far as they are concerned; in fact Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Tamiyah 
	(may Allah have mercy on him) described them as “the most mendacious of all 
	groups in the ummah.

	End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (27/125)

	There is nothing in the books or reports of the Sunnah to 
	suggest that ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) drank alcohol; in fact 
	the most that has been narrated concerning that is that he (may Allah be 
	pleased with him) drank nabeedh [a drink made by steeping dates in water]. 
	That is proven in the story of his death, when the doctor gave him nabeedh 
	to drink. The word nabeedh may refer to alcohol or it may also refer to the 
	water in which dates or raisins are steeped until the water becomes sweet, 
	then it is drunk before it ferments. The latter is what ‘Umar (may Allah be 
	pleased with him) drank. The Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
	him) also used to drink it, and the scholars are unanimously agreed that it 
	is permissible.

	Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came on his mount, with Usaamah 
	behind him, and asked for something to drink. We gave him a vessel of 
	nabeedh and he drank it, and he gave his leftovers to Usaamah to drink, and 
	he said: “You have done good and have done well. Carry on doing that.” 

	Narrated by Muslim (1316) 

	An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

	Nabeedh is water sweetened with raisins and the like, so that 
	it has a pleasant taste, but it does not cause intoxication. But if it is 
	steeped for too long and becomes intoxicating, it is haraam. 

	End quote from Sharh Saheeh Muslim (9/64) 

	And he (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

	It is permissible to drink nabeedh so long as it is sweet and 
	has not changed or fermented; this is permissible according to the consensus 
	of the ummah. 

	End quote from Sharh Saheeh Muslim (13/174) 

	It is very odd that some people turn away from dozens of 
	hadiths which speak of the virtues of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) 
	and the strength of his religious commitment, and state that he is the best 
	of this ummah after the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) 
	and Abu Bakr – on which point there was consensus among the Sahaabah (may 
	Allah be pleased with them) and to which ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with 
	him) testified and declared it on the minbar of Kufah – but now they want to 
	undermine his status on the basis of this ambiguous word (nabeedh), and they 
	ignore the clear, unambiguous texts which prove his virtue. This is the way 
	of those in whose hearts there is deviation, as Allah, may He be exalted, 
	says (interpretation of the meaning): “So 
	as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation (from the truth) they 
	follow that which is not entirely clear thereof” 
	[Aal ‘Imraan 3:7]. 

	And Allah knows best.