Articles

The Islamic Perspective on Drugs
Author : Dr. Mohammad Al-Zou`bi
Date Added : 21-10-2024

 

All praise is due to Allah, Who created all of creation to worship Him, and placed reason within them to know Him, and bestowed upon them His blessings, both apparent and hidden, so that they may be grateful. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his family, his companions, and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgment.

Allah The Almighty Says (What means): "O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination of Satan’s handwork: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper." [Al-Ma`idah/90].

In His Book, the Quran, Allah, The Exalted, has forbidden wine and cursed the one who drinks it, serves it, carries it, or has it carried to him. It is the mother of all evils and the root of all wickedness. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Wine is the mother of all evils, and whoever drinks it, Allah will not accept his prayer for forty days. And if he dies with it in his stomach, he will die the death of one belonging to the Days of Ignorance/Pre-Islamic times." [At-Tabari]. Indeed, Islamic law has prohibited alcohol to ward off harm from humans and to protect religion, intellect, self, and wealth. If the reason for prohibiting alcohol is intoxication and the harm it causes, then any substance that leads to the loss of reason and causes intoxication takes on the same ruling. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Every intoxicant is wine, and every intoxicant is forbidden." [Moslim].

Therefore, the Prophet (PBUH) affirms in this hadith that whatever causes the same effect as wine is also prohibited. Consequently, drugs and intoxicants of all kinds, which have a more severe and harmful impact on the body and mind than wine, are also prohibited based on the Sharia rulings that prohibit wine.

Drugs uncover the sins of a person, reveal secrets, and plunge their user into a world of sin. Drugs are a fast track to vice, a path that shatters all prohibitions. They tear away modesty and extinguish the flame of jealousy from hearts. Drugs are a slow suicide, a destruction of the soul, and a ruin of the body. They offer a poisoned present and an uncertain future, leading either to suicide or imprisonment. Allah, The Exalted Says (What means): "And do not kill yourselves, indeed, Allah is ever Merciful to you." [An-Nisa/29].

O Allah, how many lives have been lost, how many families have been torn apart, how many honors have been tarnished, how many minds have been impaired, and how much wealth has been squandered because of these poisons. O Allah, how many mothers and fathers have wept due to these poisons. How many wives have been widowed, and how many children have been orphaned, with fathers complaining and mothers weeping, wives bewildered, and children lost. O Allah, how much poverty and humiliation have these poisons brought, and how many blessings have they denied. O Allah, how much sorrow, regret, misfortune, and premature death have these poisons caused. Truly, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was truthful when he said: "Do not drink alcohol, for it is the key to all evil." [Ibn Majah].

A drug user is corrupting both their religion and body, committing a crime against themselves, their family, and society. They are toying with their dignity and the essence of their humanity. When their mind is absent, they forget their Lord and forget themselves, becoming like animals, if not more misguided. They may kill, steal, or sell themselves, their honor, and their wealth for the sake of a pill or a dose of intoxicants.

Young people in the prime of their lives have been lost, or they remain a burden on their families and communities. They could have been constructive elements contributing to the development of their nations, striving for the happiness of their families, building their countries, and raising the dignity of their relatives. Instead, drugs have turned them into harmful creatures that destroy rather than build, causing harm, showing no regard for morality, religion, or honor.

The horrific crimes that result from drug use send chills down the spine and are beyond imagination; their atrocities are too terrible to describe. They serve as a warning signal that necessitates our awareness and caution regarding these dangers, urging us to protect our children from the threats posed by drugs.

Therefore, my dear youth, take care of yourselves for the sake of Allah. Actually, you are facing dangerous conspiracies, criminal gangs, fierce attacks, and malicious, hostile plans launched by your enemy through all means. They use cunning methods, hidden deadly weapons, and alluring names to deceive you into thinking that these substances bring happiness, excitement, enhance memory, and help with studying. However, in reality, they are poisons aimed at destroying the most precious asset of this nation: its intellect. These poisons pollute minds and corrupt thoughts. They are tools that aim to undermine the morals of this nation, and its beating heart—its men of tomorrow and the builders of its civilization.

Therefore, be aware, O youth of the nation, and beware of bad companions, those weak in character and devoid of dignity. Drugs are not something to be experimented with; for one pill may be your end, one pill may lead you to addiction, one pill may be enough to ruin your life and future, and one pill may drag you into prisons or rehabilitation centers.

Beware of bad company, for the Prophet (PBUH) said: "A person follows the religion of his close friend, so one should consider whom they befriend.” [Ibn Al-Subki in Tabaqat Al-Shafi'iyyah]. Do not let yourselves become slaves to drugs, driven by a fleeting thrill or momentary pleasure, only to become captives in the hands of dealers and corruptors. The pleasures will vanish, but the regrets will remain. The fleeting desires will fade, but the tears will endure.

