During the Caliphate of Hazrat Omar (RA), Qudama bin Mazoon drank wine. The Caliph (Hazrat Omar (RA) wanted to punish him by whipping, but the accused Qudama recited the following verse from the Holy Quran : “There is no harm if the believers and those who do good deeds eat and drink according to their (own) choice, provided they continue fearing Allah and doing good deeds.”
Having heard the above verse beautifully pronounced by Qudama as an argument in his favour Hazrat Omar (RA) forgave him and acquitted him of the charge of drinking.
When Hazrat Ali (A) heard of it, he said to Hazrat Omar (RA) :“Qudama does not come under the definition of those who have been mentioned in the verse in question as the very first words of the verse refers to those who do not lead a prohibited way of life and abstain from what has been forbidden by Allah. Proceeding further Hazrat Ali (A) asked Hazrat Omar (RA) as to how a person who does not care for the commandments of Allah could come under this declaration by Allah in the Holy Quran. Therefore, Qudama must offer penitence, otherwise he does not remain a Muslim and has to be beheaded. When Qudama heard of this he came at once and offered penitence.
Hazrat Omar (RA) hearing this well argued point from Hazrat Ali (A) wanted to punish Qudama for drinking, as he had already offered penitence for deriving wrong meaning from a verse of the Holy Quran, but he did not know the number of blows of whip to be struck on the body of a person accused of drinking. He therefore, consulted Hazrat Ali (A) in the matter. Hazrat Ali (A) explained it as under:
After drinking one becomes intoxicated and under intoxication one is amiable to slandering. As the punishment for slandering is eighty strokes of a whip, the punishment for drinking if calculated in this way amounts to the same number of strokes by a whip i.e., eighty strokes.
Hazrat Omar (RA) punished Qudama accordingly. (Bihar:Vol, 9, p. 4)