The Danger of Alcohol and Drugs

from the January 28, 2001 sermon.

Allah, to Whom all praise and glory is due, says:

Spend in the cause of Allah and do not throw yourselves into destruction, and do good. Surely, Allah loves the righteous.

And Allah says:

O you who believe! Intoxicants and gambling and dedication to stones (paying tribute to idols) and division by arrows (lottery) are the filthy works of Satan. Get away from them so that you may prosper. Satan desires to stir up enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants and gambling, to prevent you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. Will you not then abstain?

Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "Every intoxicant is forbidden. Allah, exalted and powerful, has promised every drinker of intoxicant that He will make him drink from the drink of khabaal." His companions said, "O messenger of Allah! What is the drink of khabaal?" Muhammad (pbuh) said, "The sweat of the people of Hellfire; their perspiration."

Previously we discussed the evils of the tongue (lying, backbiting, slandering, gossiping). Today we will discuss some things that are harmful for the intellect and mind, foremost among them are drugs and intoxicants.

Why did Allah forbid alcohol and drugs?

Drugs and intoxicants carry great potential for destruction for the individual and the community. Muhammad (pbuh) said, "Abstain from wine. Verily it is the mother of all evil." Another narration says, "Abstain from wine. Verily, it opens the door to all kinds of evil." And Abu Darda narrated, "Muhammad (pbuh) advised me, 'And do not drink wine, it opens the door to all kinds of evil.'"

As wine is forbidden, so are other intoxicants that cause greater harm than alcohol. Some of their harms are known, while others are not. So all drugs are forbidden, including but not limited to:

• Intoxicants from plants (marijuana, salvia, hash, etc)
• Pills (ecstasy, street drugs, medicines that are not taken for a legitimate medical reason, etc) 
• Chewing substances (chewing tobacco, snuff, khat, etc.)
• Drinks (alcohol, absinthe, etc)
• Inhalants (cocaine, cigarettes, propellants in aerosol cans, etc.)
• Injections (heroin, meth, etc.)

Islam has forbidden drugs and alcohol because of their inherent danger and harm to the individual and the community. When Allah and His messenger (pbuh) stop us from something we must abstain from it, whether we understand the wisdom behind the order or not. As for drugs and alcohol, there are known dangers in them, such as:

1.  They debilitate the mind and intellect of the person using them. Our intellect is what distinguishes us from animals, and a person under the influence cannot think clearly and does not realize the consequences of his or her actions.

Here is a true story: A person under the influence of drugs urinated, and then he took his urine and washed his face with it, saying "O Allah, make me among those who repent and those who stay clean." He washed his face with urine, thinking it was water and he was making ablution (wudhu). Why? Because he lost his ability to reason to drugs.

2.  They transform the character of a person. A trustworthy person turns into a cheat, and a truthful person turns into a liar. A person who used to love his or her family instead tears apart the family with arguments and disputes.

A person narrated the story of his father, a righteous man, and of his mother, a righteous woman. But the father fell into bad company and started using drugs. Because of that, he was laid off from work. He then sold all his possessions to buy more drugs. Then, when he needed more drugs, he demanded money from his wife, but she had no money to give him so she refused. The father took the kitchen knife and killed her with it. As a result, the father was put in prison and his son and two daughters were sent to an orphanage, all because of drugs.

3.  Another factor that tells of the harms of intoxicants is that the person involved in them may suffer from medical problems because of the drugs or alcohol and may well die young, or be debilitated for the rest of the life.

4.  Among the many harms of drugs and alcohol is that Satan accompanies a drug user and guides him to all sorts of other evils. Such a person is very prone to stop doing what is good and right and instead will propagate all kinds of evil since he or she is far away from the religion of Allah and the sunnah of Muhammad (pbuh). He or she will dislike good company and enjoy evil company. Allah says,:

Whoever turns away from remembrance of the Beneficent (Allah), we appoint a Satan for him who becomes his companion. And surely they (the demons) hinder them from the way of Allah, but they perceive as if they are rightly guided.

 5. Allah has cursed the drinker of wine and the user of intoxicants, except if he or she repents to Allah, to Whom all praise and glory is due. In fact, Allah has cursed ten kinds of people associated with drinking alcohol. Ibn Abbas narrated that Muhammad (pbuh) said, "The Angel Gabriel (pbuh) came to tell me: 'O Muhammad! Allah, exalted and powerful, has cursed wine, its maker, for whom it was made, its drinker, its carrier, its recipients, its seller, its buyer, its server, and the one to whom it is served!'"