The dealers of these poisonous substances, the corrupters on earth, care only about making a profit. Their concern is to drive luxurious cars, to build lavish mansions. They do not care who the victim is. They have no regard for young people in the prime of their lives who have destroyed themselves and their futures. They are indifferent to the tears of a grieving mother watching her child fall prey to drugs. They care nothing for religion, morals, honor, or country. These killers, these corrupters on earth, have stripped themselves of their religion and humanity.

It is our duty to stand in their way because the fight against drugs is a collective responsibility. It does not rest solely on the shoulders of security forces, although we pray for their success and guidance in their work. They risk their lives day and night to protect us, our land, and our nation from this scourge. The responsibility also falls on each one of us. You stand on a crucial front for your nation, so do not allow harm to come from your side.

Drug dealers see schools and universities, where young men and women gather, as fertile grounds for spreading their poison and promoting their merchandise. They set their traps to lure their prey toward destruction and loss. So, be vigilant and cautious of this danger.

These poison dealers are tantamount to a malicious hand, which must be severed, reaching out to our children. Moreover, drugs are a chronic disease that must be eradicated, and this can only be achieved through the collective efforts of all—fathers, mothers, schools, universities, the media, institutions, seminars, and lectures. Together, we must fortify our society and families against this dangerous plague and lethal poison. Allah speaks the truth when He Says (What means): "O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded." [At-Tahrim/6].

We ask Allah to protect our nation and leader, King Abdullah II, from all harm.

 

 

The published article reflects the opinion of its author

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Summarized Fatawaa

Who is the "Capable Person" for whom the Udhiyah is recommended?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.

The "Capable Person" (Al-Qadir): This refers to anyone who possesses surplus wealth beyond their own essential needs and the financial maintenance of their wife, children, or whoever is under their legal care, during the day of Eid and the three days of Tashreeq (the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah), as this is the designated timeframe for the sacrifice. And Allah Knows Best.

What is the ruling on performing the Duha (forenoon) prayer before its time has begun, because I go to school early in the morning?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The Duha (forenoon) prayer is not valid if performed before its time has begun. Its time starts when the sun has risen to a noticeable height, that is, approximately fifteen minutes after sunrise, and it ends when the sun reaches its zenith (zawāl), shortly before the Dhuhr (noon) prayer. It is stated in Mughni al-Muhtaj (Vol.1/p.455): “Its time is from the rising of the sun [to a spear’s height] until the zenith.”
Accordingly, the Duha prayer is not valid if offered before the sun has risen, and its time remains open until just before Dhuhr. It may be performed at any time at school, during the break between classes or during recess. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is it obligatory to make up all missed prayers?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Making up missed prayers (qaḍāʾ) is a sharʿī obligation, established by the practice of the Prophet ﷺ himself — when the disbelievers preoccupied him on the Day of the Trench and he missed the ʿAṣr prayer, he made it up afterward. This is further affirmed by the ḥadīth: "Fulfil what you owe to Allah, for Allah is most deserving of being fulfilled." (Reported by al-Bukhārī.)
Accordingly, a person who has missed prayers should set aside his voluntary and Sunnah prayers and replace them with make-up prayers in their stead. There is no objection to making up one missed prayer alongside each obligatory prayer that is performed — praying the equivalent missed prayer together with each current obligatory prayer as a practical and manageable way of gradually clearing one's debt of missed prayers. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on waiving a debt owed by a debtor and counting it toward zakāh?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Waiving a debt owed by a debtor, with the intention of counting it toward zakāh, does not fulfill the zakāh obligation. Rather, it constitutes an ordinary act of charity, for which Allah rewards the giver generously — since one of the conditions for the validity of zakāh is that the person paying it must form the intention of zakāh at the actual moment the wealth is paid out. In this case, the debt has already been established as a standing obligation upon the borrower, so it is not valid to simply redirect the intention toward zakāh after the fact.
It is preferable, instead, for the creditor to first collect the debt from the debtor, and then return to him the amount of money he is required to pay as zakāh — or a portion of it — if the debtor happens to fall under one of the eight categories that Allah, the Exalted, has commanded be given from zakāh.
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik, from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "If someone gives [money] to a poor person, stipulating that the recipient return it to him in payment of a debt owed to him, or says, 'I am making what you owe me into zakāh, so take it [as such]' — this is not valid. But if he gives it to him with the [unstated] intention that the recipient will use it to repay him, or says, 'Repay what you owe me, so that I may [then separately] give it to you as zakāh,' or the debtor himself says, 'Give it to me, so that I may [then] repay you with it' — this is valid, and there is no binding obligation for the recipient to actually fulfill this [informal understanding]." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.