I believe that I heard it at the Juma (Frydays prayer) that Suleyman the magnificient allowed it, but the Imam was an Bulgarian, allthough my language (bosnian) is similar, i could not undersand fully, therefore I am not sure. 

If it is true, what was the reason?

Since alcoholic beverages were really the only safe source of hydration for armies on the march, I suspect the Muslim forces may have compromised by consuming wine that was diluted with water.

Can anyone confirm this?

Some sultans allowed somes banned drinking alcohole. Some sultans have died due to alcohol drinking related diseases.

In fact alcohole ban is something which is very exagerated in Islamic world. In fact it was allowed at the beginning but after prophet Muhammed saw drunk people who come to mosque, "the ban came". But the essence is that you should not pray without consciousness. For me in times of fun, we (Muslims) can drink as I did. But if you make a duty or pray you should not. In fact it is a matter of ethic. If you do not know how to drink and lost your counscious it is better not to drink. It is a matter of logic.  

At the begging of Islam, it was allowed ..

Then it was banned on prayer times ..

At last, the full ban was imposed ..

This was in during the Prophet PBUH life ..

So, Alcohol was gradually banned by Law of Islam ... Until totally forbidden .. And this is an example of the clemency of Islam ..

From my readings in Ottoman History, Yeniceries foced one of the Sultans "Selim II maybe" to allow Alcohol ..

And that was one of the Empire Decline reasons .. even some people might thought it a small reason ..

Clemency?? I'm astonished at your conception of clemency!! I guess what you wanted to say was; «And this is an example of the backdraw of Islam...»

Please, that's the same thing as stating that the downfall of the Roman Empire was because of the wine!  Where do you get these ayatollish ideas from?

---Please, that's the same thing as stating that the downfall of the Roman Empire was because of the wine!  Where do you get these ayatollish ideas from?---

1.What happenen with america as the Cocain was comming, you know what happened during the Drug War, the crime exploded and is still extremly high. And Kokain was for a few hundred years available in South Americ, and they have not a problem with addiction, so that could be dangerous for society to import a copletly new drug. Alcohol was also dangerous for native Americans, why should it not be for the Islamic Ottoman Empire.

2.Or why are not other Drugs allowed like Alkohol

3.Alkohol had alo been banned in America.

Hey does somebody know what the Quuran says about the abuse of further drugs like e.g. Chat (in Yemen, many people abuse it, the effects are similar with Cocain)

Of course Bosnjo! The west is the seed of all evil! Why hasn't any real historian realized that the downfall of the Islamic empires and societies was the importation of «western» habits or culture? The Ottomans disappeared because they were all drunk! 

I mean, honestly, I think that some muslims should start opening their eyes and realize that the Koran isn't everything in life (as well as the Bible or the Torah)!

I do sympathize with the East, but not with this ludicrous and out of touch views. Get real! 

If you doubt to use alchole for human health it means that you did not understand anything from Kuran. This mentality is beyond the scope of logic, human mind and the real essence of religion.

This question is one of the biggest attacks to Islam. On the other hand it was not allowed to use anything related with alchole in Saudi Arabia even if it is related with human health. We also know what they did to wholly places...... Islam is suffering from this puppet regime in most important places of Islam. Arab people are also suffering from a huge abuse in all terms.

But what can we do? They were the best ally of US.

Democracy? Who cares. Democracy means "the interests of US".