Dear brothers and sisters, some mistakenly say that Allah has forbidden wine but not drugs. This thinking is wrong, because drugs are more harmful than wine, so prohibition of wine implies prohibition of all alcohol and drugs as well. Muhammad (pbuh) forbade all substances that weaken the body and weaken the intellect. So, let's ask ourselves, do drugs make the body strong or weak? Surely, they weaken it, even though some people may think otherwise. Therefore, I warn all Muslims, especially the youth, to stay away from these harmful and prohibited substances. Youth is a trust from Allah, and Allah will question all of us regarding how we spent our use on the Day of Judgment. Moreover, Islam and the ummah (worldwide community of Muslims) is in need of their support to strengthen it.

Now that we have discussed the harms of alcohol and drugs, let's see what prompts our youth toward drugs. The following are some of the factors that incite the youth to try drugs and alcohol:

• Bad company: Muhammad (pbuh) told us, "Do not befriend, except a believer." The wisdom of this hadith is that a pious believer will invite his companion to do acts of virtue, whereas an evil companion will encourage his buddy to indulge in acts of disobedience. Here I would like to advise those of you who are parents to give time to and enjoy the company of their children, and to be aware through indirect ways with whom their children make friends, and to prevent them from associating with bad company, as parents will be asked on the Day of Judgment about their responsibilities towards their children.
• In the same vein, parents who are neglectful of bringing up their children with an Islamic upbringing because of their jobs, or travel, or many other excuses are committing a great error. Parents have the responsibility to keep a watch over their children, and to inquire whether or not they have prayed and done other acts of worship.
• Weakness of faith and belief can cause the youth to slip into a life of drugs or drinking. Muhammad (pbuh) said, "A strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak believer."
• Smoking can lead to drug use and drinking. Smoking is forbidden because it is impure and it harms the body. Allah says, "The messenger who enjoins them what is good and forbids what is evil, makes pure things permissible and impure things forbidden." So because cigarettes are impure, they are therefore forbidden.
• Frequent arguments among parents, especially those that lead to divorce, can facilitate the youth into drinking and using drugs. In the case of a divorce, the children are devastated and are likely to fall into drinking and drugs as a means of escape, especially when parents remarry or neglect their kids.

How do we prevent our children from drinking or doing drugs?

We must strengthen our faith and work to make the faith of our children strong as that is the way to salvation. Allah says:

O you who believe! Intoxicants and gambling and dedication to stones (paying tribute to idols) and division by arrows (lottery) are the filthy works of Satan. Get away from them so that you may prosper.

Allah has made it clear that the way to prosperity is by avoiding intoxicants. I remind you and myself that strong faith in Allah prevents Satan from approaching you and your children from falling into drugs.

Ibn Taimiyyah said, "The hash is forbidden; its user will invite the same punishment as the wine drinker. It is worse than wine. It corrups the mind and prevents from the remembrance of Allah."

Also, we should spend our time in useful activities. If the parents and responsible adults in the community drink or use drugs, the children will follow in our footsteps (Allah forbid). I urge each and every one of you, wherever you are, to get involved with your local community. Participate in activities for the youth and the rest of the community, and if your community does not have these activities find out how to start them. If you are a youth, find out what activities are available to you at the local mosque or Islamic center and urge your parents to let you attend.

Strong communities with youth activities have benefits, which include:

• The youth will spend time near the mosque and will be more likely to pray in congregation and attend classes and lectures of religious learning.
• They will exercise their bodies and minds and, Allah willing, stay way from harmful substances.
• The youth will befriend each other and create strong bonds, which will prevent them from adopting bad company.

Dear brothers and sisters, we will answer in front of Allah for the training of our children, because we are all in the same boat. It is not enough to pray while at the same time neglecting the need of a Muslim brother or sister. This is not the characteristics of a Muslim.

Some of you reading who do not have children, or whose children are already grown, will say, "Why do I need to participate in the activities of the youth?" This kind of thinking is incorrect. We are all commanded to propagate good actions and stop evil, and we will each be asked by Allah about our participation in acts of virtue. A strong community alone may not be strong enough to stop the encroachment of drugs and alcohol on the youth, but it will certainly have a major contribution in this effort, Allah willing. And whatever time or money you spend striving in the sake of Allah, you will find it multiplied many times, Allah willing, if not in this world, then definitely on Judgment Day.