If someone drinks and is not intoxicated, the prayer is not accepted as long as it is in his system. If he is intoxicated, then prayer is not accepted for forty days.

Proof:

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ مَنْ شَرِبَ الْخَمْرَ فَلَمْ يَنْتَشِ لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلاَةٌ مَادَامَ فِي جَوْفِهِ أَوْ عُرُوقِهِ مِنْهَا شَىْءٌ وَإِنْ مَاتَ مَاتَ كَافِرًا وَإِنِ انْتَشَى لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلاَةٌ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً وَإِنْ مَاتَ فِيهَا مَاتَ كَافِرًا

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said:

“Whoever drinks Khamr and does not get intoxicated, his Salah will not be accepted so long as any trace of it remains in his belly or his veins, and if he dies he will die a Kafir. If he becomes intoxicated his Salah will not be accepted for 40 nights, and if he dies during them, he will die a Kafir.”

[Saheeh Targheeb no. 2383]

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏”‏ مَنْ شَرِبَ الْخَمْرَ وَسَكِرَ لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلاَةٌ أَرْبَعِينَ صَبَاحًا وَإِنْ مَاتَ دَخَلَ النَّارَ فَإِنْ تَابَ تَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ

“It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“Whoever drinks wine and gets drunk, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days, and if he dies he will enter Hell, but if he repents, Allah will accept his repentance…”

[Saheeh Ibn Majah no. 2738]

Imam Abul-Hasan as-Sindi rahimahullah said:

ذكر في حكمة ذلك أنها تبقى في عروقه وأعضائه أربعين يوما نقله ابن القيم قول

It is mentioned that the wisdom of that is that the alcohol remains in his veins and limbs for forty days. This is what is recorded from Ibn Qayyim..”

[Hashiyat ‘ala Ibn Majah]

Imam al-Munaawi rahimahullah said:

ثم اعلم أن ذا وما أشبهه كمن شرب الخمر تلزمه الصلاة وإن لم تقبل، إذ معنى عدم القبول عدم الثواب لاستحقاق العقاب، فالصلاة مع القبول لفاعلها الثواب بلا عقاب، ومع نفيه لا ثواب ولا عقاب، هذا ما عليه النووي، لكن اعترض بأنه سبحانه لا يضيع أجر المحسنين فكيف يسقط ثواب صلاة صحيحة بمعصية لا حقة؟ فالأوجه أن يقال: المراد من عدم القبول عدم تضعيف الأجر؛ لكنه إذا فعلها بشروطها برئت ذمته من المطالبة بها ويفوته قبول الرضا عنه.

“Then know that it and whatever is resembles it, like one who drinks alcohol, prayer is a must even though it is not accepted. The meaning of not accepted is the reward is not accepted due to deserving punishment. So the acceptance of the prayer for a person is reward without a punishment and its denial is no reward and no punishment. This is what an-Nawawi was upon. However, it was contradicted because the Exalted will not waste the reward of the good doers, so how does He deny the reward for the correct prayer due a disobedience which is not its right? So the answer is to say: the intent of not accepting the prayer is not multiplying the reward. However, if he performs it with its conditions, the responsibility is removed from him and its claim for it. He will miss the acceptance of pleasure for it”

[Fayd ul-Qadir]

And Allah Knows Best

Translated by

Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan

Abu Sulaymaan