Drugs and Alcohol

O slaves of Allah, I advise myself and you to fear Allah, the One Who said in His Book:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالأَنصَابُ وَالأَزْلاَمُ رِجْسٌ مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ

فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

Ayah 90 of Suratul-Ma’idah means: [O you who believe! Alcoholic drinks, gambling, idols, and al-azlam (i.e., the arrows that were in the Ka^bah by which the non-believers of Makkah used to seek luck or decision) are all amongst the evil acts of Satan. Avoid them all so you may succeed].

Ayah 29 of Surat an-Nisa’ means: [And do not kill yourselves].

It is understood from the first Ayah that Alcohol and what has been mentioned along with it are all forbidden, Haram. The second Ayah shows that anything that leads to self-harm is also Haram. Abu Dawud narrated that “the Messenger of Allah, forbade everything that intoxicates or causes harm to one’s body and eye.” Illicit drugs clearly fall under the latter section of the Hadith.

Dear bothers in Islam, many destructive practices such as the usage of illicit drugs and the addiction to alcohol have prevailed in our Muslim societies, especially amongst our youth. If these practices are left without any action or even attempt to stop or minimise them, then these diseases may reach our homes without realisation.

O father… O teacher… O guardian… Keep in mind the Hadith of the Messenger, that was narrated by al-Bukhariyy which means:<< Everyone is responsible for certain people and shall be questioned about this responsibility>>. O father, where is your son? Are you asking about his conditions or whom he is befriending? And are you asking about where he spends his nights? Or are you satisfied with just asking about his food?

O father, have you taught your child and provided him with a shield before it is too late? When you see your child returning at 3 o’clock at night, his eyes are red and sunken, sleeping long hours and not having the energy to move and be active, what is your stance then? Do not wait until it’s too late! Look into whom your child is befriending; a friend may drag his friend either to Paradise or Hellfire.

Dear Muslim youth, we are relying on you so do not let us down. Suppress this poison from being among you. Abolish them out of your gatherings, universities, schools, hangouts, and homes. Be wary of drugs and drinking alcohol as they are destructive. Fight these dangerous illnesses and do not keep silent about them. If one says I take this drug because it strengthens me and aids me in focusing; tell him: you are self seduced and this is what the devil is instilling, do not embark on this destructive path.

O drug-addict, wake up for you are killing and destroying yourself; you are burning the hearts of your father and mother. Your father did not send you to university to take drugs and alcohol, so wake up.

Dear Muslim youth, the situation begins with one pill, or one sip, or one injection; so be aware. Do not take from your friend what is unfamiliar to you. One might tell you that you seem depressed and stressed take this and all your problems will disappear.

Drugs and alcohol are not the solution to your problems. In fact, they are the beginning of the severe problems. How could you disobey Allah, the One Who bestowed upon you all these endowments? Dear brother, if you get addicted to drugs and alcohol, from where would you be able to get the money in order to buy these things? You might resort to stealing money from your father, or selling the belongings of your parents or the like just to get to what you want. You might even sell yourself for just one injection and fall into the darkness of humiliation, the humiliation of sin and the humiliation of resorting low standards; is it this that you want for yourself?

If you take drugs or drink alcohol you might kill someone with your car, or beat a person because he has annoyed you, or harm a family member, or insult your mother and hit your parents; even reaching a stage where you might kill them or kill yourself. Is that what you want for yourself? Is that what you want for your son? Is that what you want for your Muslim brothers and friends?

You have to protect yourselves, families, brothers and friends from these dangers by raising awareness and advice and by filling their hearts with the fear of Allah.

Until when are we going to remain hearing that this youth passed away because he overdosed on drugs, or that this youth had died because of drunk driving? Until when is a person going to remain silent about his friend’s drug and alcohol addiction, not warning or advising him? Until when are these pills going to keep spreading among school and university students?

There is no doubt that the parents play a role, that the school plays a role, and that the university plays a role. You also have a role in refraining from these destructions, and have a role in advising friends and relatives by using wisdom and friendly manners. Warn them about its consequences and let them know that it is a sin in the Religion of Allah. The Messenger, said what means <> The companions said, “we support him when opressed, but how do we support an oppressor.” The Prophet replied: <>.

And Allah knows best