Averse to Drinking Alcohol Prior to Islam

He was also averse to drinking alcohol during the age of ignorance. Hazrat Aisha (ra) relates that Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) had deemed alcohol forbidden for himself in the age of ignorance. He did not consume alcohol in the pre-Islamic era, nor after the advent of Islam.

(Kanz al-Ummal, Vol. 12, p. 490, Bab Manaqib Abi Bakr (ra), Hadith 35609, Mu‘assisat al-Risalah, Beirut, 1985)

It is reported that once, in a gathering of companions of the Holy Prophet (sa), Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was asked whether he ever consumed alcohol in the age of ignorance. In response, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) stated, “I seek refuge with Allah.” He was asked about the reason for this [i.e. why he did not consume alcohol]. He replied, “I value my honour and purity because the one who consumes alcohol destroys his honour and purity.” The narrator reports that when the Holy Prophet (sa) came to hear about this, he said:

صَدَقَ‭ ‬أَبُوْ‭ ‬بَكْرٍ‭ ‬صَدَقَ‭ ‬أَبُوْ‭ ‬بَكْرٍ‬‬‬‬‬

That is, “Abu Bakr has spoken the truth. Abu Bakr has spoken the truth.”

(Jalaluddin Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Bakr al-Suyuti, Tarikh al-Khulafa, p. 30, Chapter: kana Abu Bakr A’Af al-Nas fi al-Jahiliyyah, Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi, Beirut, 1999)

The Holy Prophet (sa) repeated this twice.