DR. ABU AMEENAH BILAL PHILIPS
WAR ON DRUGS BEGAN 14 CENTURIES AGO
The State of Qatar is to mark Anti-Drugs Day on June 26 as part of a global campaign against illicit drugs. The production, sale and consumption of intoxicating addictive drugs have become a world-wide problem. Today, hardly any country is safe from its destructive influence. The number of lives lost and ruined yearly because of drugs is unimaginable. Furthermore, the problem has been increasing exponentially with every decade. Due to the increased awareness of law-enforcement agencies around the world to the problem, an international war against drugs was declared some years ago and international bodies, like the UN, have made it a significant part of their agenda. However, for one-fifth of the world’s population, the anti-drugs campaign began 1,400 years ago, when the rest of the world was drowning in drug-crazed debauchery. It began in a small city called Madinah, in the north of Arabia when the following Qur’anic verses (5: 90-91) were first revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his followers:
"O Believers! Intoxicants, gambling, idolatry and fortune-telling are abominations devised by Satan. So, avoid them in order to be successful. Satan seeks to stir up enmity and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from regular prayer. So, will you not then desist?" (Qur'an, 5:90-91)
The term used in the revelation, khamr, refers to all forms of intoxicating drugs as Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated, "Every intoxicant is khamr and every form of khamr is haraam (forbidden)." The Prophet (peace be upon him) was also quoted as saying: "Every intoxicant and every narcotic is unlawful," and, "If a substance intoxicates when taken in large quantities then even small quantities of it are forbidden." The most common and popular intoxicating drug in the seventh century was alcohol and it remains until today, in spite of the wide variety of synthetic drugs which are currently on the market. Consequently, its production, sale and consumption were all absolutely abolished with the revelation of this verse in the heart of Arabia 14 centuries ago. War on Drugs
Clauses in the Prohibition
It is worth noting that the prohibition of drugs in these two Qur’anic verses addresses a number of socio-religious issues with far-reaching implications.
Label: Branding Drugs as an Abomination (Rijs).
By labeling drugs as filth in this verse, Allah addresses the natural inclination of human psychology to avoid what is filthy, dirty and nasty. No matter how clean and pure something might seem at first, once someone informs that it is, in fact, impure and filthy, humans are naturally inclined to avoid it. The divine label of "filth" also counters the various enticing names which people may give to drugs, like ecstasy, ice, etc. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also referred to drugs as filth saying, "Intoxicants are the mother of all filthy and evil acts."
Classification: Equating drugs to Gambling and Idolatry
The Almighty put intoxicating substances in the same category as gambling, where most people lose their savings, become addicted and destroy their lives. The harm of gambling is so well known that most countries have laws prohibiting most of its forms. Taking drugs is a big gamble. Many people die from it and most have their lives ruined. Only a few who become addicted to it manage to escape its clutches and return to a normal life. In these verses drug consumption is also put on par with sacrifice to false gods; something so objectionable that most societies today have abandoned it. When a person takes drugs, he sacrifices his health, his wealth and his faith to the false gods which his own desires have become, as the Almighty said, "Have you seen the one who makes his desires his god?" (Qur’an)
Health and wealth are blessings from God which are to be used in beneficial ways pleasing to God. They are responsibilities about which everyone will be asked on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "No one’s feet will move from his place of resurrection until he is asked about five things: his health and how he used it, his wealth from where he earned it and how he spent it, ..."
Drug consumption is also made equivalent to fortunetelling, which is absolutely forbidden in Islam. Fortunetelling, which claims knowledge of the unseen and the future belonging exclusively to God, is a major act of disbelief. Thus, Allah implies that the very faith of those who consume drugs comes into question. Prophet Muhammad (peace
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be upon him) reiterated this point by saying, "A person is not a believer while he drinks alcohol."
By classifying drugs on a par with games of chance, idolatrous practices and the fortunetelling, all of which have been pronounced as absolutely forbidden, the prohibition of drugs is further emphasized.
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